Making A Worm Farm From An Old Fridge Or Freezer
(Pictures Below, Courtesy Of Marie Cemino Young – Permission Given)
Please do not reproduce these photos. You may link to them on this site.
Background:
I helped a lady from one of the face book groups design and build this worm farm – her husband did the ACTUAL building, not me 🙂
Marie calls her worm farm the Wormanator 3000 🙂
Concerns/problems using old fridges and freezers
- There is gas inside the refrigerating system. This should be removed and disposed of by a professional (Some of the older gases are bad for the environment.)
- I advise that the door should be removed completely and a “window screen” top made for it. This is for airflow, and also for the safety of children.
- The bottom of the VC will not drain unless a drainage layer is used (Details below)
- IF for any reason you cut into the cabinet, ensure you make the sharp edges safe
The drainage layer system is copied from my own bath tub worm farm:
CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT VIDEO
Build Method: (Photos Below):
– Remove the door completely
– Have a professional remove the workings of the compressor etc
– Remove as much of the dividers as you can (Marie started with a common fridge/freezer, and was able to strip even the divider between the two compartments out)
– By using either “slotted agricultural pipe” (“socked” is best – this means covered by fabric) – or by making many slots in a PVC pipe (approx. 2 inch pipe)
– run the pipe in an “S” shape, as shown below, making both ends come up out to the surface of the farm (This allows air to get under the bedding, and also allows some water to be poured through it occasionally to flush out any VC that has gotten into the pipe area)
– the pipe MUST run over the top of the drainage hole wherever it is in the fridge body.
– Add gravel to just over the top of the pipe.
– Lay a sheet of material over the gravel to keep the cast separate from the drain layer (also allows easier harvest later)
- you can use geo fabric, weed mat (I used weed mat in the bath tub), shade cloth (Or if its all you have and don’t want to buy anything – window screen – the problem with that may be it will rot out quicker than the other fabrics will) – By FAR the best would be geofab or weed mat as they are designed to be in contact with the ground.
Start the worm farm like the following
Remember to add some Ph Buffer (garden lime, ground eggshell etc) – BETWEEN EACH LAYER
Either use moistened materials (the best way) – OR give it a watering after each layer is made
– Start with a 2 inch thick layer of cardboard (squares, whole toilet rolls, or egg cartons etc)
– Add inch thick layers, alternating, of what ever materials you have (eg newspaper, old WELL aged grass, leaves, cardboard) – err on the side of too much cardboard – but some “dirty aged stuff” like the grass and leaves adds welcome bacteria to the mix.
– You may want to leave the farm for 3 to 7 days to ensure it wont heat up – ESPECIALLY if you used a lot of grass clippings etc.
– Then add your worms, or “worm rich material” (like from a few old stacking farms etc.)
– Add a feeding immediately in one corner (do not overfeed compared to the worm population)
– As time goes on, move the feeding around the outside, so you’re feeding a different area each time. (You’ll see this method in one of my videos of the bath tub farm)