Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do about fruit flies in my compost?

The most common issue is too much food for the worms to process before it starts to rot. To help with this:

• cut food up into smaller bits so the worms can eat it faster
• skip a feeding or two

It is also very important that you have a good balance of “green” materials to “brown” bedding materials. To help with this:

• After adding food, make sure to add up to six inches of shredded paper or moistened dead leaves on top. You can never go wrong by adding more bedding.
• You can remove some of that material before feeding the next time, and keep putting it on top

To get rid of the fruit flies:

• Cover the top of the vermicomposting tube with a nylon stocking (make sure first you get as many flies as possible out of the tube)
• Place a fly trap nearby. You can simply put some vinegar in a jar and make a paper funnel. Here is an example: https://lilluna.com/diy-fruit-fly-trap/
• Pour out any liquid in the drawer at the bottom.

How much food should we give the worms?

It’s difficult to give an exact answer to that as it can change quite a bit depending on how your worms are thriving and also what you are feeding them. Having said that, a good rule of thumb is to feed them about a cup of food twice a week to start. It’s best to cut up the food into bits no larger than 1×1 inches, as that will give the worms more surface area to nibble on. After adding the food always add a few inches of “brown” materials (shredded paper or dried leaves that have been moistened) as well. 

It’s a bit hard to know what’s going on inside the tube unfortunately as you can’t easily have a good look… So after a couple of week a great activity would be to remove the vermicompost and have a look at it with the students. It could be a bit icky but also very interesting! Just pull out the screen and the compost should fall into the drawer below (make sure there’s no water in it). This can get a bit messy, especially if not all the compost fits into the first drawer full so roll it onto a tarp or a floor that can easily be cleaned afterward. You can then have a look at how many worms you have and whether they are managing to keep up with the food scraps you are giving them. If there’s lots of older and potentially rotten bits in there, then slow down the feeding a bit. If it doesn’t look like much is left you can maybe increase how much you feed them a bit. 

When you’re done with your examination, just put some bedding back into the tube, then all the compost you removed, and finally some more bedding on top (and food if they’ve taken care of everything they had). 

Over time the worms can multiply enough that they will be able to process more food – maybe up to two cups per feeding. 

Why is there mold growing?

In most cases a small amount of mold shouldn’t be a problem. Here are some tips:

• For the Garden Tower, it’s possible that the soil is a bit too moist. You can reduce watering a bit. If there is some mold inside the composting tube it is most likely due to too much feeding and the worms not being able to keep up. In that case skip a feeding, and then slightly reduce how much you feed and see how it goes.
• Set up a fan to circulate the air around the tower.
• Good article on the topic: https://ca.clickandgrow.com/blogs/news/growing-with-your-indoor-garden-kit-and-notice-mold-read-this
• If there’s places that are really bad you could remove that soil/rockwool and toss it – though mold spores are a normal part of soil systems.
• Sprinkle some cinnamon on your any affected areas. This should help kill the mold. Another option would be a water and baking soda mixture, but try the cinnamon first. 

March Break tips

Give the soil a good soak and do an extra feeding, or even two, before you leave and then just feed them again when you return. The worms will be fine. If you have seedlings on the go make sure to water them very well, and even have some water pooling in the bottom of your seedling tray. Place the plastic cover over the seedlings as well.

Assembling the Garden Tower Tips

• Fill the tower a couple of sections at a time.
• Water the soil as you go
• Be careful to align the vermicomposting tube as you go. It’s a good idea to verify with a ruler that it’s going straight up the middle.

Roots are growing into the reservoir of the Tower Garden

If you have roots growing into the reservoir just rip them off! You definitely don’t want them to grow so long that they can get stuck in the pump.

What should we do if we notice silverfish?

They thrive in humid environments. The best way to control them is likely with diatomateous earth (DE), sprinkled ON TOP (it doesn’t work when wet) several days in a row. Here is a link with a bit more info: https://www.wormfarmingrevealed.com/silverfish-in-wormfarm.html

You can get DE at any garden centre. Here is the link for Canadian Tire: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/doktor-doom-premium-food-grade-diatomaceous-earth-1590120p.html

How can I deal with an algae problem in the Tower Garden?

