How to Make a Mini Wormery Out of Ice Cream Containers

In this instructable I will show you how to make a wormery out of ice cream containers.

Supplies

The tools you will need:

Materials you will need:

Other:

Take your 2 containers and drill 1/2 cm holes in the bottom of the container with the spacing of 5 cm between holes.
Take one container and drill three (make sure to look at the picture to see what I mean) rows, one middle of the container the other two rows on the outside and then take the second container and drill two rows near the sides and middle of the container(again make sure to look at the picture to see what I mean).
You want to make sure that the holes do not line up.
Drill a few holes, using you're 1/2cm drill bit, around the first container. Do this at the very top just under where the ice cream container lid goes. Leave 5 cm spaces in between holes. Make sure you drill 4 holes on the longest sides of the container and two holes on the shorter sides of the container.
Do the same with the second container.
Make sure your lid does not cover your air holes.

Take your three containers (including the one you haven't done anything with) and start putting them inside each other.
Take the third container which you haven't done anything with and place it on the floor.
Take the second container and put it into the third container and take the first container and put it into the second container.

It is time to put your shredded cardboard in.
Dampen the cardboard to make it easier to shred.
Put 1 and 1/2 cm of shredded cardboard and 1 and 1/2 cm of compost in your first container.
Mix it together once you have finished.
Lastly layer the top with 5cm of some vegetables and vegetable cut offs.
Do make sure that your vegetable or vegetable cut offs are decomposed not rotten.

You should only move the bottom container when you need to know if you have worm pee.
The wormery should be on bricks.
In Summer: Make sure you take your worms inside at midday and take them out the next morning.
In Winter: Keep them indoors the whole day.
Make sure that your wormery does not get rained on and stays indoors when it is cold outside.
Make sure you keep your worms between a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius.
Feed 3 handfuls of mixed organic waste (decomposing, not rotting food) every 7-10 days (based on 100 worms).
Check on worms every day for the 1st week (as they settle), healthy worms are wriggling and red. Thereafter check on them twice a week.
Clear out worm pee weekly, and put it in a plastic bottle. Put worm castings (worm compost) in a plastic bag and store in a dry place.
It will take your worms 6-8 weeks to produce a noticeable amount (300g) of vermicompost. The castings appear as small, dark, clumps that easily break apart.
Go easy on citrus peels and anything that could attract flies.
Be careful not to place your wormery in direct sunlight for long. It will overheat!
Keep the contents of your wormery moist/damp by spraying or dripping some water on it every 2 or 3 days. Damp not wet!
Turn or mix up your wormery once a week to keep it aerated (full of oxygen), which you can do whenever add food.

Each time the worm castings rise to the top of the container take your ice cream container that is full and put it into the middle of the 3 containers.
In the top ice cream container put new cardboard and compost (1 and a half cm of each) and then lay the top with a 5cm of some vegetables and vegetable cut offs.
The worms will crawl into the top container eventually.
Once the worms have gone into the top container you can take the worm castings from the middle container and use it for compost in your garden.
Dilute the worm pee into one part worm pee to 10 parts water.