Charlie Frost has been farming in Stutterheim for 23 years and has always had an interest in organics, but for the last 3 years has been quietly and slowly growing his worm farm. He started with only 1000 worms and now has several, large breeding beds and has designed his own kits which are used for both household and commercial use. Normal compost requires turning, a long and labour intensive process when done commercially, but with worms you have a willing labour force to make the compost for you. The result is compost with superior moisture and nutrient holding capabilities and all these nutrients are in a readily bio-available form. ‘Black Gold’ as it is known also has an exceptionally high and diverse microbial population.

The type of worm used is the Red Wriggler or Eisenia Foetidia which is exotic to this country but has been imported over the years from the Northern Hemisphere in soil media. Charles Darwin was so impressed by the worms that he called them ‘the intestines of the planet’ and stated that they had basically ploughed over the entire world. They can eat their own body weight of food every 24 hours and in ideal conditions, the adults can double the population in roughly a 60 day period.