Simple Worm Compost Tubes – Add the Bio to BioDome
I love eat organic fresh food but when it comes to composting I admit it I am a bit lazy. So when I found this simple DIY worm composter for my biodome greenhouse or in your flower garden I was suitably impressed. “No more shoveling compost! Priceless.”
Its by Kellee Kimbro at www.yankodesign.com and what a nice simple solution to disposal of household waste it is! But as I don’t think this little gem is available at IkeaDepot yet I decided to build my own.
Start with a two foot piece of 4-6 inch PVC pipe, drill 3/4″ holes in the section that will end up being buried below ground to allow easy access to worms and other soil builders. Make sure to leave a few above ground ones for ventilation as well. Add a 1ft piece of rebar, copper pipe or what have you across wise under the worm holes to prevent the whole thing popping out of the ground when you are aggressively trying to take the lid off. (I speak from experience here!) Slice the top 3 inches vertically a few times with a hacksaw to make removing the cap easier then bury, install kitchen waste, cap and forget!
When the worms have done their magic then pull the whole thing out of the ground and move it a few feet away. By rotating your worm composter you improve the soil aeration, nutrient profile and biological activity as well as delivering rich organic material to the most biologically active layer of your garden. This simple composter will be a valuable addition to your biodome growing beds or even flower garden and your plants will thank you for it.
Of course this isn’t a viable composting solution for large scale farming or gardening but for those of us who like growing micro greens it is perfect! No more ugly black plastic composter or overflowing piles of maybe rotting maybe composting kitchen waste. Just a few small white caps near the plants that need the nutrients and the rest is being taken care of by natural systems.
I wonder if this might work on a larger scale for yard waste? Hmmmm…. and if one was opposed to plastic in the ground maybe use an old whiskey barrel or even cast one out of hyper tufa.
The main thing is to provide as close to an ideal media (oxygen, food source, temperature, light, etc.) for micro organisms to do the work of composting as fast as possible. In my experience if the conditions are right compost can be created in as little as one week. So don’t let lack of space, aesthetics or pure laziness stop you from doing your part for the environment and your garden. Go out and pick up the materials, assemble them and then sit back and let mother nature deliver pure rich compost right where it is most needed in your geodesic greenhouse, garden bed or flower pot!
