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How to Make a Worm Barrel

Composting kitchen scraps by feeding them to worms is an excellent way to get rid of food waste, reduce the amount of garbage you throw out and create a beneficial additive for your garden and houseplants in the form of worm castings. You can use almost anything as a home for your worms, as long as it has good drainage and air flow. One handy and attractive choice is to make a worm bin out of an old wooden whiskey barrel.

Things You'll Need

Whiskey barrel, cut in half
Drill with ¼ inch bit
Newspaper
Soil
1 to 2 pounds red wiggler worms
Kitchen or garden scraps
Black plastic sheet, 3' x 3'

Instructions

- 1
  Drill holes in the bottom of the barrel half. Make at least 15 or 20 holes, scattered over the entire area. Be sure some of the holes are around the sides and some cover the middle area, so that liquid anywhere in the bottom of the barrel will drain.
- 2
  Tear newspaper into strips. The strips should be about 1 inch wide. Do not use any glossy or paper with colored ink. The strips can be any length.
- 3
  Moisten the strips. Get them just wet enough that you can squeeze a drop or two from the strips but no more. Fill the barrel with the strips to a depth of 10 to 15 inches. This is the bedding for the worms and will eventually be completely consumed by them.
- 4
  Sprinkle two handfuls of soil on top of the newspaper. The worms swallow the soil, and the grit in it helps them with the digestive process by grinding the food they eat.
- 5
  Add the worms to the barrel. They will immediately burrow down into the bedding, to get away from the light.
- 6
  Bury the food scraps in the bedding. The worms will begin to eat it as soon as they are settled in their new environment.
- 7
  Cover the barrel with the black plastic. This helps to keep in moisture, plus the worms will come up to feed as long as it is dark.

Nature