Keep cool and compost

David and Gabby Locke and the Entire Tech team receiving their Switched on Business Award from City of Armadale Mayor and Chairperson of the South East Regional Energy Group, Ruth Butterfield. They were joined by Cr Aaron Adams (City of Gosnells / SEREG delegate), City of Melville Business Development Advisor Stuart Tomlinson and Sustainability Engagement Officer Jess Sutherland. Photo credit: City of Melville. 

If you have a worm farm you may have noticed that your worms aren’t as hungry when the weather heats up. Here are our top five tips to keep your worms cool and composting all summer long.

1. Keep your worms in the shade all day. You can also drape shade cloth over your worm farm for added protection.

2. Harvest fewer castings during summer. Leaving lots of castings (decomposed materials) in your worm farm will provide a safe haven for your worms. The temperature of the worm farm will remain more stable and the worms can burrow down to escape the heat of the day.

3. Keep it soggy. Your worm farm is prone to drying out in the heat. A worm blanket or piece of hessian kept under the lid but on top of the castings will help retain moisture. If the blanket appears dry, add some water.

4. Don’t overfeed. The worms will struggle through the heat of summer and may not process as many food scraps as usual. If your scraps are going mouldy or attracting pests, you’re feeding your worms too much.

5. Place your food scraps in the freezer for a few hours before putting them in the worm farm when you know the temperature is going to soar above 35 degrees. You could also use a frozen bottle of water, keep the lid on so your worm farm doesn’t end up too wet.