Raising worms is the most simplest thing you can do for your garden. Your plants will thank you for the worm compost by giving you lots of blooms and fruit. I'm going to show you how I raise my worms today :0)
There are 4400 species of worms out there in the world, but really you only want the red worm for your composting job. Red worms are known as the manure worms, and they grow quite quickly. They are less sensitive to the heat and sunlight than night crawlers. These worms don't borrow like your yard worms, but live on top eating, pooping, and having sex. Mmmm sounds like most men I know. LOL
Here is how I constructed my worm bin:
I use (2) 10 gallon dark containers. Worms like to be in the dark, so don't use anything that is clear. Then you will need to drill 1/4" holes in the bottom, top sides, and lid of your container. I think my holes here are bigger than 1/4". I think mine are 1/2". I got carried away with my husband's drill, and didn't pay attention to what bit I was using. LOL
Now you need to put bedding in your new worm home. Newspaper makes excellent bedding. You will need to shred the newspaper into 1" strips. The worms need bedding that is moist not soggy, so put your strips into a bucket of water and squeeze the excess water out of it. Cover the bottom of your bin with 3" to 4" of fluffed up newspaper. You will also need to throw in some dirt "grit" to help them digest their food. If you have and leaf litter or grass clippings, that can be added now also. Once your done you can add the worms to their new home.
I bought my worms at Gardens Alive online. You can check with your local bait stores or cooperative extension office for worm farmers in your area. Five hundred worms weigh about 1lb. If you start with less than a 1 lb, don't fret they multiply very quickly.
Worms like to eat healthy. They do not like dairy, meat, poo, or greasy foods. They love left over vegetable and fruit scraps. You can add crushed up egg shells, coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, bread, and cereal to their bin. You will need to bury it underneath the newspaper bedding. It takes them about 3 months to eat their bedding and food. When the bedding starts looking like the above picture, it's time to put the second bin on top. The worms will come up through the bottom holes of the 2nd bin to feed on fresh bedding and food. Then you can harvest the compost in the bottom bin.
Red worms reproduce very quickly. Mine have multiplied so, that I'm going to have to make another set of bins for them.
You will need to place cups, blocks, or flat rocks underneath your bins so the air can circulate underneath the bottom bin. I'm using flat stones to lift mine 1" or 2" off the bottom lid. The bottom lid does not have holes in it. It's there to catch any liquid that seeps down through the bins.
Trouble shooting problems with your worm bins:
- Worms are dying or trying to escape. Your bedding could be too wet, too dry, or bedding is used up. If it's too wet, add more bedding. If it's too dry, moisten your bedding. If it's used up, harvest your compost.
- The bin Stinks! Your bin might not be getting enough air. You will need to drill more holes. You could be putting too much food in there for your worms to eat. Stop feeding for 1 to 2 weeks. And again your bedding might be too wet, so add more newspaper bedding to it.
- I have fruit flies! Your food is exposed, so bury it deeper underneath the newspaper bedding.
And that's about it for raising worms! Enjoy!!!
Sabrina, when you do this how much food are you able to put in? I mean can you use it instead of a garbage disposal? Or are you only allowed to add food once a week or so?
ReplyDeleteThat depends... Traci. First, how many worms do you have? If you are just starting out with a pound of worms (500), then you will need to go slowly until they have multiply. As they reproduce then you can add more food to the bin. You don't have to spread out the food scraps evenly in the bin. They will follow the food. This helps when you harvest the compost. A couple of weeks before you harvest the compost, you will want to feed them to one side of the bin. They will all gather there, so you can collect the dirt. I failed to mention in my post that they don't like citrus fruit. Do not feed them anything citrus. They don't like acid foods. I don't know how much waste you produce with your kitchen scraps, but with just you and your husband; I believe you could use the worms instead of the garbage disposal. Once you are established with the worms. Whatever you do, don't ever feed them meat, dairy, fatty foods, or citrus fruits.
ReplyDelete