In Garden Worm Towers

David Trammel's picture

For someone who doesn't want the maintenance of an in-home worm bin, this might be an alternative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ7lNsCmCrg

Basically it is a two foot section of pvc pipe, typically 4" in diameter, since that's about the biggest you can get at big box hardware stores, which is drilled for the worms to enter and exit, and capped. You drop food scraps and other kitchen organic waste into the tube, and the worms in your garden bed handle the rest.

Some people take a step up, and use a 2 or 5 gallon bucket.

Now there are opinions that hold that a tube of this size, or even a bucket, do not provide the area for the worms. Steve over on Urban worm company has a well written article on these points. Check the comments out too.

https://urbanwormcompany.com/worm-towers-right-idea-but-the-wrong-product/

I can see where this would be a more secure way to handle food waste in garden, without attracting pests and rodents, if you put the tube in properly.

How do you handle food waste?

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David Trammel's picture

Ok so maybe there is a way to combine a worm tower with container gardening. This set up, of using a 55 gallon barrel, keyholed with spots for plants could then have a food waste/worm tower tube placed down its center.

The worms in the soil of the barrel would be able to move in and out of the tube, while keeping the soil in the barrel aerated and contributing their casting. This would avoid soil compaction that is typical of containers and provide a way to process food scraps.

I think I'd put these on wheels rather than stiff legs though. Like one of the barrel dollies. Put them on a hard surface like your patio and you could give them a quarter turn 2-3 times a week so the plants all get a chance at better sun. You could also plant on the top too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufEQ6ZljJBE

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Mostly I Iet the chickens have my food wastes. They even dispose of meat scraps. However the wastes generated by the canning projects can over whelm them. At the moment I have 3 rather elderly chickens and they don't seem to eat as much as they did when they were younger. Also I did have a bigger flock at one time, so canning wastes weren't so big a problem.

ClareBroommaker's picture

We just use a plain Jane single compost bin built from shipping pallets in the main vegetable garden. If I have leaves, kitchen scraps get mixed with those. Otherwise, I add paper and cardboard pieces. Large amounts of fish debris gets buried directly.