Make a worm farm

How to make a worm farm

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Here’s how to make a worm farm using bits and pieces from around the home.

You will need:

  • Polystyrene box
  • Marking pen
  • Serrated knife
  • Shadecloth
  • Coir peat
  • Garden compost
  • Worms
  • Newspaper
  • Vegie scaps
  • hessian/cardboard
  • Bricks
  • Plastic tub

Make a DIY worm farm

1. TURN the box upside down to expose the base, then draw a small rectangle at one end using the pen.

Polystyrene box for worm farm
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

2. CUT out the rectangle using the knife. This will create a drainage hole so the fluids can escape.

Make a worm farm
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

3. COVER the hole inside the box with shadecloth to stop the organic material falling through.

Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

4. PUT some bedding into the box for the worms. To create the bedding, combine enough moistened coir peat and compost to fill about a quarter of the box.

How to make a worm farm
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

5. ADD your worms. You can buy these at your local garden centre or compost worm supplier. I just collected as many as I could from our compost heap.

Add your worms to the worm farm
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

6. GIVE your worms some food. I gave mine strips of newspaper that were soaked with water and some finely chopped vegie scraps. Don’t give them too much at once!

Give your worms some food
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

7. COVER with a piece of shadecloth and a hessian bag or cardboard to block the light.

Cover the worm farm
Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

8. PLACE your worm farm in a warm, protected spot undercover and out of direct sun. Set it up on bricks with a plastic tub under the drainage hole to catch any fluids. Check on it once a week and wait until the food is almost finished before adding more.

Photo credit: Anna Hutchcroft

Want to learn more about composting? Check out our guide to making top-notch compost here.