Whenever I lift the lid of my wormery and gaze adoringly at the little pink bodies flailing about to get away from the light, I feel reassured that I am not alone in my obsession. I discuss my obsession in the anonymity of chat rooms or at weekly meetings where we have to stand up and say ‘my name is Jane and my first wormery was a wheelie bin type construction’.

Rewards await dedicated wormoholics. An American scientist is hoping to let people have worms named after them in the same way that new varieties of rose or delphinium are named after people. The more immediate rewards of wormoholism are swiftly-created compost from kitchen waste. Here’s how:

1. All wormeries work on the same principle – that worms will increase the composting speed by eating kitchen and garden waste. One of the advantages of a well-run wormery is that it won’t smell or attract flies. A wormery can be made out of any large container so long as liquid can be drained off and so long as air can reach the worms. Ready-made wormeries come in three main types: the wheelie bin; the multi-tray type and the larger scale type with a built-in sifting mechanism.

2. The bin type has chambers. The lowest is where liquid from the composting process is collected; then comes the area where compost builds up and, on top of that, the area where worms eat kitchen and garden waste that you add. The disadvantage of the bin type is that it is a pain to empty – on the other hand you don’t have to empty it very often. The advantage of the bin type is that it is robust.

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3. The multi tray type usually has three large plastic trays, each with sieve-like bases. All slot into each other and sit on top of a sump which collects liquid from the composting process. The convenience of this type is that, as the contents of the bottom tray turn into compost, the worms move up into the next tray. The bottom tray can then be emptied and placed on top of the tray stack, ready for more kitchen waste.

4. The crank-handle type is big with a price to match (The Just Eatery costs £875) In theory this is the easiest to maintain. Instead of lifting trays or emptying bags in order to empty the wormery, a crank handle towards the base of the wormery does the job. One turn every now and then empties the compost into the base which can be accessed via a small door.

5. Some wormeries come with legs. I have found that these buckle when the wormery is full and have to be replaced with stacks of bricks.

6. It’s crucial to drain off the liquid regularly or the worms drown. However, worms sometimes migrate down (into the sump) instead of up (into the next tray of waste to be composted). To avoid drowning the worms, wormery taps can be left open to drain into a container.

7. The liquid produced by a wormery is valuable fertilizer. Dilute it 10:1 before watering it onto containers or gardens. Don’t use it on very young plants.

8. The deep brown/black compost made by worms is so full of nutrients that it can be ‘diluted’ with regular garden compost. It can be used as a mulch or potting compost.

9. Brandling or Tiger worms are often regarded as the best type for a wormery but most will do the job. Fishing shops are sometimes a cheaper source of worms than garden wormery outlets.

10. Worms need a week or so to settle into a new wormery. They need to be fed a little and often – I take kitchen scraps out once a day. Citrus and onion are not popular with worms but they love corrugated cardboard, eggshell and vegetable peelings in particular. They also need to be kept away from extreme temperatures – they need shade in summer and warmth in winter. Some people move their wormeries indoors in winter.

Further tips may (or may not) be garnered from the following worm performance on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8mKZ0cmpGs

Finally, for anyone put off worms by William Blake’s poem The Sick Rose

O Rose thou art sick.

The invisible worm,

That flies in the night

In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy

It is a reminder that the worm in question is more to do with the birds and the bees than with soil science and the illness mentioned more likely to be a version of morning sickness than rose blight.

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