Who knew that worms can be used for something other than fishing? Worms can actually be grown in a garden, for breaking down compost to produce soil nutrients. You can actually purchase little ecosystems where they can live and reproduce teaching children about ecosystems, breaking down compost, and creating fertilizer that you can use in your garden. If you are interested in raising worms yourself, here are a few worm farm reviews, and a helpful guide in choosing the right worm farm for your needs.
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Our pick
THE BEST WORM FARM KIT
VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin
The saying "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" doesn't apply for this product. For its price, VermiHut Worm Compost Bin is a well-designed product. No odor, no leaks. The design also makes it very easy for you to manage the worm farm.
What to Consider When Starting a Worm Farm
You will find that there are several types of worm farms out there, but how do you know which will be the right one for your home? Generally speaking, the larger the worm farm the better, as it can hold more worms. At full capacity, your average worm farm can hold up to 4,000 worms, and they can devour organic compost from an regular family of four.
One feature that is important to have is an attached tap that will allow you to easily drain the worm farm periodically. Excess moisture will build up otherwise. The shape of the farm can also be an important consideration depending on where you want to store it, especially if it will be a year round process.
Other than the farm itself, there are several more things to consider if this is the first time you're raising worms.
Choosing a Worm Species
Certain worms are better suited for a worm farm than others, here is a list of worms that work well.
- Red worms (or red wigglers) – these are the best worms for composting. They tend to eat the same as other types of worms, but the breed faster, and grow better in a worm farm environment.
- European night crawlers – these are the best to fish wish. If you are using your worm farm to grown fish bait, keep in mind that these worms are slow reproducers, but they do work well in a worm farm.
- Garden worms – if you plan on digging up your own worms from the garden, you will find that these worms do not work well in a worm farm, and they do not reproduce in that type of environment.
Preparing Your Worm Farm
Your worm farm will need to have the correct bedding to work properly. Your worm farm should provide this, if it doesn’t, shredded newspaper topped with food scraps will work. Some worm farms will come with a bedding block. These need to be soaked in warm water before using, they can then be broken up, and spread over the bottom tray of your worm farm. Ideally, start your worm farm with a minimum 500 worms. They will need to be water lightly, and a mat will need to be used to cover them creating a false top soil.
Maintaining Your Farm
It is very important to maintain your farm during the week. You need to keep the soil moist, and full of food scraps to make sure it will run correctly. It is important to flush out your topsoil once a week. You also need to keep the soil acidity down by adding a teaspoon of garden lime or worm farm soil conditioner once a week. Make sure your farm is out of the sun, and in a shady spot to keep your worms from trying to escape. Always make sure to remember to add an additional tray with bedding and food above the tray your worms are currently occupying, so they have an opportunity to migrate upward.
If you want to read more about managing your worm farm, read this article:
What You Will Get in a Worm Farm Kit
Worm farm, generally, is a compost bin. So when you're purchasing a worm farm kit, you're actually just buying a compost bin.
However, there are several types of compost bin, and not all of them are made for worms. A good worm farms come in trays. The trays make it easier for you to manage the farm. Also, if you want to expand the farm, you'd just add more trays instead of adding a whole new compost bin.
As mentioned above, a worm farm bin should also have a drain system.
Speaking of a worm farm kit, companies like to throw in different products as a package. This includes learning resources and live worms. It's convenient, but sometimes the price becomes unnecessarily high because of the extra "bonus". If you don't want to pay a lot of money, you can just buy the farm/bin.
Reviews: The Best Worm Farm Kits
Now that you know how to start a worm farm, and decide to buy a worm farm kit, let's see which products are the best on the market:
1. Worm Factory 360 Worm Composting Bin
The Worm Factory 360 is a great composting solution that you can use all year long. Instead of using a large, smelly outside compost pile, this is a great alternative that is made of recycled plastic. The kit has four trays with screened bottoms that are stackable, an attached spigot, worm bedding materials, and a base with an angled worm ladder. It’s easy to get started; you just fill the bottom tray with bedding, food waste, and worms. As your worm colony grows, you can just add more trays.
The kit also includes a manual and an instructional DVD for easy set up and maintenance. It is easy to recycle scraps from your kitchen, paper, and cardboard into fertilizer you can use in your garden. Fertilizer created from worms has been reported to have nutrients that are ten times greater than normally produced compost.
The Worm Factory 360 also does not require a lot of time to maintain. It only takes about fifteen minutes each week. As the worms progress through the food, they migrate up into the next tray of scraps. Compost can be harvested monthly, and can be used in your flower beds, vegetable garden, or even in your house plants.
Features include:
- A standard 4-Tray size that can be expanded into 8 trays
- The handy, redesigned lid changes into a stand when you are harvesting compost
- Includes manual and DVD with a step-by-step guide to maintain your worm
- Includes a "What Can Red Wigglers Eat?" infographic refrigerator magnet that provides information for worm food
- Built in spigot for easy draining.
