How To Start A Worm Farm [Step By Step Guide]

Almost everyone these days seems to be talking about keeping hens in their backyards or rearing dwarf goats on their land. Do you want to join the expanding number of urban farmers, but you don’t have the space to do so since you live in a small place rather than in the open?

You want to turn your kitchen trash into a rich soil supplement, but you don’t have a place for a compost pile. Starting your worm farm is a straightforward answer to both problems.

How To Start A Worm Farm

Building a handmade worm farm is economical, and it can be beneficial to the garden. Worms make nutrient-dense compost, which can be used to enhance garden soil or brewed as compost tea.

You may either buy stackable worm composting systems or make your own out of two plastic bins to get started with your worm farm. You’ll need the following items for this project:

Materials Needed

1. Electric drill with 1/4″ and 1/16″ bits, buy on Amazon
2. Two 8-10-gallon non-transparent plastic bins, buy on Amazon
3. Two bricks
4. Newspaper
5. A large piece of cardboard
6. One pound of worms

Instructions

1. Drill 20-30 worm-sized holes (1/4 inch in diameter) in the bottom of both bins, evenly spaced.
2. Drill ventilation holes (approximately 1/16 inch) about 1½ inches apart across the top rims of both totes.
3. Drill a second set of holes (approximately 1/16 inch) in the top of one of the lids, evenly spaced. The second lid has no holes drilled in it.
4. To make 1-inch strips, tear a section of newspaper into 1-inch strips.
5. Soak the newspaper in water for a few minutes, then squeeze off the excess water to make the paper damp-moist.
6. Place the two bricks on top of the lid without holes, with the edge facing up to catch any liquid that may drip from the bin.
7. One of the drilled totes should be placed on the bricks.
8. In the bottom of the tote, place a 4-inch layer of split newspaper strips as bedding and a handful of garden soil.
9. Add worms to the bedding (bought online or at a fishing bait store).
10. Cut the cardboard to fit over the bedding and wet the cardboard with a spray bottle.

Read also: How Much Compost To Add To Potting Soil?

Every week, the worms will consume roughly 2-3 pounds of kitchen scraps. Gradually add coffee grounds, eggshells, past-their-prime fruits and vegetables, cereal, grains, and so on. Dairy items, meat, oil, and fats should all be avoided.

Lift the ventilated lid and cardboard each time you add scraps, and arrange scraps in a new region of the bin. Bury them in a layer of moist newspaper about 1 inch thick.

1. Add additional newspaper scraps to the second bin once the first bin is full and all of the scraps have been eaten.
2. Place the bin directly on top of the overflowing bin.
3. Scraps can be added to the bedding to encourage the worms to go from the filled bin to the empty one.
4. The first bin is now full of rich vermicompost that may be used to enrich garden soil.
5. Feeding and moist bedding should be done again.

Set the farm in a well-ventilated space or a shaded location outside. Providing your worms with ample wet bedding, maintaining the bins well ventilated, and serving them a vegetarian diet are the prerequisites for a successful worm farm.

Read also: Can You Compost Pineapple?

Conclusion

I hope you find this article helpful. I would like to hear from you. So, let me know if you have any questions about starting a worm farm. Also, learn how to shred cardboard for compost here.

References

1. Vermiculture in animal farming: A review on the biological and nonbiological risks related to earthworms in animal feed
2. Earthworms and Farming
3. Soil health pilot study in England: Outcomes from an on-farm earthworm survey
4. Earthworms increase plant production: a meta-analysis