Mini Worm Farm

Mini Worm Farm

Make a mini worm farm from things around the house

Suitable for kids aged 4+

You Need:
  • Empty 2-litre plastic bottle with lid, or 1-litre milk carton , or similar (transparent containers are best to view your worms)
  • Soil or potting mix
  • Food scraps (vegetables, lettuce, fruit etc.)
  • Newspaper ripped into small squares and wet
  • Hay, dead leaves or grass clippings
  • Sand (optional)
  • 10 to 15 worms
What to do:
  1. Punch with a hammer and nail four small holes in the bottom of your container for drainage.
  2. Place a 3cm layer of soil or potting mix in the bottom of the container. Now add a 3cm layer of sand. Repeat this alternate layering of soil and sand to 1/2 3/4 fill the container. If you dont have sand half fill the container just with soil.
  3. Place a 3cm layer of wet newspaper squares on top of the soil/sand layers.
  4. Place a 3cm layer of hay, dead leaves or grass clippings.
  5. Place a 5cm layer of vegetive food scraps torn into small pieces.
  6. Slowly add about half a cup of water to the container.
  7. Now its time to add your worms. Gently place them into the top of your container. Native worms you find in your garden are fine for this project. But to make a bigger, serious worm farms you will need specialized composting worms which you can buy from your local nursery.
  8. Keep the lid off your container for air.
  9. Have fun watching the worms create tunnels, and collect any liquid (worm wee) that drains out of the container for a great fertilizer to use on your garden. Feed the worms after about a week (when they have settled in), and add water every 4 days or so to keep the soil moist.
  10. Keep the worm farm in a cool shady area. And release the worms into your garden once youre done enjoying them!

Why is it so?

Worms are nocturnal creatures and are active only at night, when they drag leaves and grass down their tunnels to munch on. This little worm farm is great to see worms in action. To get them moving place your worm farm container in a paper bag or other dark spot to simulate after-dark. Not only are they fun to watch, you can have your worms recycle small amounts of food scraps by turning mums potato peel into nutrient rich worm castings (worm poo) which you can use on your garden! For a bigger, more efficient worm farm you will need a much larger container and proper composting worms like Tiger worms, Indian Blues and Red Wrigglers which you can purchase from your local nursery.