Can-O-Worms Part 1, Set Up (12 mins)

Can-O-Worms Part 2, Maintenance (10 mins)

Can-O-Worms Part 3, Troubleshooting (10 mins)

Diatomaceous Earth (2 mins)

How to Open a Wiggly Bag (2 mins)

Lime Mix (2 mins)

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Customer Reviews (Based on 37 reviews)

Let us know what you think about your Can-O-Worms with Value Pack! Write a Wiggly Review and share your thoughts with other Wiggly Customers.

Here's what's been said already..

Kate Macfadyen wrote this 5 star review

I inherited my Can-0-Worms from an elderly relative, there were about a dozen or so worms left (He was ill and had not been feeding them) I set up the wormery, but to be honest struggled with lifting the sections apart, cos of tennis elbow and a bad back, so I transferred the worms and compost into a council black composting bin. I have been filling it up almost daily, (especially with all the teabags we use!), even through the winter when I wondered if they would survive. Now the warmer weather has arrived they are breeding, I now have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them, and have been told that they will not outgrow their space...Wonderful....I just hope my husband remembers to put compost in for them, when I visit an orphanage in Kenya in June...I couldn't bare to loose them. My dustbin is now never full, I recycle everything I can.....

Debbie Yearsley Davidson wrote this 5 star review

I got my CanOWorms November 2009 thanks to Camden Council's initiative. I'm now ready to harvest my first lot of compost, although the worm juice has been coming thick and fast for a long time now. I've seen a big difference in my garden this Spring, especially my little pot of forget-me-nots closest to the wormery (hence getting most of the juice). It's got a few flies but I've bought the DE and that seems to be helping. I've filled mine with lots of shredded paper which I think helps it not to smell. I really love my wormery. It's been so easy to manage and I'm really looking forward to my first batch of worm casts.

Sara A, Whitechapel wrote this 5 star review

My local council (Tower Hamlets) had a special deal going, with you, as part of a borough-wide recycling push, and I jumped at the chance to get one, for my small urban garden. And it has turned out to be brilliant, me and the wee wrigglers definitely best mates. (Though must say, receiving a nest of 'em in the post slightly odd - put me in mind of a scene from The Godfather...) My plants (esp leafy greens) love the 'worm juice' – really thrive on it.
Initially, however, like some folks below, I was distressed to find worms in the sump, having chomped through their cardboard and drowned in their own slurry. But quickly found a solution to this, which is to put 2 layers of muslin in place of the cardboard (in the first layer above the sump). I've had no further problem with drowned critters. Might it be worth considering providing muslin (or sacking) rounds as an alternative to the card? It will rot away eventually, but probably will last several years and should certainly do better than the card.

Kitty wrote this 5 star review

I love my worm bin and have names for every single one of them. Worm 00001, worm 00002, worm 00003 etc etc. However after the death of worm 10405, it was necessary to pull a length of fleece over the bottom of the bin, sinking the bottom tray onto it and since this it has made that sad moment when you look in the base of the bin and see the carnage a lot less common and traumatic. After a year or so they're very happy bunnies (or worms) and are working hard for me.

Am wrote this 5 star review

I have had my wormery for a few years now and after a difficult first year, have now got it running smoothly! By wrapping the wormery with bubble wrap in winter I can keep them warm enough to keep working and get so much "worm cast" that I give it away to friends / family and Freecyclers by the 1.5lt bottle full!
The compost is rich and dark and while it has taken a while to get the two bottom trays full the compost is great!
This has always been my favourite item in the garden, so much so I am buying another!

Therese from Surrey wrote this 4 star review

I love my Can-of-Worms, but I found it difficult to understand the instructions you sent with it. never the less I have learned a lot about keeping worms now and enjoying it They are my pets that produce some wonderful nutrients for my plants, I have never seen spinach with such bright green leaves before.

Chris Hall wrote this 5 star review

My COW has been set up just 7 weeks and some liquid is now appearing in the sump. However the worms have almost destroyed the moisture mat, and fruit flies have appeared. Do you sell replacement moisture mats, or should I use layers of cardboard instead ? How can I discourage the flies ?

