Why should I compost with Worms?

When initial bacterial action has slowed, your compost heap will cool down. There's still a lot of decomposition to be done, though, and this is where worms come in. Able to eat their own bodyweight of organic matter in one day, they help finish the job of composting.

Worms are beneficial because they:

• work quickly – nature's fastest composters.
• can reduce the compost's volume by 85%.
• produce vermicompost - a quality fertiliser.
• operate effectively on small volumes of waste.
• help prevent odours.

Can I collect worms from my garden?

Well, you could, but you'll have a happier, healthier compost heap if you use specialist worms. The worms in your garden are most likely to be Lumbricus terrestris, lob worms, which are deep-burrowing and unsuited to compost heaps. For an effective wormery you need lots of worms – about 1 kg per cubic metre – but you only need to buy worms once. Your colony will breed prolifically and will then regulate itself to suit the amount of waste provided.

The best and most commonly available species for composting are litter dwelling worms:

Dendrobaena veneta - a striped worm and a voracious eater. The natural habitat for these worms is a woodland floor, so they will thrive on leafy waste.

Eisenia andreii / fetida – also known as the Red Tiger worm, this species is perfect for composters due to rapid breeding and waste consumption rates. Smaller and less hardy than the Dendrobaena, Eisenia worms are also more sensitive to changes in the environment.

Lumbricus rubellus – a redworm like Eisenia, Lumbricus can survive at lower temperatures than other worms, though the amount of food eaten will decrease significantly below 10 degrees Celsius. Though a surface dweller like Eisenia, Lumbricus can tunnel into the soil more deeply, making it a good choice for outdoor compost heaps and cold winters.