Worm Castings Vs Compost (Your Ultimate Guide! Updated 2023)
G’day green thumbs,
Are you wondering if worm castings are better than compost? In this detailed guide we will look at worm castings Vs compost and why we utilize BOTH in our garden.
My husband has been a horticulturalist for over twenty years and I am passionate about educating children in the garden.
We farm Tiger Worms and Red Wigglers. We have two multi-level worm farms AND two compost systems in our small backyard. So you know we’ve tried and tested everything we will share with you today.
There are some simple questions you might have, like do I need worm farm bedding? Or, can I put citrus in my compost?
But I assure you, we will cover it here and help you worm farm and compost like experts.
Related Articles
- Paper Daisy (Your Ultimate Growing Guide And So Much More!)
- Blushing Bride Flower (Everything You Need To Know About Serruria Florida Protea)
- What Does FOGO Mean And How To Use Your FOGO Bin (Everything You Need To Know In 2022)
- Romaine Lettuce: How To Grow It And Harvest It In 2022
Affiliate Link Disclosure
This article contains some affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you click on them, at no additional cost to you. I do hope you find the information in this article helpful!
What Are Worm Castings (Also Known As Vermicast)?
You might think of worm castings simply as Worm Poop! But they’re so much more.
Worm castings are produced by earthworms and are an organic form of fertilizer.
Worm castings are the by-product of worm farming (vermicomposting). Worms digest organic materials and food scraps and the waste they release from their bodies is called castings.
The castings are a nutrient rich fertilizer that improves aeration, drainage and overall soil structure.
Adding worm castings to your soil also helps aid water retention as worm castings have a high concentration of ‘humus’. Humus is a spongy- carbon based substance which helps your soil to retain moisture.
Worm Castings can also effectively discourage common pests such as aphids and spider-mites from taking up residency on your plants. Super Poop Power!
We collect worm castings from our two multi-level worm farms. We use castings from Red Wiggler worms also known as Tiger worms. If you don’t wish to have your own worm farms you can still buy worm castings to use in your garden.
We find operating your own worm farms ensures the quality of the worm castings and it is also more affordable than buying worm castings. Still wondering about worm castings vs compost? Read on!
What Is Compost?
Compost is an organic, nutrient rich substance produced when organic matter decomposes. Tree clippings, food waste, cardboard, grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable peels and cores can all contribute to your compost.
We operate two compositing systems in our small backyard. This helps us reduce our green and food waste while giving nutrient dense compost back to our garden. This aligns with our three-bin FOGO system which aims to reduce general waste.
By using two systems we can have one compost bin that has decomposed further and is ready for use and one that we add newer waste to. We like this cycle as there’s always some compost ready to use!
Composting is a very forgiving exercise especially when it is an established system. You can continue to add your green waste to your compost and just wait for it to do its thing!
Here’s a basic rundown of what CAN go in your compost bin;
- Fruit and vegetable scraps including citrus
- Newspaper, Cardboard, Paper
- Vegetarian animal waste (chooks, horses etc) but more established systems can handle non vegetarian animal waste as well!
- Grass Cuttings
- Prunings from trees
- Cut flowers
- Wood shavings, wood chips and sawdust
If you want to be a little more hands on you can stir and rotate your compost every now and then. It is ready to use when it is dark brown, crumbly and smells earthy. Not stinky!
Worm castings vs compost.. the debate is heating up! Keep reading!
Is A Worm Farm Expensive To Set Up?
It doesn’t have to be! We use two multi-level worm farms like these. For under $100 AUD each we think they are a good investment. Remember you are going to get back valuable worm castings and worm wee!
You can buy eggs or worms to get started. We bought a box of approximately 2000 worms from a local, small supplier, however you can buy 1000 worms for $50 AUD at Bunnings.
You might also wonder if you need to buy worm farm bedding? You can, even if it’s just while they’re getting established, however newspaper or cardboard offers a suitable alternative, so it’s definitely not necessary.
Our worms are Red Wiggler worms and Tiger worms. They happily settled into their new home and started feeding, reproducing and moving into the layers of the worm farm.