Jack Braydean wrote this 5 star review

I've had my CoW for over 2 years. As I live alone, it takes me a long time to fill, even though I do eat a large amount of fruit & veg. My worms were either drowning in the sump or escaping through the tap, contaminating the brown liquid & making it smell. I solved this problem by stretching a piece of old net curtain(plain!)across the top of the sump before replacing the first tray. Liquid can filter through: worms stay put. Works a treat!

Pat from Oz wrote this 5 star review

This is a great product.
I strongly advise blending the food/vegetable waste at the beginning. Gradually wind this back to a mix of blended/whole waste and then just whole waste as the population grows.
Instead of using the prescribed moisture mats I use layers of shade cloth bound with cable ties. You shape them to the bottom of a working tray and they fit like a glove, allow the system to breathe, cut out light, retain moisture, don't break down and provide a great space for baby worms - they will dominate the areas between the layers.
I found it handy to add extra trays - contact your local supplier or the manufacturer RELN - they supply individual trays to wholesale clients on special order - but don’t deal with retail clients - they are about A$20 a pop.
The unofficial advice is to not use any more than 5 trays or it will be too heavy for the legs. The added bonus is that the extra capacity gives the full trays more time to mature and the worms, baby worms and eggs have more of a chance to eventually move onward and upwards. This conserves your population with no great effort or having to sift them out, and allows for a greater total population as they self-regulate according to available space.
To deter ants add crushed egg shells and keep your trays as “moist as a damp sponge” as per the instruction booklet. As a preventative put each leg in a small bucket of water - the ants will not be able to enter.
As an added bonus I have found that wrapping seeds in a scrap of cotton, placed in the middle of the shade cloth layers will germinate even the most stubborn varieties.
Good Luck!

Jo Jobson wrote this 5 star review

My CoW is almost a year old and producing ample liquid plant food and casts. Fantastic. Early problem with damage to 'fins' on trays and tap were fixed promptly foc by w-wigglers and all is well. Will probably need another CoW soon as not composting fast enough.

Emma wrote this 4 star review

I purchased my COW winter 2007 and was initially very happy, however I was not expecting the dead worms in the sump or those that fell into the bucket by leaving the tap open. I put up with this, even though the smell of the liquid trapped in the sump was dreadful, but in the summer, the flies were awful. I decided not to open the COW in the summer to avoid the numerous flies descending upon me and left it well alone until now, the Spring. I decided to clean it out and sell it, plucking up courage to open the lid, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the casts are superb, hundreds of worms thriving happily and the sump was full of damp casts with worms living happily within it! No smell at all - extremely surprised and pleased...My advice, use the COW from October to spring, then leave well alone until the Autumn again and find another way to dispose of your vegetable waste during this period...fab results!

Claudia wrote this 5 star review

We got our Can-o-Worms last year. We've just had our first batch of wonderful compost. Suffered a bit from flies in the summer but no more than a normal compost heap. Our only problem has been that we're a mostly veggie family and the wormery doesn't process the waste fast enough. No problem we will be looking at getting a 2nd wormery soon. Thanks Wigglers.

sarah wrote this 5 star review

Had my wormery for a couple of months and it is fab! My rubbish bin is never full now and does not smell like it used to when food left overs were in it. My children are also being educated by the wormery and act like they have new pets!

Kai wrote this 5 star review

I love my CoW... its the best..!! One tip that I found really helps is to put loads of egg shells in, just split in half not crushed.. The worms wont eat all of them but they will lay eggs in the shells, when its really wet and damp I am sure it helps the worms reproduce because you always find loads of eggs in the shells.. I also leave the tap open with a watering can underneath.. This stops the CoW getting too waterlogged. I then decant the worms out of the watering can into plastic bottles using a tea strainer to catch any escapees!!! All good fun!! Thanks Kai.

Josephine wrote this 5 star review

Have had my worms for a couple of years now. They have survived my initial efforts to 'kill them off' and we now commune well together. The worm cast is sooo nutritious and I am giving away loads of lovely worm fluid thereby saving friends the cost of fertiliser. Unfortunately it is not large enough to cope with everything I throw at it so will have to invest in a larger one. I will however donate mine to a deserving household. I love my worms and feed regularly with worm treat and anti acid mix. My precious shredded documents get easily eaten up and help to keep the moisture content down. Initial loss through the sump has now stopped and I find egg boxes ideal for covering the top of it. They do love the fibrous mats but eat too many of them. I would say to people to persevere if they are having problems. I found your website very helpful with any problems I had. Like most people the flies can be a nuisance but I hang sticky fly traps (as used in greenhouses) above it and enjoy watching it change from bright yellow to uniform black with dead flies!! Wishing you all well.

