Build your own Self Spreading Composting System: The Worm Tower!
If you think harvesting compost from a worm bin or compost pile and spreading it in your garden is too much work, then build yourself a worm tower!
In this article, you will learn how to use earthworms in your garden to compost right where you want the finished compost to be. The major benefit to this composting technique is that once it is set up, you don’t have to do anything but continue to add food scraps in small amounts. No turning the pile like you have to do in Hot Compost Pile Composting, and no separating the worms from the castings like you have to do in a vermicomposting bin.
The earthworm composting tower is a self spreading composting system.
It relies on the natural ability of nightcrawler earthworms to tunnel around in your garden soil eating organic material (kitchen food scraps) and depositing castings (worm poop) throughout your garden. The worm castings are very high in nutrient value and act as an organic fertilizer for any plants that you are trying to grow.
How to Build an Earthworm Composting Tower for your Garden
- Build a tower roughly 2 feet tall. In the photos, you can see that I built mine out of wood in a rectangle shape. You can also use a very large diameter PVC pipe. The PVC pipe version is easier and you can purchase a lid that fits exactly the pipe’s diameter.
- Drill many ½ inch (or so) holes in the bottom 6 inches of the pipe or wooden composting tower. This bottom portion will eventually be buried under ground and will allow hungry nightcrawlers and other earthworms to enter the composting tower, eat some veggie food scraps, and then leave to spread the castings in the rest of your garden.
- Bury the tower eight inches deep in your garden so that dirt covers all of the holes you just drilled. Worms will go in and out the open bottom of the tower and the holes you drilled. I have had success placing the tower very close to my vegetable plants. The vegetables or flowers you are growing will benefit from the added nutrients in the worm castings.
A Worm Feast - Fill the composting tower with vegetable food scraps from your kitchen. Be sure not to put meat or bones in as those take much longer to decompose and can attract pests. You can fill your tower all the way to the top or start by filling it half way and see how long it takes the worms in your garden to eat it. Put a handful of leaves or other brown carbon compost material on top of the food scraps to deter bugs. When the level of food scraps drops, simply add more. You will be amazed how fast the food scraps in your tower disappear!
- Add a lid or top to your composting tower. I made one out of wood for my tower but if you are building your tower out of PVC pipe you can simply buy a lid that fits.
- Add Earthworms to your tower. This step is optional. The earthworms in your garden will find the food scraps on their own but if you want to kickstart the process you can always go to a local hardware or bait/tackle store and buy some nightcrawlers to put in.
- Build More! Depending on your garden’s size, you can build several of these around your garden. The more you put in your garden, the more beneficial nutrients you are adding to your soil.
Have fun building your earthworm composting tower and composting your vegetable kitchen scraps directly in your flower or vegetable garden.
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Comments ( 11 )
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Thomas
/ 15 Feb 2014I found the sire very useful with plenty of good ideas. I am interested in trying the self spreading worm tower method. My question is how about the watering as worms like a moist condition would you need to keep the contients of the bin moist along with the surronding garden area where it is located. I believe this to be correct but i could not find it anywhere so if you could share some insight on the best practice this i would be thankful. I live in a hot area.
Henry Owen
/ 03 Mar 2014Thanks Thomas. The earthworm composting tower relies on nightcrawler earthworms rather than red wiggler composting worms. The night crawlers move up the tower and then back down into the soil. Because they can move around in this way, they can choose the spot that has the right moisture and temperature for them. Also, remember that as food scraps break down they release a bunch of water. So, if you add food scraps to your worm tower you are also adding water.
Sonja
/ 25 Apr 2014what a great idea, I am going to do it this weekend.
Thanks
Chuck
/ 22 Jul 2014I love this idea as well and just now found it.
I am only in my 2nd year of gardening on this particular land that I have (new home).
I have a question or two for you.
1) I have a 16×32 foot garden plot (non raised) and have been working on getting compost turned into it but it is still fairly hardpan clay (Northwest Arkansas). How many towers do you think I should install to cover off the garden?
2) How often (if at all) do you think one should “rotate” the towers. I am thinking that moving them at least once per season would be beneficial.
Thanks for the site and any comments.
Chuck
/ 22 Jul 2014Forgot to add… if it helps.
I have 3 long runs of garden space with 2 walkways in between so the runs are going the 32′ length.
I am thinking 3 towers (1 per row) but not sure if that is overkill and/or where to place them.
Henry Owen
/ 11 Aug 2014Hi Chuck,
3 or 4 towers spread across your garden. The number of towers isn’t as important as how often you fill them full of food scraps. For best results keep them as full as possible so that the maximum amount of nutrients get returned to the soil. Your plan to rotate them each season is a good one.
good luck!
Henry
Ian
/ 23 Sep 2014Could you make one with a 45 gallon barrel so you could add kitchen waste, grass clippings, yard/garden waste?
Ian
/ 02 Oct 2014I have put in 3 worm towers in my back yard with the sole purpose of getting rid of kitchen waste. I hate smelly garbage cans. I was thinking of building a much larger one with a 45 gallon drum so that I could add grass clippings, yard waste, and kitchen waste.
How long did it take for the worms to show up?
Henry Owen
/ 06 Oct 2014You could use a 45 gallon drum to make a very large worm tower. If you do this, you will want to treat it like a regular hot compost pile to make sure it doesn’t smell. Be sure to add lots of carbon material and always cap off the top with a layer of carbon material (leaves, shredded paper, etc). If there are nightcrawler earthworms in your yard, they should find the tower in a couple days. You likely won’t see them unless you dig the whole thing up. The worms will be at the bottom.
Ian
/ 05 Nov 2014I installed the barrel as a huge worm tower, it’s actually 60 gallons. I drilled many holes in the botton 1/3 of the bin and in the bottom. Right now its not even close to full. With the bin that size will it still work the same way in that I won’t have to empty it but the worms will do it for me?
Henry Owen
/ 25 Dec 2014It should work the same way but you will need to be careful with a barrel that size not to overload it with food scraps. Too much food scraps will make it stink. If it does, add lots of carbon bedding. good luck