Small Scale Worm Farming
I asked my kids to help me restart a worm habitat for composting red worms also known as “red wrigglers.” The project was so beneficial last year, that after releasing the worms into my garden beds, I knew I would have to do a repeat this year.
To get started I had a pair of matching plastic totes (do not use clear, worms like it dark) that I drilled air holes along the sides, bottom, and one of the tote lids. The first layer we added was the bedding made of strips of newspaper that were dampened with rain water collected in a bucket.
The next layer we used was straw. The idea is to alternate green and wet layers with brown and dry layers. The newspaper bedding is considered a brown layer and worms eventually process their bedding along with the other layers.
Once all layers are in place, top with dampened bedding and a peice of cardboard to help keep everything moist. When the cardboard begins to fall apart, I tear it into smaller chunks and use it as another layer as the worms seem to love it. We added some romaine lettuce and bok choy that had bolted. We placed the lid on the tote with holes in it, and beneath the habitat, we placed two bricks on top the upturned lid without holes. This lid serves as a tray catching any worm “tea” that may drip out.
As the worms eat through and process their habitat, layers will be continually added to the top and the contents will rise and settle many times before the second tote (also with holes drilled in it like the first) is added. When the bottom 1/3 – 1/2 of the tote has been processed, meaning it is nearly all worm castings, the second tote (with bedding and food layers added) can be placed directly on the top layer of the first. The worms will eventually move upward into the second tote in search of food and will leave the bottom tote filled with their nutrient-rich castings. Totes can be continually interchanged this way and worms are said to double in population in this type of environment every 2-3 months.
As a guide worms will eat anything that was once living. This includes:
• Left over vegetable scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings
• Manures (well aged)
• Tea leaves/bags and coffee grounds
• Vacuum cleaner dust or hair clippings (also animal)
• Torn up newspapers, egg and milk or pizza cartons (soaked first)
• Crushed egg shells (these will help with the pH balance)
The greater the variety of material you use, the better the castings will be. AVOID feeding worms citrus peels, onions, anything with grease, oils, meats, or dairy. Also keep in mind that their food will take longer to break down in cooler temperatures and extreme cold temperatures are deadly for worms in small worm habitats above ground. Make plans to bring your worms inside a garage, basement, or heated area that stays above freezing until temps outside are more worm friendly.
I hope you will give it a try. Worm farming makes use of items that would otherwise be wasted and turns them into plant food that turns into people food. You can apply worm castings to your garden beds and even directly to plants to fertilize without the burn effect you get with chemical fertilizers. Worm tea is also a great way to nurish your plants.
Because I let my worms go into my garden beds in early winter, I still had material to work with that had some castings in it. So we covered the castings and organic material with water letting it soak for a couple of hours. Then placed an old window screen with a couple of tears along the edges and used it to cover an empty container and strain out everything but the rich worm tea.
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The gray tote was nearly full when we finished and it was a wonderful treat for my tomatoes, beans, and other garden plants!
Where to buy red worms? There are many reputable sites online that sell red wrigglers by the pound or thousand, but if you have a local commercial farm near you or even a bait shop who will let you buy in bulk cheaper than by the 30 count then do that, please. But if no one near you supplies red worms, most sites selling them will guarantee them and ship within a couple of days. Have fun and good luck!
Also in the barn are their four active kilns and three pottery wheels used to fill their online orders seven days a week, the shipping station, and a break area for workers to grab a cold drink or heat up some lunch.
