Maybe you have a disused bath lying around and are wondering what to do with it? Well, if you have the space, a worm farm will certainly give that old bath a renewed sense of purpose. The bath's ready made drainage hole at the bottom, makes it perfect for catching any "worm juice" that drips out - be sure to save this for the garden.

Worm Bath
Worm farms are a great way to recycle vegetable scraps, feed some worms AND are an ideal natural fertiliser for your vegetable garden. Worms are actually very clean creatures and their droppings are known as worm "casings". These are very beneficial for the garden too. Once the system is set up, it requires little maintenance time - just make sure it stays damp by tipping some water over the top occasionally.

Filling the bath
Time: 60 minutes to assemble
Materials
Old Bath (baby bath or even a large spa)
Bulk Worms (you'll need 5000 for a big bath - available at Bunnings)
Hessian (or a piece of carpet or something to cover the bath)
50 Old Newspapers (shredded if possible)
Bale of Mulch
Water
Bucket
Coffee grounds (to feed the worms)
Bricks (to elevate the bath)
Wire (to cover the inside base)

Worms going in
Method
Collect all the above ingredients before you begin.
Choose an outdoor location in the shade, on level ground and place bricks in position to elevate the bath.
Place the bath on the bricks and ensure your bucket fits beneath the drainage hole.
Place some wire (we made frames because the bath was so large) across the base to keep the organic matter from falling down the drainage hole.
Cover with mulch (a bale of lucerne hay is fine), then the bulk worms, layers of newspaper (shredded if possible) and more mulch. Pour water over the whole lot to moisten the mulch and newspaper.
Cover with hessian or old carpet, as the worms like darkness and to protect them from extreme weather conditions.
Feed your worms all your vegetable scraps daily, especially egg shells, coffee grounds and tea leaves - just sprinkle the scraps on top and they'll climb up to eat.
Collect the juice weekly to fertilize the vegetable garden. The system now requires little maintenance, but just make sure it does not dry out.
Enjoy those worms and watch the abundant vegetables that you'll soon be producing.
Categories
#Bath
#Garden
#Worms
#DIY