Winter is coming! Here’s some simple things you can do to ensure the worms in your farm stay warm and cosy!

Composting worms can be less active during the cooler months. To keep them lively and consistently processing food waste into worm castings all season long, winterise your worm farm today by following these easy steps!

Location, location, location- Reposition the worm farm somewhere sunny and protected from the harsh winter winds. Consider placing an old blanket or tarp over the top. The garage or laundry are also good places to keep your farm productive all winter in extreme conditions.

In colder conditions, the food decomposition process slows down and therefore the worms can take longer to process waste. To help with this, chop or blend food up smaller.

Organic waste material heats up as it decomposes, worms are not only attracted to the food source but the warmth it creates. This is a good thing as it means they would much rather spend their time in the top feeding tray than keeping cool in material contained in the lower layers. *One of the best things about the winter worm farm is there is a lot less risk of overheating like in the Summer months.

Apply straw or mulch after adding food scraps to help keep the farm well balanced and insulated, follow with a light watering. Place a worm blanket such as a piece of hessian or moist thick cardboard cut to size over the top of this to encourage the worms to come to the surface to feed.

If you don’t notice many worms balling up around the food source, check that there aren’t any trapped in the bottom tray or reservoir. If there aren’t any to be found down there, you may need to consider boosting your farm with some more worms. More worms will help create more heat and ensure you can continue processing waste material all winter long and be rewarding you with lots of organic castings in time for the spring garden!

Moisture is still necessary for the worms to thrive in their environment, cut back on watering slightly and ensure the material stays moist but not too wet. Avoid adding freezing cold water to your farm. Lukewarm is best.

Remember, always leave the tap on your worm farm OPEN. This allows water to drain right through into a bucket and saves worms from drowning in the reservoir and contributing to the chill factor in their home!

By implementing these seasonal changes, winterising your worm farm will encourage a multiplication of your worm colony, allow you to process more food waste destined for landfill and produce an abundance of organic castings in time for the spring garden!

Check out the worm help centre for lots more info or visit the worm store and our team will package up some healthy, happy and hungry compost worms to send direct to you! Free shipping.