How to build a bathtub worm farm from recycled materials...

Made up this very cheap Bathtub Worm Farm out of recycled items & a bathtub we sourced originally from freecycle.org.. It will let us consolidate all the different worm farms we have into 1 large one.. Has made the feeding of the worms a lot easier & has produced loads of terrific castings for us..
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Have a great one everyone...

[@ericjohnmiranda4097]

The soak shredder bills gave me chuckles. Thanks for sharing. Such a great video.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks again Eric. Need to set this farm up again now we've moved back home. Cheers mate & have a top one, Rob.

[@RVFreeDa]

Good to see someone else talks nice to their worms. I was beginning to worry about myself!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Think your worms will be loving it.. Ours has preformed better than any other farm we have used.. Looking at adding another bath to this set up. but need my back to feel better before I have a crack at it.. Thanks & have a great one :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

That's a great idea to get the kids engaged into learning about them.. Might be a bit hard to actually see the worms as both composting & earth worms are light sensitive.. The only way you might get a good look at them is if you have access to some sort of night vision camera or can work out what spectrum of light they are not sensitive to & light the room with that when trying to view them.. Hope that made sense & helps you out a bit Felicia..

[@dkulikowski]

Super worm farm! I am enjoying viewing most of your videos.

[@RobsAquaponics]

The horse manure is the bedding for the worms & they will eat it as well... Makes great castings I think.. The scraps they get fed just help to add extra nutrients.. I have had farms that were just fed horse manure & am about to do that again to a few worm barrels down the back.. Hop that covers it.. All the best David.

[@777atmyplacerjm4]

JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS WAS A GOOD VIDEO! GOOD INFO. THIS HAS BEEN VERY USFULL. THANK YOU,

[@RobsAquaponics]

+777atmyplace RJM Hi there & thanks. Hope it's given you a few ideas you can use for yourself. Cheers & all the best.

[@DerbyUniDanceCompany]

Thanks Aussie Rob, pom Rob here :). Great tips mate, your videos rock. Gonna stack the bathtub on top of bricks or pallets at the allotment, with the coco. Recycled materials is the way to go i reckon its amazing what you can make out of other peoples junk. Hope to get great veggies next year. keep posting dude love your videos,

[@grahamrdyer6322]

After seeing this video 5 1/2 years ago I made one out of a liddid water butt on its side but I put a mesh divider in the centre so I could feed one side and harvest the composted stuff out of the other side, but I used hinges for the lid and they rusted so I'm going to use your method and use cable ties, thanks rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one Graham. Is great to know it's still working for you after all these years mate. 👍 Cheers & have a top one.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Timothy... Canning is good & wish we grew enough to be able to.. Have a great one... Rob

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad you like the clips & thanks :) Cheers..

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

It's amazing what people throw away. Good video!

[@ttitanic121]

Surely is amazing what U can reclaim on garbage day...good for U guys n the worms!...Cheers

[@shutiantan]

Hi, I am a teacher and I am intending of using an old fish tank, garden soil to actually set up the earthworm for a few objectives: to teach students how earthworm actually helps to irrigate the soil and an easy and fast way of collecting the earthworm casts to fertilise the plants. I chanced upon your video and you seem to be the best person to ask for your advice on it.

[@RobsAquaponics]

We throw loads of cardboard & papers in there... Shredded bills give me the most joy ;) Was just looking & think I have enough metal to hook up another bath to this one :) Shall PM now..

[@honeybacres]

Great stuff. It is great to build stuff out of reclaimed material and usually much cheaper.

[@cheryldenise36]

Cool idea. :) Thanks for sharing. Love the new haircut also

[@sunilnand62]

You are sooo great bunch of lovely people on Earth , Be Blessed ..LOL

[@RobsAquaponics]

I am using some coco peat to cover up some carrot seeds to help keep them moist at the moment.. Thanks Peter & have a great one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

More than welcome & hope it helps.. Cheers. Rob..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Have always shared ALL my harvests in the past ;) Cheers..

