Not all gardens have the space for a worm farm, but worms help to improve soil fertility in gardens and are a great way to keep your kitchen scraps out of landfill. So how can you reap the benefits of having worms in your garden without a worm farm? A worm tower is the answer! Take a look at the video for a step by step guide on making a worm tower for your garden!
What materials do I need?
- A piece of PVC pipe
- A drill with an 8mm or bigger drill bit – plus safety protection of course!
- Old sock
- Saw to cut the pipe
- Texta for marking the pipe for cutting and drilling
Now what?
Cut the pipe to size (around 50cm) and drill holes all around the bottom half. Dig a hole in your garden and bury the pipe so that the holes are just below the soil line. Add some bedding made from a mix of dry grass or leaves, shredded paper or newspaper in the bottom of the pipe to create a nice safe home for the worms before adding in your kitchen waste. A sprinkle of water will help keep everything moist for the worms, and then pop the sock on the top of the pipe to keep any pests out.
What are the benefits of a worm tower?
Worms help to improve soil fertility and keep kitchen waste out of landfill, but worm towers are also a great way to introduce and encourage worms to live in your garden. They are easy to maintain and can be used in small gardens where space for a traditional worm farm or composting bin may not be possible. You can also have multiple worm towers in your garden beds as well.
How to start adding in kitchen waste
Before you start adding in scraps from your kitchen, your worms will need some bedding. Add some shredded newspaper or cardboard to the bottom of the tower and add a small amount of water to moisten it. Once you have then added in some composting worms and you can start layering some kitchen scraps with grass clippings, adding a few handfuls of each at a time.
What can be added to a worm tower?
Anything you would put into a worm farm can be put in a worm tower, but it is best to keep things chopped up fairly small. Along with kitchen scraps you can also add crushed egg shells, shredded newspaper or cardboard, grass clippings, and coffee grinds or tea bags. Try not to add large amounts at a time, as the worms can struggle to break large amount down and
Further Information
Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria, through their Victorian Schools Garden Program, have launched the Connecting Junior Gardeners Program to inspire children to discover and enjoy the benefits of gardening. The program consists of a suite of fun and engaging videos, fact sheets and activities, to help connect junior gardeners at primary schools across Victoria. Find out more about Connecting Junior Gardeners and view the resources.
Acknowledgements
Tania Karamitos (Victorian Schools Garden Program)
