6 Best Worm Farm Kits and Composters for Amazing Garden Compost
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Worms serve an amazing, useful purpose in the garden. The burrowing action and feeding habits of an earthworm make the soil rich and enable plants to grow strong and stay healthy.
Worms break down compost to produce the nutrients that your garden soil needs to flourish!
Did you know that you can buy small ecosystems where worms can call home?
In some ways, like ant farms, you can set up worm farms to teach children about how ecosystems work, how compost is broken down, and how fertilizer is created for use in the garden.
- Made in New Zealand
- No heavy trays to lift
- Lifetime warranty
- Excellent instructions
- 20 Gallon Capacity is perfect for most people, whether you have a small residence or a large homestead.
Our Top 6 Best Worm Farm Kit to Buy
The following is a list of the best worm farm kit to buy!
- Best worm farm kit overall: The Hungry Bin Worm Farm Kit
- Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360
- Best large capacity worm farm: VermiHut Plus 5-Tray Worm Farm
- Best worm farm for indoors: Tumbleweed Can-o-Worms
- Best worm farm for kids: Fat Brain Toys Worm Farm Maker
- The Essential Worm Farm Starter Kit (This is the perfect kit to add to numbers 1-4 above!)
Worm Farm Kit Reviews
1. Hungry Bin Continuous Flow Worm Farm Kit
Need something more eco-friendly than just throwing food scraps into the trash?
Made out of food grade polypropylene, the Hungry Bin uses organic plastic materials for its design. The plastic of this design contains anywhere between 5 and 15% recycled content from the manufacturer’s own rejects, so this is safe to use.
This is an unconventional composter, which means that it doesn’t rely on turning, stirring, or mixing the compost. There is a continuous flow through the bin, and since it is multi-use it can also make amazing worm tea along with worm castings.
An owner’s manual is also included, so you will get to know how to use this bin.
What We Like
- Lifetime guarantee – this company stands by its quality! It’s made in New Zealand.
- It’s on wheels so you can move it around
- Processes up to 4.4lbs of waste per day – almost as much as VermiHut’s 5lbs per day.
- No shifting heavy trays – this is a continuous flow system
What We Don’t Like
- Almost twice the price of the second-most-expensive worm farm in our review.
- No bedding and no worms included. Recommended starting number for worms is 2000 which you’ll need to purchase separately.
2. The Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360
The Worm Factory 360 comes with 4 trays standard. You can expand this bin up to 8 trays!
The lid has been redesigned so it converts to a stand for trays while the compost is harvested. It also has a built-in worm tea collector tray and spigot for easy draining.
The “What Can Red Wigglers Eat?” infographic magnet is a special bonus that divides common food items into three groups; foods perfect for worms, foods to feed in moderation, and foods you don’t feed worms.
What We Like
- That magnet is really cool!
- Extendable to 8 trays.
- Includes a great step-by-step guide.
- Super sturdy construction.
What We Don’t Like
- Doesn’t include worms, bedding, or food.
- You’ll need to double-check the contents in the box – many people didn’t receive all the components.
3. VermiHut Plus 5-Tray Worm Farm Kit / Compost Bin
The VermiHut is easy to set up and has a sustainable design. It costs around $100, which gives you 5 trays to work with.
The best part about the VermiHut is that you can always add more trays – you’ll never run out of room!
This worm farm kit features a special M-board, which allows for proper air flow and ventilation. Your worms will breathe a sigh of relief!
There are also ant-trappers along the corners that will prevent ants from invading the worm bin. “We’re the home team here!” the worms tell the ants, if I were writing a fictional story.
What We Like
- You’ll never run out of room because you can add extra trays
- This is a great size worm farm kit for home-scale worm farming – 5-trays house 10 lbs worms, which can reduce 5lbs of your food scraps per day!
What We Don’t Like
- Doesn’t include worms, bedding, food, or anything else.
- Does include instructions but they can be a bit hard to follow.
- The build quality isn’t the best but it does the job.
4. Tumbleweed Can o Worms Vermicomposter
Amazon productThe Can o Worms farm recycles around 3 to 4 kilograms of organic waste on a weekly basis. It also features a round ventilated lid that is completely fly-proof.
The design of this bin centers around 2 working trays for your worms, and you will receive a nice instruction booklet on how to set up and maintain this worm farm kit.
There is also a worm farm bedding block that can expand as much as 10 liters.
This worm farm kit is fully aerated so you’ll promote a happy environment for your worms.
What We Like
- For indoor use, this is your worm farm. It looks awesome next to the kitchen bin!
- This is the worm farm for you if you need it to be stylish as well as functional. It looks great!
What We Don’t Like
- Doesn’t include worms. Does include coir bedding.
- Might be too small if you have a lot to feed your worms. It composts 6-9lb of food a week, rather than the VermiHut’s 5lbs of your food scraps per day!
5. Fat Brain Toys Worm Farm Maker
This worm farm kit is designed very much in the same way an ant farm is made, and it comes at a very cheap price of just under $20.
If you have kids in the age range of 6 to 9, then this worm farm would be a perfect place to start learning about worms.