If you have algae inside the tower it’s not that hard to change the water. You just need to roll it to a sink or janitors closet and then attach the clear hose to the nipple where the water comes out at the top. Aim the hose into the sink and turn on the pump. The last little bit of water you may want to then just ladle out or pour out. Refill with fresh water, which should really reduce the algae problem. Also make sure that ALL the holes that aren’t currently used for plants are covered up. You can neoprene covers or use aluminum foil.

What should I do if I have yellow mushrooms growing in my Garden Tower?

These mushrooms are harmless though shouldn’t be eaten. They are often not easy to get rid of, unless we replace all the soil. We suggest either just leaving them, or pick them off as they grow. If you are worried that your students may eat them, you could remove the top few inches of soil and replace it with fresh soil and see if that resolves the issue. 

Here is an article with a bit more information: https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/yellow-mushrooms.html

My plants are not growing well in the Garden Tower

Here’s a few tips to help getting the best results from the Garden Tower:

• Make sure you water enough. The drawer should start to fill up with water when you are done.
• Use any compost tea in the drawer first, before you add more fresh water.
• Keep the lights close to the tower and rotate it a bit every day if necessary to give all plants a turn in front of the lights.
• Keep the lights on for 14 to 16 hours a day. If you turn them off during class-time, set the timer so they run later into the night.
• Add some liquid kelp fertilizer to your water before watering, especially if the vermicompost is not well established yet.
• Keep the peat pucks moist (they can sit in 1 to 2 cm of water) while your seedlings are getting started.
• Start more seedlings than you think you’ll need, and reseed any peat pucks where germination fails. In this way you’ll have more stuff to plant, and on an on-going basis.

How can I get rid of mold on my seedlings?

Mold is a sign of too much moisture and potentially heat. Mold won’t kill our seedlings, and can thankfully often easily be removed. Try these simple steps: 

• Scrape off as much of the mold as you can (e.g. with a pencil)
• Remove the lid from now on, or prop it open at least
• Turn off the heating mat (if you were using it)
• Make sure the grow light is hung close to the seedlings
• Finally, you could spray a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water or baking soda and water on the plugs (1 teaspoon per cup of water). Be careful with that though, as I read that it could potentially damage the seedlings. 

How can I get rid of mold in my vermicompost?

Most likely the interior of the tube is too moist, maybe because you are watering thoroughly (which you should of course). I would suggest the following: 

• Check that you aren’t overfeeding the worms. To do that, dump the vermicompost into the drawer, then see if there is a lot stuff that the worms haven’t eaten. If so, feed less for a while.
• Top up your vermicompost with a good (2 or 3 inches) layer of moist dead leaves or slightly moist shredded paper (to create a good barrier).
• Leave the top of the tower open for a few days to get better air flow. You could even try having a fan set up to gently blow some air into the tube. 
• If you don’t want to do that in your classroom you could roll the tower outside on a nice day and leave it open there – ideally in the Sun. 
• Going forward always top up the vermicompost with a layer of “brown” materials. Monitor the humidity of the soil and wait to water until the very top layer has dried a bit (but not too much). Periodically open the tube for a bit. 

If these things don’t work well enough you can also puff some cinnamon on the mold or spray a mixture of water and baking soda on it. You can also try those at the same time as the above suggestions. Both products help kill mold. 

Why is my Garden Tower leaking?

The mostly likely culprit is that the baffle that holds the compost in is clogged. Here are the steps to improve drainage:

• First, check that both the drawer and baffle aren’t obstructed by dirt. Clean the area they slide into.
• Then dump the vermicompost into the drawer below.
• Insert the baffle. Once it fits well, drop a layer of 3 inches of dead leaves into the bottom of the tower.
• Then put the vermicompost back into the tube. You can remove any worm castings that are well processed (look like rich, dark soil)

Hopefully this will stop the leaking. As a final note, it can also be a good idea to place a large seed tray or roasting pan under the tower to catch any leakage.