Little Rotter Worm Farm Kit

When it comes to rodents, the Little Rotter's base is crucial. Without a base, the in-ground worm farm is highly vulnerable to rodents (such as rats and mice) digging their way in from below and consuming both the food leftovers and the worms. When we were testing the Little Rotter prototypes, this was a serious issue.

The ultimate design we came up with was a base-less container with nine tiny holes drilled into it, which gives worms free access but prevents rodents from entering.

Digging the Little Rotter (or any other kind of worm farm, for that matter) into the ground is not a smart idea. Any organic debris or food will naturally be levelled to the surrounding soil level by the worms. So, if you dig a Little Rotter, the worms will FILL it up to the level of the dirt around it. The worms will continually EMPTY the Little Rotter for you if you set it on top of the ground.

You can surround the Little Rotter in your garden with light, fluffy mulch to disguise it. Like the cane fibre mulch that is sold at Bunnings or any other high-quality mulch. We encourage you to shield the worms from the elements through the usage of mulch around the garden.

We have found that compost worms in the garden help to draw in soil worms. In general, soil worms are worms that live deeper in the soil and produce "structured" soil. Structured soil has many tiny worm holes that assist in letting air down into the soil to help the soil breathe and hence be healthier. It also holds nutrients and water exceptionally well and prevents trees from tumbling over.

Through their worm cast, compost worms enrich the soil with nutrients. They are often surface-dwelling worms that produce nutrient-rich, fine-grained worm casting that lacks "structure."

Ants despise water. The ants will flee if you lightly wet your Worm Farm with a hose or watering can. This will certainly need to be done more than once; the ants should be kept at bay by keeping the bedding damp but not drenched.

Place the legs of your worm farm in water-filled tubs if it has legs to stop ants from returning.

You can just pour a bucket of water directly onto the Little Rotter to discourage ants. Once again, you'll probably need to do this often before the ants get the message and go.

The worms may begin to climb the edges of a worm farm in search of higher territory after rain events or when there is a significant change in air pressure. They will seek out higher land to get away from the impending downpour since they can feel the shift in air pressure. Different worm species are more sensitive to changes in air pressure than others. Because they can sense changes in air pressure, they will even scale the walls of an indoor worm farm. After the rain event is complete, leave them alone and they will find a place to settle on their own.

After a rain event, if the worms haven't returned to normal for a week or longer, additional causes may be at work, such as poor ventilation or overheating within your worm farm.

Keep a permanent, dense canopy over your worm farm. In the summer, even a modest bit of sunshine may make your worm farm's interior into an oven.

Another option is to cover your current worm farm with a sizable cotton or hessian sheet that has been dipped in water at the bottom. The heat will force the water to evaporate as it is "wicked" up the sheet, leaving considerably cooler air beneath it. The "Coolgardie Safe" effect or evaporative cooling is what is causing this. Under this covering, air temperatures can drop by up to 10 degrees.

Alternately, you may put a frozen water bottle that has been sealed on top of the worm bedding. When the water melts, replace it.

In warmer temperatures, DO NOT add water to the worm bedding. Compared to dry bedding, water is a far greater heat conductor and quickly warms to room temperature. In hot weather, keep your worm bedding on the dry side.

Or you could try our worm farms, Little Rotter. They were deliberately created to be nearly weatherproof. The worms, which live in the dirt beneath them, move in and out of them as they want as they sit on the ground. The dirt, which is where worms naturally live, offers them the protection they need from the change in air temperature.