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Raise Your Garden

Musings on the Seedier Side

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April 29, 2016 in Easy Garden DIY· Worms & vermiculture

Easy DIY Worm Tube or Worm Tower

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I'll make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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Worm poop or castings are loaded with some of the best nutrients needed for plants to thrive.

When a worm squirms around the garden they help make the soil more crumbly which improves soil structure. Improved soil structure allows air and water to flow more freely.

The movement of a worm also creates tunnels which aerate the soil underneath to the benefit of those plant roots.

If you only want one worm tube, it’s cheaper to just buy one worm tube online.

But if you’re looking to have multiple worm tubes then consider making them as you’ll have all the supplies on hand.

This is an easy step-by-step guide on how I built four more tubes/towers for our three raised beds.

And if you have never heard of a worm tube….that’s up next!

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What’s a worm tube?

Standing tall at 2 1/2 feet a worm tube is a plastic sewer pipe that’s buried in your garden which shelters your worms who eat your compost.

The bottom 18 inches have numerous holes that allow for the worms to enter and exit the tube. This portion of the tube is buried in your soil and because the holes are underground; you won’t get any fruit flies from the compost you place in the tube.

The tube has both a ventilated cap with a screen on top and an end cap on the bottom. We find that the screen not only keeps out pests but keeps the tube properly ventilated.

The bottom end cap prevents moles and other pests from climbing up the bottom while allowing water to drain out. 

When you remove the ventilated cap on top, you dump in your green and brown compost and say “Hi worms, how are you doing today?

Do you like the food I am giving you? How did you sleep last night?” and then attach the top back on.

{Do worms sleep?!}

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Step-by-step guide on building a worm tube/worm tower

Cost and supplies to make four worm tubes
-10 feet of pvc or sewer line 6 inches wide ($34.99 Lowe’s)
-4 end caps (drain caps $5.22 Home Depot)
-4 ventilation caps (6 in. Plastic Round Foam Polyolefin Grate) 1-$4.24 Home Depot

Total cost for each worm tube is $18.20

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Cut your pvc pipe or sewer line 30″ or 2 1/2 feet. A hacksaw would work fine.

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Make four worm tubes/towers out of one 10 foot sewer line/pvc pipe

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Put your end caps on the bottom of your pvc/drain line. These will serve as mole/animal  proctectors

Measurements for Worm Tube/Tower dimension

  • Make a line 18 inches from the bottom of the tube. This is the amount that will be buried in the ground.
  • Make vertical line around the tube approximately 1 1/4″ around the tube. These don’t have to be perfect and your last line will not come out to the exact specifications so split the difference.
  • Along those lines put a dash mark every two inches this is where you will make your drill holes
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Make pilot holes on every mark
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Drill over a tarp or cement where you can easily sweep up the plastic bits
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Re-drill the pilot holes using a 1/4″ drill bit
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Supplies needed for ventilation cap

  • sharpie marker, tin snips, hot glue gun and utility knife
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I garbage picked this screen
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Trace the cap on a section of the screen and then cut it out and glue it in with hot glue
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Dig the holes where you will put the worm tube. Remember the worms will probably only cover a three foot radius from the tube.
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Bury up to your 18″ line

Add your kitchen scraps

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Worm tube/tower at work

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You Tube step by step video on making your own worm tube/tower
Come on give me a thumbs up!

Do you want more worms in your garden? Don’t forget how important composting is for worms either ~ Tom

Secret code: peach

worm tube

79 Comments

Previous Post: « DIY multi-level raised garden bed made of wood
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dawn Hughes says

    November 18, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    Willing to try

    Reply
    • Betty Flinchbaugh says

      December 11, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      What a great and inexpensive way to enrich your garden!

      Reply
  2. Sarah Bridges says

    December 11, 2020 at 1:07 am

    My daughter LOVES bugs and worms, so would be so excited to make this and be able to see the worms at work!

    Reply
  3. Terry Poage says

    December 11, 2020 at 1:41 am

    This is really interesting, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. John Dickson says

    December 11, 2020 at 1:57 am

    Love this.

    Reply
  5. Phyllis Skoglund says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:00 am

    I have been burying banana peels to nuture worms.

    Reply
  6. Gabrielle R says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:10 am

    What great info! I’ve literally never heard of a worm tube.

    Reply
    • Shirley. Smith says

      December 11, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      I had never heard of a worm tube. Looks so easy to do with all the detailed instructions. I just may have to do this next summer.

      Reply
  7. April B says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:20 am

    I never knew about doing this. I will have to remember this! Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  8. Hana Harman says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:30 am

    Thank you for the info

    Reply
  9. john kennedy says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:52 am

    cool idea…never tried it before.

    Reply
  10. Janis says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:04 am

    I never heard of a worm tower. I know several people who could use these.

    Reply
  11. Betsy Pauzauskie says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:20 am

    Thank you for sharing detailed instructions/tips for building worm tubes! These organic gardening facilitative tubes appeal to me by attracting an army of unpaid working worms, who willingly recycle wastes AND enhance plant growth through soil enrichment! A gardener’s dream!

    Reply
  12. cindy quisenberry says

    December 11, 2020 at 5:30 am

    grandson would love this!

    Reply
  13. Sandra McFadden says

    December 11, 2020 at 8:07 am

    What an awesome tool to add to the garden I never heard of a worm tube thank you for sharing such great info.

    Reply
  14. Liz Kilcher says

    December 11, 2020 at 10:43 am

    thanks for the info

    Reply
  15. Donna Evans says

    December 11, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Guess you can never stop learning, what great information

    Reply
  16. Richard Schott says

    December 11, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    That is really neat.

    Reply
  17. Diane Warstler says

    December 11, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    I’ve never seen anything like this! Very interesting.

    Reply
  18. Susan L Craig says

    December 11, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    Great idea!

    Reply
  19. Audrey says

    December 11, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Interesting….

    Reply
  20. Jeffrey Smead says

    December 11, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    pretty cool project

    Reply
  21. Sheila gagnon says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    this is fabulous. definitely going to do

    Reply
  22. Rena T Walter says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    What a great idea!

    Reply
  23. Chad Boyd says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    This is an awesome idea. Thank you for the sharing!

    Reply
  24. DeeAnn S says

    December 11, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    good easy to follow instruction. Thanks.

    Reply
  25. Brittany Gilley says

    December 11, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    what a great idea!

    Reply
  26. dennis case says

    December 11, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    looks like something I would like

    Reply
  27. Michelle Proper says

    December 11, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    So cool! Worms are essential! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Sam says

    December 11, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    I’ll definitely have to try this. Make for good soil.

    Reply
  29. Alice Morris says

    December 11, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    This is all new to me and i am old

    Reply
  30. charlen says

    December 11, 2020 at 5:41 pm

    Cool ideas… very interesting.

    Reply
  31. Bill Toutz says

    December 11, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    thanks for the alternatives

    Reply
  32. Anita Kennett says

    December 11, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    I am so doing this,thanks

    Reply
  33. Melinda Barlow says

    December 11, 2020 at 6:30 pm

    I think this is a great solution. Do you purchase worms to make sure you have plenty in each bed?

    Reply