Vertical Migration Worm Composter

Building a simple, three-tier vertical migration worm compost box can be done with the following materials:

- wood from one or two pallets (depending on the quality of the wood and if any splits during disassembly)
- wood for corner joints
- salvaged 2.5" nails from pallets
- 2" wood screws
- 1/4" square wire mesh
- scrap piece of hose or tubing (optional)
- flat tray or container for liquid catch
- plastic sheeting

List of tools that you'll need:

- staple gun with 8-10mm staples
- circular saw (or hacksaw)
- screwdriver or drill
- crowbar
- hammer

1. Take apart the pallets.

Hold the pallet upright and start by banging carefully at the underside of the top boards that aren't blocked by the bottom boards. Hit close to the 2'x4' that run perpendicular and if they don't come off easily finish with the crowbar. Remove and straighten out the nails.

2.

To get the worms started, you'll need to add a few inches of bedding or more depending on the size the box. Use newspaper or cardboard (non-glossy), preferably with organic inks, and cut it into 1" strips. Get it wet, but not soaked…like a damp sponge and make this your first layer. Second add some soil with a decent sand content for grit to help the worms digest. Also add a few handfuls of organic compost to introduce vital microbial life into the mix. Then add a thin layer of food scraps from the kitchen, but only fresh vegetable and fruit scraps, and not too much citrus. If you chop things like banana peels, broccoli stems and harder or larger items into smaller pieces it will greatly speed up the process. Cover with a bit more soil, or sawdust, grass, newspaper, etc to contain the moisture and keep flies away. Keep everything moist, which might mean sprinkling some water on top from time to time.

…more to come