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Why you should embrace vermicomposting

Good for the environment and beautifully designed, Skyline Grower’s Urbalive Worm Farm will transform the way you compost

Composting is an easy and efficient way to help yourself live more sustainably. Plus, it’s the most environmentally friendly way to deal with kitchen and garden waste.

With Skyline Grower’s Urbalive Worm Farm, you can take green living a step further and make the most of vermicompost – the end product of the composting process.

Vermicompost uses worms to transform decomposing vegetables, food waste and bedding materials into nutrient-rich, organic fertiliser and soil conditioner.

If you’re not sure where to start or are a bit put off by the idea of a wormery in your home, don’t worry. The modern Urbalive Worm Farm is compact, odour-free and super easy to use, and will look equally great in flats, rooftop terraces and proper gardens.

Get your Urbalive Worm Farm here

How does the Urbalive Worm Farm work?

One of the many benefits of the Urbalive Worm Farm is that it creates a worm tea – an organic fertiliser ideal for watering everything from houseplants to a vegetable plot.

The wormery consists of three layered trays: the bottom is the sump, where the worm tea fertiliser gathers. Then there is a working tray, where you start your worms off. Once the food waste fills that tray, you start putting your kitchen waste into the top tray. By the time that one’s full, the working tray can be emptied of worm-generated vermicompost and moved to the top – and the cycle continues.

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Where can I use the Urbalive Worm Farm??

You can use your Urbalive Worm Farm indoors or outdoors all year round. Just make sure that the earthworms have an optimal temperature of approximately 20°C. Moisture is key to a successful wormery, ensure you add wet paper towels or tea bags to create a humid environment.

Insulate the wormery in winter to avoid frosting and don’t leave in direct sunlight in summer to prevent overheating.

Which worms do I use and where do I get them from?

You should use composting worms. This species is great at consuming organic leftovers, meaning you’ll get the best vermicomposting out of them. Skyline Grower stocks composting worms and the perfect starter kit to give your wormery the best possible start.

What do I feed the worms?

Peelings, salads and fruit and vegetable leftovers are excellent for composting. These include potato peels, apple cores and green tops.

Tea bags are also great, as the worms will often reproduce in them, resulting in more vermicompost.

Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters work too, as well as cooked vegetables, crushed egg shells, dampened cardboard and dead plants.

Avoid spicy foods, citrus fruits, dairy products, meat, bones, oils, lard and other fats.

How do I use the Urbalive Worm Tea?

Dilute the worm tea with water at a ratio of 1:5. For example, 10ml of worm tea should be diluted with 50ml of water. Use the nutrient and enzyme-rich worm tea to water your plants and garden to promote natural growth and help build plants' resistance to pests.