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Helpful Composting Tips
Kitchen food waste has a high moisture content. Add food regularly rather than in large quantities to prevent sour slimy conditions developing, creating odours and attracting flies, Also too much food at once will sour and putrefy before the worms can deal with it.
Chopping or mincing food scraps before feeding speeds up the composting process.
As worms don't like an acid environment, a monthly light sprinkling of dolomite or garden lime is desirable to ensure a good environment for the worms.
Acidic conditions are often indicated by an increase in the number of tiny white worms.
Worms need to be kept moist but not soggy. If they dry out they will die, or if it's too wet they will drown.
Keep food buried in the bedding to deter fruit and house flies.
If odours are produced, this is usually because the unit has been overfed, allowed to become too moist or the bedding has become packed, limiting air flow. Odours generally result from anaerobic (lack of free oxygen) conditions, so it is important to correct not only for odour reasons but also because the conditions may well be toxic to the worms which need oxygen to live.
As worm composting doesn't generate heat, any seeds included with the food may still germinate, eg tomatoes, pumpkins.
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