Wormy Worm Towers - How to make a worm tower

We’ve all heard of worm farms and how they are generally set up, but have you heard of Worm Towers? This, I believe, is one of the easiest ways to reap the benefits of composting worms’ recycling abilities, and it is all done miraculously in situ in the garden. 

This means you have the worm casting and worm wee nutrients right where you need them- in the soil profile where the plant roots are growing. With in-ground worm towers, the castings and liquid worm juice simply leach out into the soil via the holes within the PVC pipe, feeding the surrounding plants.

How to make a worm tower:

Ingredients:

  • 15-20cm diameter PVC lengths 
    (How much length depends on how many you wish to make)
  • Drill and saw
  • Plastic PVC cap for the end of the pipe or a terracotta pot
  • Compost worms
  • Cardboard/ newspaper
  • Kitchen scraps and dry grass/straw like Rocky Point Sugar Cane Mulch 

Method: 

  1. Cut your PVC pipe into 50cm lengths.
  2. Drill multiple 5mm holes randomly around the pipe.
  3. Dig a hole 25cm wide in the garden to put your pipe in.
  4. Place your drilled PVC pipe into the ground at a depth of around 30cm, leaving 20cm above ground.
  5. Backfill with soil to firm it into place. 
  6. Fill the bottom with dry grass/straw 10cm deep, then add wet newspaper strips and cardboard approx. 15cm deep.
  7. Add worms.
  8. Cover with a handful of mulch. 
  9. Pop the PVC plastic cap over the opening or a terracotta pot. 
  10. Start putting kitchen veggie and fruit scraps in a few days.

Worms will move freely in and out of the worm tower via the drilled holes.
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