Worm Farm Problems Solved

A healthy worm farm smells earthy, not bad. A rotten smell means overfeeding: too much food rotting before the worms can eat it. Stop feeding for a week, add torn dry cardboard to soak up moisture, and mix gently. It settles within days.

Small flies mean exposed food. Always bury scraps under the worm blanket, never leave them on top, cut back feeding, and add a layer of damp newspaper over the surface. A sprinkle of dolomite lime helps. They clear in a week or two.

Mass escapes mean the bed has gone wrong: too wet, too acidic, or too hot. Check drainage (the tap should run free), add dry bedding, sprinkle eggshell or dolomite for acidity, and move the farm to deeper shade if it is overheating.

Ants invade when the bed is too dry. Dampen it (worms like it like a wrung-out sponge), and stand the farm legs in small dishes of water as a moat. Keep the lid on.

Add lots of dry bedding (torn cardboard, shredded paper, dry leaves), open the tap to drain, ease off wet scraps like melon for a while, and the balance returns.

Every 2-4 months, when the bottom tray is dark, crumbly and has few food scraps left. Move the worms up to a fresh tray first, then collect the castings below.