[@haywoodfarm]

love the vid! what we do different is we use coarse plant stalks at bottom for drainage and fill the bath to top. Love the lid. We get the strength and lack of movement of bath and frame by building the frame so bath(s) fit snugly on top.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I am slowly working through a few years of accumulated "reclaimed materials" that have been stored under the house ; )» Have a good one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Just expanding on what I have seen others do.. Cheers & have a great one, Rob

[@SweeniesCreekFarm]

Hi Rob. Just loaded up a video on our channel inspired by your worm farm as i just made our first one. Gave you a shout out in the video as we really enjoy your channel and have done for a long time. Keep up the good work and keep on showcasing great Aussie gardening.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks folks. 😁Will pop over & suss it out once I've caught up on a few more comments. Cheers.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

I am definitely going to copy that design mate. Thanks.

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem... We have curb side clean up at the moment so will be going "shopping" this weekend for more me thinks... Have a great one Hamish..

[@binawhatarau7114]

Great stuff mate! Really imformative. Straight to the point. good handheld camera work, not too shaky at all. Im amazed at how you built this with the different recycled material, very impressive! Still relevant 10years later.😁

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think I will give stalks & twigs a shot as I have 2 more baths to play with... Thanks for that :) Makes more sense to use something that will breakdown & become food for them as well.. Have a great one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Just normal paper that the bills from the power, phone & gas company come printed on.. The worms really love them, unlike ourselves ;) Your English if fine BTW, better than some that have it as a first language ;) Have a great one , Rob..

[@MikeKincaid79]

Really cool vid, thanks Rob

[@hfortenberry]

That's a great bin! Nice job!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there & thanks... Normally compost worms like red wrigglers or tiger worms are used as they live near the surface & feed on fallen vegetation in the wild.. Earth worms live in lower levels of the soil & don't consume the vegetation as fast as I understand it.. Hope that helps some... Have a good one..

[@marcvz]

Hey Rob, After watching this video you had convinced me to build my own worm farm using a couple of bath tubs we had lying around. Thanks mate it works a charm! I managed to get 1kg of worms for $83 locally to start the two tubs off. I think i might expand and make a few more tubs in the future. I started out using the coir for bedding and lots of roo poo for food :) Take care -Marc

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. Made a sorting "tunnel" a while back when I was trying to remove every worm but really don't bother now. I harvest ½ the farm at a time & let the remaining worms repopulate which they appear to do really fast. The worms in the harvested casting do fine in the garden beds as I add screened manure into them every season. This system has worked fine for us over the past year so will keep using it for now. Thanks for the question & not sure why it was flagged as spam sorry. Cheers, Rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I treat the manure & fiber as a bedding so just add the scraps as we get them in this big farm.. Have had other farms where they were just let loose in manure..Will be posting a clip on a castings & worm harvest from the other farms in the next few days so you can see the end result.. HTH have a good one...

[@RobsAquaponics]

I don't wet out farms down so the only liquid I get is the pure leachate from the plant matter & worm waste.. I'm in it for the vermicast as I think it does a better job being added to the garden for the plants to access directly.. I like to add a hand full of vermicast under all seedlings that get planted as well as under any seeds I plant out.. Would also like to use it as a top dress with the mulch but need few more bathtub farms before I can do that. Hope that helps some & have a great one.

[@MrPilcher01]

Love the Maori hinges

[@RobsAquaponics]

😅 Some of the best ones on the market Gordon. 👍 Cheers mate.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Was just looking at the prices the other day & the best I found was $60 per liter.. Bit out of my price range at the moment.. Thanks though & it is something we want to grow commercially when we get some land.. Thanks & cheers..

[@ArmandoEscobarGonzalez]

gracias por tu apoyo amigo desde México san Luis potosí

[@RobsAquaponics]

Armando Escobar Hope the clip gives you a few ideas :) Cheers. Espero que el clip que da algunas ideas aclamaciones.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks.. Is about time to harvest some castings from it I think.. Have a good one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

have friends that have a worm farm just for fishing :) Makes it a lot easier than having to dig for them all the time ;) Have fun with the move, Rob

[@thedarkageisnow]

Great idea again.

