I had been thinking of building a feed trough style worm bed for some time. I found some plastic 55 gallon drums on Craigslist. My dad had some pine 2X4s cut from his saw mill, and we were in business. We began by cutting the 55 gallon plastic drums in half w/ a skill saw.
Materials: (2X4s, plastic 55 gallon drums, 3 inch wood screws, roofing screws, Thompson’s water seal)
Next we cut the 2X4s to border the open 1/2 end of the drum. We used 3″ screws to piece the wood together, and galvanized roofing screws to secure the barrel to frame. The height off the ground, we sized to about waist high for ease of use and for clearance underneath.
We had enough time and materials to build 3 bins. When finished, I sprayed some wood preservative on the untreated pine, then I added compost and worms. These bins are kept in a shaded area, and covered with plastic lids. I set up a bin for each species we raise (Alabama Jumpers, Red Worms, European Nightcrawlers)
Thanks to my dad (pictured) for the pine, and skilled labor.
