Two days after ordering, the kit arrived. Marked 'URGENT - LIVE WORMS' the courier bloke seemed quite amused that I was taking receipt, and commented on girls handling worms, and whether I was a keen fisherman...
I immediately opened the box and got out the instructions for setting up. The website I'd ordered from was incredibly useful and I had been able to not only download the same instructions but also look at a slideshow of the setup process, so I was already prepared and felt comfortable that there would be no problems.
First job - soak the coir block (compressed coconut fibre) in warm water. This is the first bedding material the worms will live in while they settle in. Next, a small bucket of my own garden soil. This helps to create the right environment for the worms as it has all the normal bacteria, insects and other life that the worms like in their habitat - a bit like providing them a nice sofa and comfy cushions to furnish their new home with. Hope they like the colour scheme - my local soil is quite red! The last pre-prepared item was a bag of shredded paper - I always have some anyway as I shred all my sensitive paperwork.
I followed the instructions, which went just as the slide show, and very quickly had the unit set up. I had chosen a stacking system with 3 trays. Each tray has a mesh base to allow liquid to drain through into a 'sump' at the bottom of the unit, where there is a tap to drain off the liquid (worm tea - a good liquid fertiliser). New trays are added on top of each other as the wormery progresses and compost is formed.
One of the tips I'd read on the website was that the worms often descend down through the drainage holes in the bottom tray. To prevent this, the first tray should be lined with something that dissuades the worms from going down, but still allows liquid to drip through. Typically this is done with damp newspaper or cardboard, but weed control or landscape fabric has also been used to good effect by some users.
The worms are sent in a large bag maded of a material similar to weed control fabric, so as I had two bags, I transferred all my worms into one bag, and cut the now empty bag down the side and base to give me a flat piece of fabric. This fitted quite nicely into the bottom of the tray.
Next, the soaked coir, which by now has swelled up and disintegrated as it should. I made sure it was all broken up, then took big handfuls and squeezed out the excess water, and spread it out over the base of the tray. Worms like it damp, but not wet, so it's important to squeeze out the excess water. Once the coir is out of the bucket, the prepared shredded paper goes in for a soaking.
With most of the coir now in the tray, I added a few handfuls of my garden soil - I noticed a few creepy crawlies which is apparently a good sign, so was hopeful that the new worms would like it...
The worms then got put on top of the soil - they come in the bedding they've been living and breeding in, which looks like lovely black compost, with sme shredded paper mixed in. Despite being in a bag in transit for at least 24 hours, they still looked good and healthy. I spread them out gently - thankfully I am a keen fisherman and have never had issues with handling worms!
Next in the tray is a handful or two of the supplied 'worm food' - basically a fine cereal mix. This is what the woms will eat for their first couple of weeks while they settle in. They can't be fed kitchen waste at first, according to the instructions.
Now, my prepared shredded paper. This was now damp, so like the coir, handfuls get squeezed out then spread over the worms. The instructions say to give a good thick layer, up to two inches deep.
Lastly, a layer of damp unshredded paper - I happened to have an old yellow pages that had been left out by the back door and had got very damp, so I used that. Found a few worms living in between the pages, so that's a good sign. Again, a nice thick layer. Worms don't like light, so it's important to ensure that it's nice and dark in their home. When waste food starts to be put into the tray, it's a good idea to cover it quickly with a thick layer of damp paper as it helps prevent fruit flies laying eggs on the waste, and therefore reduces the amount of fruit flies that congregate around the wormery. We'll see how this works as things progress.
On goes the lid and that's it - leave alone and don't poke it...
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