[@lesboucher542]

G'Day Bob, The only thing that I might change in your set up, is to place a wire divider (with wooden frame) about half way along the bath. Giving you end A and end B. I would then only fill half of the bath, end A, with bedding, food etc. Once that half (end A) was ready for harvest, I would then start on the other end "B". You should see the worms move, over a week or so, into the new bedding and food area. Once they have changed ends, you will be able to harvest side A without disturbing worms. Just a thought as I'm off to the tip tomorrow to pick up a bath and try it out.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Les. That's how I was working the farm before it was put into temporary retirement. I didn't include a divider though, just fed at different ends & harvested from the other as needed. Hope the build went well for you mate. Cheers.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad they are helpful & thanks for the comment.. Have a great one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

I find that it stays nice a damp in there all by itself.. Am doing up another clip on them at the moment.. Will be posting it in a week or so.. Have a good one :)

[@AdzeysGarden]

Love this design! My girlfriend and I have just completed our first bathtub wormville. It's not quite as schmick as yours but I think it does the job! Thanks fo sharing the very informative videos.

[@twomartoes]

Great video this will be very helpful for my bathtub build. Thank you

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope the farm is doing well for you & sorry for missing this. Cheers.

[@freakygeaktwo]

I could not stop thinking but why use the bathtub ? lol I'm glad I watched.

[@shanelloyd7635]

thanks found the video educational and has gave me the knowledge to have a go at it cheers

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem Mike.. Hope in comes in handy, RB

[@grahamrdyer6322]

Rob I'm going to build a Horizontal Migration worm bin like your plastic barrel one but with a divider in the middle and I was stuck on what to put on the bottom to catch the Worm liquid, until I saw this video---Stones___ amazing, It will have a drain like your bath has. Well done mate, That's the third time you have helped me with your vids, Rock on.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Graham R Dyer Hi Graham.. Am glad the clips have given you a few ideas mate.. Cheers & have fun with the build mate, Rob.

[@cbskean]

I love your videos and your accent! Your vids are so informative :) my favorite gardening diy channel yet!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Yep, & going out "shopping" at curbside clean up again this weekend.. Need anything ??? Cheers Adubb...

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope it comes in handy Jay :) Cheers & have fun playing with the worms. Rob

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks & hope the build goes well.. Have just had a builder mate offer me more tubs he has pulled from renovations :D :/ Had to turn him down due to space... Getting a tad cluttered here at the moment.. Cheers, Rob.

[@amer8690]

Rob thanks for the clip.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Mr Mad Max... The worms would make good feed for gold fish too I think..

[@peterot1957]

hi great video again, i also use coco peat as bedding also use it with seedlings but soak in worm tea to give them a great starting nutrient have a great day regards peter

[@RobsAquaponics]

Certainly do.. I like to run them through the food processor first... They eat through it a lot faster that way.. If you search "How & what we feed the Worms... " you should find the clip to give you an idea... Have a great one :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Got some more to join them in a day or two... Shall pass on your wishes to them :D» Have a good one...

[@RobsAquaponics]

It's a must I think & they really like the hot water bottles in winter too : S»

[@MfactorTEC]

Great job. Thanks for the tips.

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem.. Really easy build & the tub only really needs to be sat up on bricks.. Going to try one for yourself ? Cheers.. Rob.

[@MfactorTEC]

We are using six utility sinks now. I am looking for ideas to combine all of them into one location.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers :) Hope the clip was helpful :)

[@jayems332]

Great clip. I'm new into worm farming and love it.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Sounds great Marc.. I have another I want to add to this farm.. We go through the castings so fast here every time we plant out so I think I need another farm.. Roo poo would be a great manure too I would think.. Have a great one :)

[@mcmastertube]

rob, your vids are always extremely informative, enjoyable and inspirational! Cheers mate!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Can get very "gloopy" indeed :D Cheers Jeff

[@rawezhm8666]

GOOD WORK

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks rawezh m :) Cheers & have a great one, RB

[@rack391]

I have been experimenting with putting a spoon full of Lactobacillus Serum (Plenty of videos on how to make it) mixed in with the food I give my worms like every other feeding and they seem to really like it and it breaks everything down and turns to pure castings much faster.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Have seen others that will add LB to compost in general as well with great results. not something I've played around with here as of yet though. Cheers.

