Worm Farming with Red Worms

Worm farming is gaining popularity. If you want to get into the business, you have to learn how to take care of red worms which happen to be the best producers of fertilizer for the soil.

To do that, you have to build your own worm bins. This consists of several boxes, shredded newspaper, and a strip of insect screen as well as the red worms. You can probably find the first two in your garage or shed, the third from the hardware store and the last in a nursery.

When you have all the materials, put a few holes in the top and bottom of the bins then place the shredded newspaper inside the containers to serve as the bedding. You can also use potting mix or both at the same time. Once the red worms are inside, cover the top with a lid because red worms do not like sunlight.

Unlike cats, dogs or fish you buy from a pet store, you don’t have to feed red worms right away. You can wait about 3 to 4 days before giving them food, and since you don’t know how much they can consume, add a small amount first, then gauge how much more should be added to their diet.

If there are big and small red worms, put some food along the edges as well as the center of the containers since the adult red worms prefer to stay toward the outside while the younger ones prefer to get food from the center.

The food that is given to red worms is much different then what you would find in a pet store. This is because they only eat things that will naturally compost. A few examples of these include coffee grounds, grass clippings, manure, rabbit pellets, vacuum dust and vegetable matter. Never give your red worms dairy products, meats and certain vegetables like onion.

Just like other household pets, red worms also need some water, so water them from time to time but make sure that it is not too soggy. Although they like water, too much could drown your little red wigglers.

Red worms are sold by the pound and one pound is approximately 1,000 red worms. That population will double in 2 to 3 months and while some say that they have a way of regulating their population, it wouldn’t hurt to transfer some to another container.

If there is no more space to relocate your red worms, you can try what other people have done and that is to sell red worms. After all, the waste or vermicast they produce is great for the soil so you can also help others save money by trying out this home made fertilizer instead of buying it from the store.

The other option to control the red worm population is to use them as fish bait. Although some people will argue that another variety of worm known as the European Night Crawler is better for catching fish, you will surely be able to catch a few with your homemade variety.

Raising red worms requires a lot of attention, so watch them regularly. Make sure there is a sufficient amount of food available and their bedding is just right and you can be on your way to have a successful wormery.