You get a transparent case, scenery stickers, privacy sliders, a pipette, tweezers, and sand included in this kit. All you have to do is find a bunch of worms and you are good to go!
This worm farm can also double as a mini-garden of sorts, so you can grow plants for the worms to feast on if you wanted to.
What We Like
- This is an excellent kit for kids – they can everything that’s going on through the transparent case.
- Very affordable – makes a great birthday gift for 6-9-year-olds.
What We Don’t Like
- This is not a worm farm for “at scale” worm farming. It’s much too small to actually make a dent in your kitchen scraps.
- Doesn’t come with worms
6. The Essential Worm Farm Starter Kit
While taking care of worms isn’t the same as taking care of alligators (there’s no comparison…), it can be a struggle when you get started.
A band of brothers in Austin, Texas recognize this, and they have made a great worm composting starter kit for people of all ages to enjoy!
In this worm farm kit, you get a 1/2 pound bag of worms, 3 pounds of bedding for the worm bin, and 1 1/2 pounds of worm chow which is enough to feed worms for 4 to 6 weeks.
You will also receive a cute little glass spray mister so that your bin’s bedding stays damp and responsive to surface-level feeding.
What We Like
- It’s foolproof with the worms, bedding, and even food included.
- Special “Worm Chow” is a nice touch, designed to grow large, healthy worms.
What We Don’t Like
- No actual “home” for your worms – you’ll need to buy this separately or get creative with containers you already have. Here’s how to use 5-gallon buckets as worm farm, for example.
Worm Farm Kit Buyer’s Guide
A buyer’s guide dedicated to worms?
Who knew these little night-crawling wonders could be so special!
Here are some things to keep in mind when raising a worm farm.
What Foods Can Worms Eat?
The short story? Worms will eat almost anything.
The long story?
Worms will eat just about anything, but they love fruits in particular. Worms work on fruits and turn them into beautiful compost for your garden.
However, avoid any fruits that contain citric acid because worms cannot properly digest that acid.
The fruits worms love the most happen to be pears, peaches, apricots, strawberries, banana peels, apple cores, honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
What Foods Can’t Worms Eat?
While worms will eat almost anything, there are some things that are very harmful for worms to digest.
If you add a lot of processed food rather than organic food, your worm farm will suffer if you don’t provide enough organic matter for feeding.
For starters, avoid adding any meats, bones, fat, or any materials that are oily or greasy to your compost bin.
Dairy products are another big no-no for worm farms.
Milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, and whole eggs shouldn’t go into the bin.
Canned sauces, peanut butter, and other processed foods don’t agree with a worm’s stomach.
While worms can eat fruits, citrus foods like oranges, lemons and limes should be off-limits.
The pH levels of the compost bin cannot develop too much acidity or else your worms will perish as a result.
Is There Money to Be Made in Worm Farming?
The fertilizer that is developed by a colony of worms is actually very profitable for you. Uncle Jim and the band of brothers from Austin can attest to this.
Worm castings and worm tea are both popular fertilizer types, and popular enough to sell them as products.
It is preferred that you market your special worm fertilizer as organic, so don’t include any soil conditioners or pesticides.
Where Can You Keep a Worm Farm?
One great thing about worms is that you can place your worm farm kit just about anywhere.
However, let’s put up a special caution sign here; worms should not be in bright areas! Worms hate sources of light and would rather be in places like an unused closet or basement.
They also cannot deal with extremes of temperatures, which means you might struggle in very hot or very cold areas. Here in the tropics, my worms do well under a shady tree that receives NO direct sun – ever.
If you did want to warm them up a little in winter, consider getting the Hungry Bin – you can easily move it around with its wheels!
If you stay outdoors, always look for shaded areas in your yard as spots for your worm habitat. For example, if you have a big tree that has a lot of shade spots, then that is ideal for worms.
What Is the Best Bedding for Worms?
Here’s some good news to report. Worms are not really picky!
When it comes to bedding materials, worms will settle for just about anything.
Shredded brown cardboard, shredded paper, and shredded newspaper are all good bedding options. Make sure none of the shredded papers are colored or bleached white office paper, though.
Any aged compost or horse or cow manure would work too.
Did you know that peat moss and coco coir are also good bedding options? Last but not least, straw and hay also serve as good worm bedding options.
Get yourself a great shredder so you can shred cardboard boxes too!
What Can Worms Do for Your Soil?
The main point of vermicomposting is to be environmentally responsible while you fertilize your plants.
When you throw remnants of food into a compost bin, the worms take over by eating the food waste and leave behind fertilizer.
On a weekly basis, your garbage bins will be emptier, and you get great garden compost in return!
Worm castings are an organic fertilizer and one of the best options for fertilizing your yard.
Because of an enzyme in the digestive tract of a worm, the nutrients in its castings are released slowly, so your plants will not be threatened in any way.
So, will you engage an army of worms to work for you? Let us know which worm farm kit caught your eye in the comments below!
Or, if you already have a worm farm, let us know what is working for you and what’s not! We love to hear from you!
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