[@ttitanic121]

lol...I could build a house with what some throw out....thanks for the thought tho... :))

[@RobsAquaponics]

Still scare myself when I look in the mirror :D» Thanks for watching & have a good one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

:D» Thanks for watching & hope you liked it...

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks for watching... Have a good one...

[@RobsAquaponics]

If your in Australia you will find red wrigglers in the larger chain hardware stores & there are also small local suppliers that sell direct to the public as well.. The night crawlers are great as well so I have read but am yet to buy some.. Was hoping to put them into the next bath I build but haven't got that far yet :/ I have the name of a great supplier here in SE QLD if your local.. Cheers & have a great one..

[@enzed1190]

Thank you.. for an excellent instructive video!!

[@RobsAquaponics]

👍 Hope it gave you a few useful ideas. Cheers.

[@timothywillis800]

hey bob, nice design. i can get all the parts at the recycling center. i havent finished setup yet, canning got in the way. hopefully soon. thanks timothy

[@pitbullsandcalicos]

you've got me fired up now and I have a bath under my house. Will probably sit it on cinder blocks since this girl can do most things but building isn't one of them 😄😄

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope the build went well for you Glyn. 👍 Cheers & all the best.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Take it slow with the food to start with is advice e should of followed better with our first farm :/ Another is to chop the scraps up small as that will encourage more microbes which the worms love to feast on.. Have fun with the build.. Any idea what style you are going to build?

[@daddykirbs]

I love it when I'm researching something on KZbin and one of my KZbin buddies comes up in the list ;) RobBobs Backyard Farming your bathtub worm farm looks just like what I want to do. Any tidbits of info after using it for a while?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Blake Kirby :-) Hope it helps you out some wit a few ideas mate..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Not where we live *****.. I have it sitting in a position where it receives the winter sun but no summer heat.. It helps that we only get down to freezing for a few hours at a time here in winter.. Cheers Mate..

[@-ShootTheGlass-]

fantastic video, I didn't know you could use the shredded coconut as bedding without anything else. I might try that. Also, for a bath sized farm how much in food scraps do you feed the worms per week as a rough estimate? Will it dry out and need water at all or do the worms produce enough moisture themselves?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Michael. I have heard that some folks in different countries have had issues with salt contamination in coir in the past so it maybe something to suss pout on local worm farming groups before you use it 👍 In the past I've put well over a kg/2lb of scraps through the farm in a week with no dramas. I wouldn't at the moment as they have slowed down now it's winter here. Had a look the other day & there is actually very little activity in there at then moment. The only water I add to the farm is when I add new bedding & that's about it. I find there is enough in the scraps we add to keep the bedding moist & the worms happy. Hope that helps some & sorry for the slow reply.

[@liraziyad5806]

I LOVE the bath tub idea! This solves my questions about drainage AND gives me enough height for the worms not to escape! Thanks for the info. I have 4 questions? 1. approx how much worm urine do you get from your tub per week? 2. What type of worms are you using? 3. I saw that there was a worm already in the horse manure so, have you ever mixed different types of worms for composting? If so, how did they get along?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Lira & sorry for missing your questions. I run a fairly dry farm & get only a few drops come out of the drain at the most every week. The only moisture they get is in the food we give them & that looks to do them just fine. In there I now have a mix of red wrigglers, blues & European night crawlers. I'm not too worried about having mixed populations in there & they look to get along fine from what I've seen 👍😊 Hope that helps some & sorry again for missing your post. Rob.

[@liraziyad5806]

Great! Thanks for getting back to me.

