Where to Find Worms for Worm Farming

Setting up a worm farm requires three things.  The first is an appropriate bin for containing the worms.  The second is plenty of compost materials to keep the worms properly fed.  We discussed both of these items last week, but of course the most important thing needed for a worm farm is, in fact, the worms. Learning where to find worms is the final step.

It is important to note that worms collected from the garden in the wild should not be used in a worm farm or you may not achieve the results you are looking for.  Various types of worms are available on the market specifically for worm farming.  These worms are sold for traits that make them more desirable for composting or as live bait. 

Red Wiggler (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An established worm farm can require a large number of worms to be efficient enough to compost enough material for a small family.  Most small worm farms need to start out with at least 1000 worms. 

The first place to find worms for worm farming should be the local bait and tackle stores.  These places typically sell a variety of worms that can be used for both composting and live bait.  The Red Wiggler is known as being the best worm for composting and can usually be found in establishments such as these. 

The Internet provides a mass amount of options for purchasing just about any kind of worm to use in a worm farm.  Red Wigglers, Night Crawlers, Florida Wigglers, egg capsules and even exotic breeds of worms can all be found.  A simple search on any search engine will produce a number of opportunities and choices. 

Purchasing live animals online also means that shipping is something to take into consideration.  Care has to be taken when collecting and packaging the specimens.  Most worms ship well and with ease but shipping methods should be investigated.  Simply ask the supplier what the rate of live arrival is and find out what their shipping methods are.

Local garden centers may also prove helpful as a supply for worms.  Typically they sell other supplies for worm farming as well.  Depending on the geographical location, many garden centers have a full line of the various types of worms available for purchase.  The staff is available to answer questions about worm farming for new beginners.  If a specific type of worm is found to be unavailable at a garden center, an order can often be placed for particular varieties.

Close-up of Red Wiggler worm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A commonly overlooked option for locating worms is other worm farmers.  Worm farmers often have a surplus of worms and are more than willing to part with them.  Some are willing to offer them up for free in exchange for taking them off their hands while others will sell them for a low fee. 

Local worm farmers can often be found in the yellow pages under "worms" or "worm farms".  This provides a great source as worm farmers are often more than willing to give tips and hints for a successful farm. 

Worm farming can be fun and rewarding.  Knowing where to find good quality worms is essential in maintaining a successful farm.  Once your worm farm is established, it may one day prove to be yet another outlet and source of worms for those who are new to the worm farming world!  

Tips for Successful Worm Composting

For many worm farmers, the thought of having a personal supply of nutrient rich soil for the garden or flower beds is a great motivating factor. But many gardeners are intimidated by the idea of starting a personal worm farm - it may sound complicated and a lot of work to maintain. But it's actually pretty simple and can provide you with great compost a lot faster than traditional composting methods. Here are a few tips to help get your worm composting endeavor off to a successful start.

Setting Up Your Worm Farm - The Bin

Freshly bedded worm bin, garden waste mixed with finished aerobic compost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In terms of setup, worm bins are now readily available for purchase on the Internet.  Various sizes, shapes, and colors add to the selection.  Current large scale worm farmers will often sell small set ups for a comparable price. 

Other than purchasing a unit online or through a commercial worm farmer, set ups can be made at home out of a number of household items.  Plastic tubs or large wooden boxes can be altered and provide a perfect home for these working worms. 

Multiple layers are needed to provide a space for the liquid at the bottom.  The liquid will run off the soil above and can be drained via a tap or hole at the bottom of the container.  Within the upper layer of soil, the worms can move about towards the material to be composted.

Numerous models that can be purchased are also available for indoor use for those with limited or no outdoor space.  Worm bins can typically be stacked for adding more worms later on. 

Bedding & Location:

Appropriate bedding will need to be provided for the worms to ensure a healthy life cycle.  Peat moss or coconut fiber containing a small amount of compost material is well accepted.  Bedding should always be moist for worms.  Many prepackaged worm bins come complete with bedding and set up instructions.

Location of the bin is important as well.  Worms are unable to tolerate extremes in temperature.  A location where temperature can be controlled between 72 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or choosing a fully insulated system, will help keep the worms healthy and happy.  The level of moisture within the bin can be affected by location too.

Worms on a worm bin lid. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Adding The Worms:

Once a bin has been chosen and prepared, the worms will need to be added to start the farm.  Various worms are readily available.  Red Wigglers are the best choice for composting farms while European Night Crawlers are best for live bait if you're into fishing. 

When worms are purchased, they typically come with acclimation instructions. An important step is to be sure the bedding and unit are fully prepared before the worms arrive for placement within the farm. 

Feeding:

Feeding the worms is the fun part.  They can consume any number of items to be used as compost including fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, paper products, cotton rags, soaked cardboard boxes, leaves, dirt and hair.  Items should be cut down to manageable sizes.  Fruits should be sliced into strips for easier consumption by the worms. 

Place a layer of items to be consumed on the top layer of the soil.  To avoid over feeding, only add more food when most of previously fed food has been eaten. 

Using Your Worm Compost:

Worm castings can be found in the bottom layer of the soil.  This natural fertilizer can be added directly to flower beds and gardens.  A liquid fertilizer can be made by adding water to castings for plants and flowers that prefer to be fed directly at the roots. 

Worm farming is relatively low maintenance.  If the habitat is less than desirable, the worms will often simply crawl away in search of better living conditions.  Keeping the temperature constant, moisture at an appropriate level and food readily available will help ensure a healthy and happy supply of working worms - and a great supply of organic fertilizer for your garden!


