How to Make a Worm Farm Box

Raising earthworms is easy.

Raising worms can be an interesting hobby and something that is quite profitable. Farmers have discovered that worms are very low-cost, eating mostly table scraps, while also being simple to care for. Some people sell worms as a side job while others consider them to be their main source of income. The first step toward starting any worm business is to make a worm farm box.

Things You'll Need

• A plastic or wooden box
• Drill or other sharp object
• Shovel
• Newspaper clippings, straw, cardboard, and/or peat moss

Instructions

Making a Worm Farm Box

1. Find or purchase a box at least 12 inches tall, 20 inches long and 12 inches wide. A box this size should be able to house close to 1,000 worms. A plastic storage box will often make a great choice as a worm box. Never use cardboard boxes as they will degrade; instead, stick to either plastic or wood.

2. Create small drain or ventilation holes in the bottom of your worm box with a drill or sharp object. These holes should be evenly positioned around the box and should not be big enough for the worms to crawl through.

3. Find a mostly shady area and dig a hole big enough to place your box into. While the box should be hidden in the hole, it should not be so deep that the dirt falls into the box. For instance, if your box is one foot tall, your hole should be around eleven inches deep.

4. Gather some degradable materials such as newspaper clippings, straw, small pieces of cardboard, and/or peat moss along with some of the left-over dirt from the hole you dug. Most of these can easily be found in an old shed or barn. If you do not have any available materials such as straw, you can easily purchase them.

5. Dampen the materials and place them in your box. Your materials should not be soaking wet, but should be as damp as a wrung-out towel. Spread the materials evenly across the box. These materials should fill about one-third of your box. Your worm box is now finished, and you are ready to purchase your first worms

Tips & Warnings

• After purchasing your worms, you will need to continue dampening your box materials. You can determine how often your materials need moistening based on how quickly they become dry. The moisture in your box should be checked at least once a day.

References

• Watershed Activities: Worm Bin
• Boys Life: Build a Worm Bed
• Planet Kids: How to Build Your Own Worm Farm