However, you DON’T HAVE TO BUY A THING! You can use an old bucket (with the bottom cut out or an old bathtub to farm your worms. Create airflow with layers of cardboard or shredded paper and ask your friendly neighbor for a few handfuls of their worms to get started.
Honestly, you can have a costly set up if you wish, with lots of accessories but it’s not necessary. You can have the benefits of worm farming and find out what’s best out of worm castings vs compost with minimal expense.
Did you know, you can also gift or sell your worm wee, worm tea and worm castings on local marketplaces. What a great way for the kids to earn some pocket money!
Is Compost Expensive To Set Up?
Short answer. No! Compost can be free to set up. If you have a large space it is quite common to start a compost pile. You can add newspaper or cardboard boxes as layers and continue to add food waste as it breaks down.
If you have a small backyard like us you’ll probably want your compost contained. We use two large compost bins in our small backyard. Compost tumblers are another good option for small backyards as they are really easy to turn your compost and also retrieve it for use.
You can spend as little or as much as you like to set up your composting system. You can even be creative and make your own compost container out of old pallets or other recycled materials. After all, sustainability is key when it comes to compost and exploring worm castings vs compost!
Can I Have A Worm Farm Inside?
Yes, you can. This could potentially be a deciding factor if you’re deciding between worm farming or composting.
Worm farms can be indoors. They are clean, contained and small. This means they are suitable for small homes, courtyards, and even apartments! Anyone can have a worm farm.
Worm farms are super handy to help reduce your green waste. We feed our worms all of these things;
- Vegetable Waste (carrots, lettuce, beans, peas, potatoes, leafy greens like broccoli and kale)
- Non citrus fruit waste (sometimes a little citrus slips in, kids!)
- Egg shells – Best to bake and crumble but ok not to in small amounts.
- Coffee Grounds
- Cardboard, paper, paper towel – shredded cardboard acts as bedding as well as helping with aeration.
- Tree leaves – Yes in moderation, stick to common species, avoid exotic tree leaves
- Garden Waste – Cut flowers, herb stalks like parsley and rosemary, peas and bean stalks, radish tops.
- Rice, Grains, pasta etc.
Even if you’re in a small place, worm castings can be super beneficial to your indoor plants.
You could also consider sharing with your local community garden in return for some produce.
Worm farming is also a super fun way to engage children in learning about sustainability. Our kids can sort food waste into their ‘yucky bucket’ to take out to the worms each day. They love seeing the worms, touching the worms and helping spread castings and worm wee in our garden. Get the kids to decide on worm castings vs compost – the verdict!
THE VERDICT on Worm Castings Vs Compost
Daaa, daa, daa, daaa, drum roll………You’ve been wondering worm castings vs compost – what’s best? The best thing you can do for your garden is utilize BOTH worm castings and compost.
Worm castings are generally richer in nutrients but obviously take a little more maintenance and care than composting.
Composting is easy, cheap and really does its job breaking down organic matter without any help.
There are pro’s and con’s to every set up however for minimal effort with both worm-farming and composting you can have a constant supply of organic fertilizer and soil conditioners for your garden.
There is something SO rewarding about collecting food waste and giving it back to your garden rather than adding it to landfill.
Our kids love composting and worm farming with us and our garden reaps the benefits.
So there you have it folks.
There’s really no competition between worm castings vs compost. Both offer great benefits to your garden for minimal set up cost.
We have utilized our worm farms and compost systems in our current garden for over 7 years. By rotating use, we have a year round supply of organic fertilizer and soil boosters for our garden.
If we have utilized a garden bed heavily we will add worm castings and compost back into the soil to condition it before we use it again.
Worm wee and worm castings can also help to give a little “pick me up” boost to a plant that might need a little bit of extra care.
Our kids love getting involved in composting and the worm farm including collecting worm castings and worm wee! We have a lot of content on composting and worm-farming coming up so give us a follow @kidsthatdig to keep up to date.
So, Let’s Get Digging!