Worm Farm Composting Kits & Bins: 
   

The Basics of Vermiculture (Worm Composting)

If you're an organic gardener, you're probably quite familiar with composting. But you may not have heard as much about vermiculture. What is vermiculture?  It is quite simply, composting with worms.  Composting is the practice of breaking down organic matter to create natural fertilizer.  It’s great for gardening and a very sustainable practice.  Vermiculture facilitates the composting using the natural decomposition abilities of worms.  It uses a worm’s natural abilities to make great fertilizer out of organic waste.

Composting-worms just added to a fresh batch of garbage in a self-made worm-bin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What Types of Worms Can Be Used in Vermiculture

Not all worms are good for a home composting set-up.  In fact, some types of worms can't be used for any type of composting system.  However, a handful of worm varieties do make great organic composting partners.  They include:

* Red wigglers
* European night crawlers
* Belgian night crawlers
* Blueworms

Of all of these types of earthworms, the red wigglers are the most common worms used in vermiculture.  All worm types can be found in your local nursery, live bait shop, and of course ordered online - because who doesn’t want to receive a box of worms in their mailbox!  :-)

What Do Worms Eat?

Not everything can be composted.  However, vermiculture does lend itself to more options than standard composting.  Worms can eat:

* Fruit and their peels
* Vegetables and their peels
* Pulverized egg shells
* Tea bags
* Coffee grounds

They can also eat meat and dairy products, oily foods, and grains.  However, these items tend to smell something awful and most people don’t recommend composting them.

Materials To Compost With Worms At Home

The inside of a worm composting bin, after the worms have eaten many kitchen scraps. Note the castings on the sides of the bin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s actually very easy to set up a worm composting system in your home.  To get started you’ll need:

* A bin – a wash bin or commercial worm bin are both great options.  It doesn’t need to be deep because the worms like to hang out near the surface.  If you’re using a wash bin, you’ll want to drill holes in the bottom for drainage.  You’ll also want a cover for your bin.

* Bedding – newspaper works the best because it’s easy to access.  Shred it and dampen it before placing it in your bin.  Add a few handfuls of soil and you’re ready to add the wigglers.

* Worms

* Food to compost – the ratio is one pound of food waste per day to two pounds of worms.  If you have fewer worms, reduce the food waste accordingly.

Place your worm bin in a room with moderate temperatures that is easy enough to access.  Options might include your kitchen, basement, outside the back door or in your laundry room.  When your compost is ready, it will resemble a dark, rich soil.  You can use it in your garden or place around houseplants. 

Be sure to check back Thursday when we will share some tips for making sure your worm composting venture is a success!  Or check out the very helpful book Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System.

Why Is Worm Farming Important?

It may come as a surprise to some that worm farming is beneficial to our environment.  After some research into the topic it may be shocking to learn how important these hidden crawlers really are.  There is more to them than just crawling through the garden.

Image via WikipediaWorms have been around since the beginning.  All the way back to the age of the dinosaurs, worms ploughed through rotting debris and excrement, composting it into a more usable substance.  Millions of years ago they were efficient creatures and today they remain the same. 

So why is worm farming so important?  There are three common reasons for worm farming both commercially and individually.  The first reason is for composting. 

Worm farming provides an effective and efficient way for composting food waste and other biodegradable items.  On the larger scale, worms are used in place of landfills by commercial companies.  The worms compost waste, eliminating unnecessary overflows in landfills.  Certain landfills also use worms to help compost the waste that has build up over time to try to prevent an overflow. 

On a smaller scale, home owners and apartment dwellers are able to run their own personal worm farms.  The purpose is to provide a more natural way for composting discarded food products and other items, instead of sending them to the local landfills.  Various sizes of personal worm farms are available on the market today.  These can typically be used both outdoors and indoors for those with limited space. 

Having a personal worm farm means that individuals are able to employ worms to naturally compost items such as fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, paper products, soaked cardboard, egg shells and hair.  What is given in return by the worms is a naturally nutrient rich organic substance that can enrich soil for gardens, crops and house plants.

This brings us to the next reason for worm farming.  Vermicompost, or worm castings, is the product the worms produce as they compost and digest their provided diet.  These castings are as rich in nutrients as the food items provided to them. This substance is so rich in nutrients that it can be used as an effective plant food for a small pot for up to two months.  Vermicompost is one of the best organic fertilizers available.

Chemical fertilizers can be replaced by using natural vermicompost.  Chemical fertilizers often produce a fast effect, but when the soil is analyzed, it is found that the nutrients in the soil are being further broken down by the chemicals.  This requires that even more fertilizer be used later on to produce the same effect. 

Chemical pest removers and poisons have led to the destruction and evacuation of worms in many areas.  The worms are either killed by the poison or they leave the area as the soil is no longer healthy enough for them to live in. 

Image via WikipediaUsing vermicompost as a natural fertilizer helps eliminate the need for chemicals that destroy the soil and rid the area of these helpful worms.  Some worms can be used in garden beds, improving the quality of the soil as they plough through pulling water into the soil and aerating the bed as they go. 

Another reason for worm farming is the production of worms to be used as live food and live bait.  Many exotic pets, birds and aquarium fish require the addition of live worms to their diets.  Offering worms for this reason gives pet owners an opportunity to purchase live food that has not been chemically altered or treated. 

Professional fishermen, bait and tackle shops, and the fishing hobbyist are often on the search for good suppliers of various worms that are best suited for live bait in both freshwater and salt water.  Worm farms offer these buyers a chance to purchase organically raised worms that will produce the best results when fishing.

As surprising as it may seem, worms are a very important part of our environment.  Worm farming is just a way to be able to appreciate their effects on a more personal level.  They are hard workers and keeping them happy in a worm farm will help ensure a healthier environment, less overflow of the landfills and a higher level of plant growth.

Starting your own worm farm may sound like a lot of work, but it's actually very easy. Stay tuned to this blog for more info on worm farming, and by the time summer rolls around, you can have some great worm compost to add to your garden!