Who knew that worms can be used for something other than fishing? Worms can 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.
The 5 Best Worm Farm Kits
- The Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360 Worm Composting Bin
- Homestead Essentials Worm Composting Kit
- VermiHut Worm Compost Bin (Our Top Pick)
- HUNGRY BIN Worm Farm Compost Bin
- Maze Worm Farm Composter
Our Top Pick for the Best Worm Farm Kit
Our top pick for the best worm farm kit is the VermiHut Worm Compost Bin.
The saying “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” doesn’t apply to 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.
Check the price on AmazonWhat 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 a regular family of 4.
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 they breed faster and grow better in a worm farm environment.
- European nightcrawlers – 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 of 500 worms. They will need to be watered lightly, and a mat will need to be used to cover them creating false topsoil.
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 on starting your own worm farm.
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 just buying a compost bin.
However, there are several types of compost bins, and not all of them are made for worms. 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.
5 Best Worm Farm Kits – Reviews
1. The Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360 Worm Composting Bin
The Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360 Worm Composting Bin 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 4 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 setup 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 10 times greater than normally produced compost.
The Worm Factory 360 Composting Bin also does not require a lot of time to maintain. It only takes about 15 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 houseplants.
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 the compost.
It also includes a manual and DVD with a step-by-step guide to maintaining your worm, a “What Can Red Wigglers Eat?” infographic refrigerator magnet that provides information for worm food, and a built-in spigot for easy draining
Pros
- 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
Cons
- Disappointing customer service
- Expensive, unless you need the learning materials
2. Homestead Essentials Worm Composting Kit
The Homestead Essentials Worm Composting Kit is a great size for composting inside or outside your home. This compact composter bin weighs only 12.5 pounds when empty, and will fit perfectly on a small patio.
It includes 5 trays, a lid with a handle, and a 4-legged base. Four of the trays can be used for farming, while the 5th collects the nutrient-rich compost tea. It is easy to swap out the trays when you need to change out the food scrap layers, and the worms can migrate up to the next tray and work their decomposition magic.
The Homestead Essentials worm composter is a great way to change your food scraps, tea bags, and lawn clippings into useful compost for your garden. Its multi-layered design and built-in spigot allow for drainage and air circulation during the various stages of feeding, processing, and harvesting.
It comes with a colorful instruction manual that will make your setup fast and easy. The manual also provides tips on how to successfully maintain your worm bin composter all year long.
Although the Home Essentials worm composter bin can be used outdoors, the top plastic tray can blow off in the wind easily, so keep the bin in a sheltered spot. Home Essentials offers two colors, lime green, and purple.
Pros
- It is very easy to separate the food from the worm castings
- Tray system is very easy to put together
- Built-in spigot and multiple layer design allows air and water to circulate
Cons
- Plastic is a bit thin and the lid can blow off in the wind
- Stacking bins make the water flow down so the bottom bins can get too wet
- Worms can get stuck in between the bins
3. VermiHut Worm Compost Bin
The best part of VermiHut 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 5-Tray Compost Bin is odorless so you can technically place it indoors if you want to. The design of this bin makes it a strong product and allows better air circulation. However, if you’re worried about a replacement part, don’t, because the lid universally fits with most worm compost bin on the market.
It has 5 pieces of stackable working trays and automatically separates the casting and worms. It provides great air circulation and high efficiency. Small footprint, odorless (or minimum odor) and can be used indoors. Low maintenance and easy to use
This composter comes with 3 years warranty.
Pros
- Beautifully designed, it looks great compared to some other products on this list
- Odorless, can even be placed indoors too
- Its design makes it easy to harvest castings
- Easy setup
- No liquid leaks and worms can’t get outside
Cons
- Product image provided can be misleading, especially the colors
4. HUNGRY BIN Worm Farm Compost Bin
The HUNGRY BIN Worm Farm Compost Bin is a simple and easy way to compost your kitchen scraps. It has a patented and unique design that will effectively allow worms to compost organic waste, up to 4 pounds each day.
The waste is converted into natural fertilizers, including both castings and liquid that are 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 no excessive heat or freezing weather conditions for an extended length of time.
It is a quick and convenient way to compost your kitchen scraps and has an innovative and patented design. Also, it is a highly efficient composter that allows worms to process up to 4 pounds of fertilizer per day. Organized waste is quickly converted into castings and a nutrient-rich liquid.
Pros
- Very easy to add scraps and get the casting out
- Works great, and there is no smell and leaks
- Very easy to use, and looks nice
- Sturdy
Cons
- Not a tray system
- Expensive
5. Maze Worm Farm Composter
The Maze Worm Farm Composter makes it so easy to maintain a microbe-rich organic soil environment all year round. You can dispose of food scraps straight into the top tray and the bright green lid stops any flies from getting inside.
Once the rich compost tea is ready, slide out the bottom collection tray, and the compost can be emptied onto your indoor plants or a garden bed.
Its vertical design includes 2 rotatable trays, a sturdy base, and the open drain in the base allows for optimal aeration. The bright green worm saver tray stops the worms from falling into the bottom tray and it is very easy to clean
Pros
- Vertical shelving design is ideal for the garden, patio, or balcony
- Very easy to use and clean
Cons
- Can get very heavy when full
- Pricey
Our Top Pick for the Best Worm Farm Kit
Our top pick for the best worm farm kit is the VermiHut Worm Compost Bin.
The saying “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” doesn’t apply to 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.
Check the price on Amazon