Caroline wrote this 5 star review

Our Can O Worms works great (I add lots of dry cardboard to stop it getting too wet). Agree it would be good to have an extra tray however!
Question: is it possible to run a wormery that makes ericacous compost? E.g. by only putting certain things in?

Sylvia wrote this 1 star review

I gave this 5 stars for setting up but have had problems since. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has had their worms go down into the sump and drown - I delt dreadful about that. Also (although we don't have that much waste) the contents are not being composted quickly enough to provide space at the top to continue adding. I wondered if it would be better with another 2 levels added to provide more space? The only sigmificant activity at present is a wren who would dearly love to find a way in.

Juliet Knight wrote this 5 star review

I received my wormery as a works leaving present (my request!) in June 07. I have had one disaster, when I went away and left the sump tap closed for 2 weeks and the worms died as the wormery became too moist. After advise from Wiggly Wigglers, I restocked and have had a much more successful year this year. Diatomaceous Earth helps keeps the flies down, but I have reduced the amount of fruit that I add also. It lives in the garden all year round. I will try Emma Dalton's idea of putting paper in the sump. Overall, I am delighted with my wormery, as with all live creatures, you have to 'take care' of them, but its well worth the effort when you get it right. I am well on the way to my second tray of compost so should have some lovely stuff for the vegatables in the summer!

Shelagh Murphy wrote this 4 star review

I have had my wormery for quite a few years now and I am delighted with it. I do think there is a slight design fault, however, having the holes in the top of the lid. This means that some sort of covering needs to be in place to protect my worms from heavy rain and extra heat from the sun - if we ever get any! You used to do a cover for the wormery with an elasticated edge. Mine has now worn out and I need a new one, buit I cannot find mention of it in your catalogue. I do hope you still do have it and, if you do, I would like to order one.

Sheri Stradling wrote this 5 star review

I bought my Can-O-Worms in November 2007 and have been delighted with the results. It lives outside in summer, next to the dustbins and goes under cover for the winter. My worms munch through lots of kitchen waste and paper each week.

I harvested my first lot of worm compost after only 3 months and that was in mid-winter. I used it to top-dress containers and feed banana plants.

The worm-juice started to flow after about 8 weeks. I now leave the tap permanently open with a bucket underneath. I have had fantastic crops of tomatoes and peppers fed with it this year, my citrus tress are very healthy and containers flowering well.

Although my worms love the moisture mats, I am not impressed at the speed at which they eat them and they now have to put up with damp cardboard or newspaper instead.

I am indebted to the generous advice given on the Facebook WW group which ensured my wormery got going with no hiccups.

Emma Dalton wrote this 3 star review

I've had my C-O-W for 2 years and it took me the first year to get it right. The raincover does not work full stop. So I keep mine in the garage as the worms dislike the temperature changes outside.

The best thing I have learnt is to fill the sump with paper and cardboard and leave the tap open with a small bowl underneath with paper in it. The worms fall out occasionally but they can live on the paper for 24 hours if needbe and then I pop them back up in the top tier. Every 4 weeks or so I take the whole unit outside, lift the lid off and clear the sump out and pop it in the top tier. Then I repeat the whole process again.

It has been worth it - even the fruit flies which drive me mad despite the lime mix!

Alice Irving wrote this 5 star review

I bought my CoW 4 or 5 years ago, and it has been very successful. I've even taken it into the school I work at to show the children worm cocoons ('eggs') and explaining the lifecycle etc. I've also moved house with it 3 times. I've never needed to add fresh worms and I put up with the fruit flies! I'd love to keep it in the utility room in the winter but my husband wont let me!

Sandra Peters wrote this 1 star review

I have been using the can of worms for approximatly 3 months, and to be honest, im not very impressed.

We bought a rain cover to go over the top, and this is impossible to get on, not only that but the worms keep going down into the sump, and drowning, we have tried leaving the tap open but the dead worms in the sump keep blocking it up.
Its totally fly infested and smelly and it really doesnt seem that stable to me.

