Many years ago my brother Rod gave me a CERES worm farm for Christmas; a very generous present. (Thanks Rod!)
With the worm farm installed in our backyard, I would no longer need to toss our food scraps into the bin. Yay for me! Okay, I was a little smug about how virtuous I now would be. Take that landfill!
That’s when I discovered that being the owner of a worm farm is not as easy as it sounds. Worms need food. And they die, in the heat, by the thousands! Too much responsibility!!
After that hot summer, back in 2009, when our first family of worms frizzled and fried, tossing food scraps and leftovers in the bin didn’t seem so bad after all. Until I enrolled in that damn sustainability course. That’s when the ghost of worms past started haunting me. ‘Did we die for nought?’.
Peter fashioned this shade tent to protect the new batch of worms from certain death. They are very grateful.Less than eight weeks into the Swinburne course, Peter and I went to CERES and purchased a box of worms. I was ready and willing to try again. Avoiding the heat wasn’t the only change we needed to initiate, there was the problem of the food not breaking down fast enough. The very helpful nursery attendant at CERES mentioned that it helps to cut the food into small pieces as it is easier for the worms to break it down. Why didn’t I think of that? Worms have very tiny mouths!
Yummy worm food – a selection of carrot and potato peelings, some egg shells and loose tea.One day, while peering at the worms, it occurred to me that I am a farmer, a worm farmer. I have a responsibility for the worms. It is a symbiotic relationship. I need the worms to dispose of our food scraps and they need me to make sure their conditions are met – they need food, and shelter from the elements.
I’ve learnt a lot about myself from the worms. How fear of failure can paralyse even the best of intentions. Every time I open the lid to spread a new batch of food, I still get that tight feeling in my stomach. Will they still be alive? So far, they have survived, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I love worms.
a change in time 
March 25, 2015 at 10:50 am
An old bath mat placed on top of the worm hotel has helped with my worm anxiety. Hosed down, it keeps them a bit cooler in summer. Now under the shade of a gum tree has helped too; a good prospect for both tree and worms. Ice blocks on top of newspaper inside the top layer eases my mind and no doubt the worms’ minds too on those hot days. I’ve recently been adding more paper to the mix- well, not really the mix, more like tossing it in when it looks a bit ‘wet’. I also incorporate an escapee policy from time to time, mainly because I don’t like too controlled an environment for them. Or me.
March 28, 2015 at 9:10 pm
You have some excellent ‘worm anxiety’ prevention techniques there, Julianne, thanks for sharing! It’s nice to know there are other people out there that are looking out for these little creatures. 🙂