What we like:
- Takes up very little room, and is cleaner and easier to manage than other bin systems
- Well-made, and a great design
- Complete product with great instructions
What we don't like:
- Disappointing customer service
- Expensive, unless you need the learning materials
2. Nature's Footprint Worm Factory DS5TT 5-Tray Worm Composter
The Nature's Footprint Worm Factor 5 Tray Composter is a great size for composting in your home, even if you live in an apartment. The Worm Factory 5 weighs only 14 pounds when empty, and will fit perfectly on a small patio. It includes six trays, and a four-legged base. Five of the trays can be used for farming, while the sixth can be used to collect the nutrient-rich worm compost tea. The sixth tray comes with a plastic spigot for easy draining. It easy to swap out the trays when you changing out the food scrap layers, and the worm easily migrate up to the next tray as they do their decomposition work.
The Worm Factory 5 is a great way to efficiently change your junk mail, food scraps, and cardboard into useful compost for your gardens. Its unique design helps to make it one of the most efficient worm bin composters on the market, and it makes the greatest amount of compost in the smallest amount of space. It is simple to operate, and includes a manual with an instructional DVD to make your setup fast and easy. It will also give you tips on maintaining your Worm Factory 5 all year long.
Features include:
- Created with recycled plastic
- Dimensions 16-inch x 16-inch x 16-inch
- Built in spigot for easy draining
- Allows for year round compost production
- Odor free
- Can expand up to 7 trays
What we like:
- This farm has the easiest way to separate the food from the casting
- The tray system is very easy to put together
- The bin is designed well, allowing oxygen in and extra water out
What we don't like:
- Trays may not prevent the worms from leaving
- The stacking bins makes water from downward so the bottom bins get too wet
- The worms can stuck in between the bins
3. VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin
The best part of VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin is that it looks great. If you place it in your garden, people who come to your house might even think that it's a decor and not a worm farm (which they may find disturbing). Besides, VermiHut Worm Compost Bin is odorless so you can technically place it indoor if you want to. The design of this bin makes it a strong product and allows better air circulation. But if you're worried about replacement part, don't, because the lid is universally fits with most worm compost bin on the market.
Features include:
- 5 pieces of stackable working trays and automatically separate the casting and worms
- Great air circulation and high efficiency
- Small footprint, odorless (or minimum odor) and can be used in door
- Low maintenance and easy to use
- 3 years warranty
What we like:
- Beautifully designed, it looks great compared to some other products on this list
- Odorless, can even be placed indoors too
- The design makes it easy to harvest castings
- Easy setup
- No liquid leaks, and worms can't get outside
What we don't like:
- The product image provided can be misleading, especially the colors
4. Hungry Bin Flow-Through Worm Farm
The Hungry Bin Flow-Through Worm Farm is a simple and easy way to compost your kitchen scraps. It has a patented and unique design that will efficiently allow worms to compost organic waste, up to four pounds each day. The waste is converted into natural fertilizers, including both castings and liquid that is nutrient rich. The fertilizer is easy to collect from the sturdy Hungry Bin, which can be moved easily. It is best if used in a temperate climate, and should be placed in a position where there is not excessive heat, or freezing weather conditions for an extended length of time.
Features include:
- Is a quick and convenient way to compost your kitchen scraps
- Has an innovative, patented design
- Is a highly efficient composter that allows worms to process up to four pounds of fertilizer per day
- Organize waste is quickly converted into castings and a nutrient-rich liquid
What we like:
- Very easy to add scraps and get the casting out
- Works great, and there are no smell and leaks
- Very easy to use, and looks nice
- Sturdy
What we don't like:
- Not a tray system
- Expensive
5. Urbalive Indoor Worm Farm - Organic Compost Vermicomposter
The Urbalive Worm Farm lets you enjoy a more responsible and sustainable life in the city. You can responsibly dispose of your food scraps into the Urbalive Worm Farm, and they worms can decompose your waste into usable fertilizer. This fertilizer is packed with nutrients that are ideal for plants and gardens. It is only for indoor used, and has a very stylish design that will work well with any décor.
Features include:
- Great kitchen waste processing system
- Can be used indoor all year
- Has a modern and sleek European design
- Comes with a step-by-step instruction guide
- Can be used as an ecological education tool
What we like:
- Very easy to set up, most of it was already assembled
- Blends well with indoor furnitures
What we don't like:
- Worms may escape easily
- Expensive
Conclusion: Our Top Pick
After reviewing 5 of the best worm farm kits on the market, there's one product that comes on the top. The winner of the Best Worm Farm Roundup is the VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin.
Our pick
THE BEST WORM FARM KIT
VermiHut 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin
The saying "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" doesn't apply for this product. For its price, VermiHut Worm Compost Bin is a well-designed product. No odor, no leaks. The design also makes it very easy for you to manage the worm farm.
The other four products aren't actually worse than VermiHut. They're all quite similar in terms of quality. The problem is, they're overpriced. If you don't need learning materials or unique design for indoors, you may not need to pay for the price and get VermiHut instead.