When it`s organic gardening that we are after, the crux is creating good soil for the plants. Good soil is fertile, full of microorganisms, and has quality texture. Nothing makes soil quite so good as worms do. They process the organic material in the earth and deposit rich castings with all the soil needs to make healthy plants. Healthy plants are more resilient and give us more nutritious food. In other words, worms are great!
Vermiculture, the intentional use of worms for the garden, is becoming more and more common. There are many methods for doing it at home, including worm towers and under-the-sink worm bins. But, for those looking to work on a grander scale, bathtub worm farms might be the way to go. They can be put totether very inexpensively and will provide both valuable worm castings and worm juices to soup up your organic garden.
The Old Bathtub and Other Stuff Needed
Old bathtubs are pretty readily found in classified listings or places like habitat for humanity restores. They usually won`t cost much, and they are the perfect vessel for making a big worm farm.
In addition to the bathtub, worm farmers will need to gather up some wire screen, scrap wood (a couple of pallets would be great), and a bucket to catch worm juice. The tub should also be elevated. It could be on bricks or a basic wooden frame.
Additionally, the tub will need to be covered with a porous material like landscaping cloth or even an old sheet or towel. Some people like to go the extra mile and put a piece of corrugated tin over that.
Putting the Worm Farm Together
The first step will be building the draining frame for the farm. This is just a wooden deck that fits down into the bottom of the tub. A couple of slats running lengthwise should be joined with four or five slats stretching the width. This will keep lifting the material so that the juice can drain out of the tub. Staple the wire screen to the topside of this to prevent worms and debris from falling through.
Next, the tub should be put onto some sort of platform. A couple of reclaimed cinderblocks will work, or something made out of scrap wood will suffice. The tub should be lifted and slightly tilted so that the worm juices run toward the drain, under which a bucket will harvest the awesomely fertile liquid. Check out how to make fertilizer teas.
Finally, the tub should have some kind of cover. Worms aren`t huge fans of sunlight (or birds), so the cover needs to block those out. Some form of cloth works great. If there is a lot of rain in the area, covering the farm with a more solid roof is probably a good idea.