I can think of better ways to spend £100

Jennifer Longton wrote this 5 star review

Wonderful C-O-W, I got mine about 3 months ago and they are in full production. Yes they need a little tlc just like any other pets.
The only problems I have had are ants, they parachute in if you put sweet treats in such as melon. It isn't a compost bin, its a wormery. Lots of moisture mats seem to be required the worms just love them. I am presently trying an old towel and they seem to like that too.

Eugenie wrote this 2 star review

We soldiered on with our CoW for several years, starting from scratch on at least two occasions. Despite advice from the WW team at various times, and putting the CoW in different locations, we sadly concluded that these worms just won't thrive here on our bit of the Scottish North Sea coast, no matter how carefully nurtured - it's just too cold, too windy and too damp for them. So alas no success story here, but the principle remains brilliant and I'm so jealous of those of you for whom it does work! However, all not lost - I'm now a huge Bokashi fan!

Amanda Davies wrote this 4 star review

I received my Can-o-Worms for my birthday last year and love it! I mixed our first batch of compost into the soil before planting sweetcorn. Imagine my surprise when over 100 tomato plants grew as well. The seeds must have survived the worm process!

Kay Jackson wrote this 1 star review

We've had our wormery for 2 years and despite receiving helpful advice and much patience have had no success whatsoever.We are obviously doing something seriously wrong. Can somebody PLEASE HELP as we're really keen to compost by this method.

Susan Earl wrote this 5 star review

Can-o-worms is the best wormery there is, produces great compost and my Grandson love it.

Anna Browne wrote this 5 star review

We have 5 Can o Worms between the school and our home garden. You have to be a little careful what you put into them, and it's really important to be patient. If you are patient and careful, you will be rewarded with the most wonderful worm castings, that as a far as I am concerned are gold for gardeners. My plants that get worm castings are healthier, disease resistant, slug resistant (to a point) - it's magic!
http://www.growyourownfood.blogspot.com

Jenni Reay wrote this 3 star review

Can-o-worms for me isn't a fuss free solution to kitchen waste, it comes with a few flies, and dead worms in the base if it gets too wet and other little niggles. But fuss free or not it is a solution and SO much better than adding my kitchen waste to a landfill.

Sarah, Midlands Wigglet wrote this 5 star review

I too got my CoW as a birthday present last year, and had great fun answering the question "What did you get for your birthday?" with "WORMS!!". I have since harvested my worm casts, made some composts, and my hanging baskets and potted containers are BEAUTIFUL this year, much better than previous years! I look forward to my first worm-enhanced garden vegetables!

Sarah Doyle wrote this 5 star review

I'm very impressed with my Wigglers Can-O-Worms. The value pack gives you everything you need to start composting straight away. I've had a few problems with my wormery, e.g. getting too damp, but there's always been someone at the end of an email to help me solve the problem.

Nadine H wrote this 5 star review

Although I started my worms at the worst possible time (mild winter, which turned into freezing winter a week later) and added not so ideal items initially, some of which ended up getting really hot; enough of my worms survived the ordeal of belonging to a beginner to thrive and compost away 6 months later... my only tip would be to add moisture mats to your order; after 6 months I need a new one...

Emma Cooper wrote this 5 star review

I've had my Can-O-Worms for several years now, and it happily copes with everything my kitchen can throw at it. Kitchen waste goes in the top, and lovely compost and plant food come out at the bottom. It's a brilliant tool for people who want to live more sustainable lives!

Karen Thorne wrote this 5 star review

I had my wormery as a birthday present a few years ago ( some women get diamonds ). It takes some time to get going but its well worth persisting. It is excellent for getting rid of shredded documents as the worms love the fibre. It doesn't produce massive amounts of compost - the main by product is the liquid fertiliser which is great for feeding plants.

justine walshe wrote this 5 star review

It took a while to get the right balance of moisture but as long as i add enough dry material it is fine. Shredded newspaper and cardboard help. A layer over each layer of food waste helps minimise flies too.

Angela Hyde wrote this 2 star review

We bought a wormery in December 2006 and have yet to harvest any compost despite regular tending, feeding with worm treats and lime pellets. Each summer we have had a massive infestation of fruit flies so have stopped feeding it with fruit leftovers. It's a bit frustrating - great idea but difficult in practice!