What of earth is a worm hotel, I hear you ask? Well, you may have already heard of a worm farm; which is a container where you can place your kitchen waste in the top and worms ‘process’ the food which results in fabulous liquid fertiliser for the garden. A worm hotel is similar, except the container you add your scraps to is buried into the soil, and the worms visit the ‘hotel’ rather than being stored inside the worm farm. You could call it free range worm farming 😄

I got this idea from watching a kids show; Dirt Girl World. I’m glad there has been some benefit to being forced to watch often mindless banal children’s entertainment. On saying that, I really like Dirt Girl World, as it teaches children about the importance of caring for the environment and growing your own food.

Worm hotels are really easy to make. Purchase inexpensive PVC plumbers pipe – I bought two pipes measuring 150 mm wide by 1 metre. In the bottom one-third, drill holes around the pipe that are large enough for worms to get in and out.

My daughter and I decided to paint pictures on our pipes, as PVC pipes sticking out of the ground are a bit ugly. We used enamel acrylic paints that can be cleaned with water. I had some left over from another project, so it didn’t cost me anything. The paint tins said for interior and exterior use, but we can always repaint them if needed. My four year old daughter decided to paint Mummy and her planting vegetables in the veggie patch, while I attempted a hotel.

Dig a hole in the ground 30 cm deep (my hubby came in handy for this part) and back fill around the pipe. Add an old plate upside down on top of the pipe to stop other bugs getting in (and our resident possum) and for water to run off. Place any kitchen scraps in the top of the pipe and let the worms do their job.

As the pipe is sealed, the heat build up inside will also act as a type of composter/mulcher; speeding up the process of food waste break down. It’s also a good idea to move the pipe around your garden every few months to improve soil structure, nutrition and health.

Our five star worm hotels are now open for business…all worms are welcome and bookings are not necessary! Amenities include a 24 hour food buffet and when it rains there is a roof top pool 😆

This was a fun and creative weekend project that my daughter and I really enjoyed doing together. Why not add a worm hotel (or two) in your garden.