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The current global situation is once again resulting in inflation as well as uncertainty when it comes to food supply. Hence, it is the perfect time to start composting your organic waste and increase your capacity to grow your own food at home. Traditional farming relies heavily on petrochemicals, whether in the making of fertiliser or to the growing and transport the food itself to the end consumer. Growing even a small amount of food at home, especially the more perishable items like herbs and leafy greens, helps to save money for other items and keep you stocked with chemical-free, ultra-healthy fresh fruit and vegetables.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve this is to use in-ground worm farms to turn kitchen scraps into nutrients for the garden. What exactly is an in-ground worm farm you may ask? It is a cylinder that is buried in the soil (usually about 10cm) and it has a number of holes below soil level to allow the worms to move in and out. A lid stops vermin from entering the worm farm.

In ground worm farms such as the Tumbleweed Worm Buffet® can be installed anywhere from a raised garden bed near the kitchen or on a balcony, or out in the garden in your vegetable patch or near fruit trees. As well as adding organic nutrients to your soil, the worms also distribute beneficial microbes within your soil as they move in and out of the worm farm.

Compared to freestanding worm farms, the in-ground design (compared with above-ground worm farms) takes away any awkward physical tasks like harvesting worm castings and switching the trays of the worm farm. Instead of having to take the worm castings out of the worm farm and distribute them around the garden, the worms do this themselves as they move in and out from the worm farm to the soil around it. This also removes the step of digging worm castings into the soil, as the worms aerate and cultivate the soil while they move in and out of the worm farm.

By removing the step of harvesting castings, the in-ground worm farm also makes the whole process a bit less messy. It also makes it a much more accessible design for everyone to use, particularly people with reduced mobility. The in-ground design is perfect for any garden where space is limited, and it can be installed close to the kitchen instead of hiding a large unit somewhere at the back of the garden. Little strategies like this help make it easier to take scraps out often and keep everything neat and tidy. Even if you have an existing compost heap or worm farm, this design is great for adding extra capacity or making your existing set-up more user friendly.

Summary:

• Low maintenance
• Compact - can fit in any size garden and in raised beds
• Great for beginners and experienced composters needing more capacity
• Excellent for small spaces and raised garden beds
• Accessible for people with diverse needs, as they can be installed in raised garden beds, sited closer to the kitchen for easier access, and don’t require the labour of larger systems
• Perfect for families with children to learn about worms, as you can open it easily to show kids the worms and how the worm farm works

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