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem Lira 👍 Have a great one.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Would be interested in knowing how you go with the tub if you set one up.. A half 50gal drum might be another option.. Cut it top to bottom so that you could use one of the bung holes as the drainage point.. You could still line the base with a few rocks for drainage.. Might be easier to move in & out side with the seasons as well.. Just a though.. Cheers, Rob..

[@imacheetah100]

really detailed videos! I really like it

[@RobsAquaponics]

+Coud'nt Decide Thanks. All the best. Rob.

[@Sventasis]

Nice video :) thanks!

[@barrycotter1665]

thank you for the information as i used horse manure straight from the bag and my worms died. next time il place my horse manure out in the open air for a month or 2. i have just purchased soil bag from masters, it looks safe.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Sorry to read about your worms Barry.. I think it pays to age any manure if you can't quiz the owners of the animals about medication they have had.. Hope the next lot work out better for you mate.. Cheers & all the best..

[@barrycotter1665]

it was definitely a lesson to learn and i now have a bath tub set up and have quadrupled in the amount of worms i now have and soon to start my own horse manure compost heap to eventually feed the worms with, then into our veggie patch. thanks for the kick start in the right direction mate.

[@dboyfff]

The bag would've been my curtain...granted without the worming...hehe

[@maxromero4630]

You sound like ferris bueller's friend when he was calling the school principal pretending to be someones dad

[@RobsAquaponics]

🤣🤣🤣

[@haywoodfarm]

don't forget the toilet rolls too! If ur gunna use 2 more baths you may want to have a look at what we have done with 3 baths built into 1 wormfarm system. Email?

[@davidgocev7669]

hi bob here you put horse manure if they must pose as food and other fruits and vegetables thanks a lot and sorry for my own writing

[@RobsAquaponics]

If there are loads of their maggots in there they will be competing for food..Is the farm really moist or have a lot of uneaten food in it at all ? Sometimes those conditions can attract insects into the farm..

[@Sbhabhi]

Nice to see a new way.Do you add Your kitchen waste to it?

[@driftslipandslide]

Great Video Mate, definitely got a good idea from this one. :) cheers

[@RobsAquaponics]

Great to hear... Have fun with the build.. Rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. Would be a great set up for the kids to learn about recycling & worms I think :) I don't think you could leave it exposed to the elements there as it would freeze during winter.. Ours does fine in the long, hot summers we get here as it gets no direct sunlight through the warmer months.. It does get a little bit of winter sun which helps to keep them active for us.. Do you have a utility or play equipment room you could set it up in ? TBC

[@AntonChigurh989]

great vid

[@zenonherrera4366]

I'm sure you've gotten this question before. About how long did it take you to convert the bath tub into a worm farm? Just saw the video and have to say, that was a great idea. I'm very much thinking of starting one myself.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. Without the stand it would of taken about an hour to make up the lid & set the tub up.. I have seen them set up nicely on a few besser/cinder blocks with a small tray or jar under them to collect the leachate that drains out.. It did have to be left overnight for the silicone to dry around the drain hole but that was about it.. Made up a new one slightly different frame wise than this the other week.. That one took about 4 hours as I had to scrounge parts for & make up the stand.. Hope that helps some :) Rob..

[@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax]

Have you tried building a ``Flow Through`` worm farm? Its a lot easier to harvest.

[@RobsAquaponics]

+WaterFluoridation PoisonOnYourTap Hey there. I haven't made a flow through but might in the future. I find the migration method of harvesting just as easy. Also means I get a large volume of castings (with a few worms & cocoons thrown in) in one go. Cheers. Rob.

[@ironleatherwood1357]

Can you use leaves as bedding? How do you keep them warm in winter? What about airation?

[@RobsAquaponics]

You can use leaves. 👍 I'm about to start a new one using some leaves from a cage I have been composting in. Most will be very well broken down though. It would be best to mulch them up a bit so they don't sit flat & compact down I think.

[@ajsl]

Good video, cheers. Are the worms any special type, or will the standard garden type of earthworms do the job? :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

:D Have heard that a lot from people :D Have a good one