Archive for the ‘Worm Farming’ Category

11 July

The History of Worms and Worm Farming

The following paragraphs summarize the work of Worm Farming experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of Worm Farming. Heed their advice to avoid any Worm Farming surprises.

When many of us think of worms, we think of the few pink earthworms that hang out in the garden, strolling through the soil and showing their faces after a heavy rain. We don’t often stop to think about the history involved in these legless creatures. Some people even put these guys to work for profit and natural soil care through a process known as worm farming.

So how long have worms really been around? To take a look at the history of worm farming, we have to go way back before the age of man. Worms have been around almost since the beginning of time. Even in the age of the dinosaurs, earthworms worked hard breaking down excrement and waste. Their job was to produce a substance more useful to the soil. In turn, the level of fertility of the soil would remain high promoting a better rate of growth.

From 51 and 30 B.C., the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII realized the importance the worms played in the fertilization of the Nile. The export of worms from Egypt was then banned and became a crime punishable by death. For this reason, the Nile has been reported to contain the most fertile soil in the world even today.

Many years later, Charles Darwin published “The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Actions of Worms with Observations on their Habits” in 1881. He mentions here that the plough was one of the best inventions made by man. It changed the lives of farmers everywhere.

The worm however, has been doing the same job long before man although later they were once regarded as a pest. It was thought that worms destroyed plant life, chewing through the roots of crops. In reality, the worms plough through the Earth carrying water and air beneath the soil aerating and fertilizing it. Darwin continued to study earthworms, their habits and their benefits to man for over forty years. He even went so far as to label these crawlers as one of the most important creatures on earth.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about Worm Farming? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

During the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s chemistry was discovered and Darwin’s studies were cast aside. Worm farming as a natural method for ploughing was ignored. Instead, man-made products were used for the job for a quicker more efficient way of producing a larger yield of growth.

Chemists produced fertilizers that increased the growth of crops. These fertilizers also damaged the soil, requiring even more fertilizers to continue to produce this increased growth yield. Other chemicals such as pest sprays and poisons have caused the decrease in the population of earthworms in the soil, thereby causing a fall in the fertility of the soil.

Because of the availability and ease of use, fertilizers and pesticides have been primarily used in crops across the world. However, some farmers began to culture their own worms on a smaller scale. Worm farming, or vermiculture, is the use of earthworms to aerate soil and change organic matter into compost. It only became a commercial process in the 1970s.

Worm farmers experience fluctuations in production and revenue depending on market requirements and demand. While commercial worm farmers still exist and function efficiently, many individuals have begun to establish their own methods of farming worms. This has been made easier through readily available worm farming supplies and equipment to encourage a more natural way of producing well fertilized soil and for composting waste.

The views about worms and how they effect the environment have changed dramatically over the years. Whether they’re held sacred or regarded as nasty slimy critters, worms have proved to be hardy and beneficial enough to last this long; they’re probably going to hang around for many years to come.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get the Automated Traffic Blueprints for cheap

8 July

Worm Farms for Dummies

The following article presents the very latest information on Worm Farming. If you have a particular interest in Worm Farming, then this informative article is required reading.

The value of worms. They tend to be slimy, slithery things, but worms, and where they are cultivated–worm farms–play a crucial role in the ecological environment. Worms conveniently live and thrive under the soil they fertilize. A soil enriched by their presence tends to be good soil for farming, which farmers have known for so long. Apart from helping produce better crops simply by living in the soil, worms also balance our ecological space and help preserve our environment.

The concrete and specific benefits of worms are diverse. Fishermen makes use of worms are their fish-lures. Gardeners need worms for enriching their gardens. In some areas of the world, worms are part of the menu of edible produce. These are but a fraction of the many uses of worms, so it makes sense that people invest in building and taking care of worms in well-designed worm farms.

Worm farms are often constructed and maintained to make decaying and fertilized (food for farming) soil. Although this can be done in small scale in any backyard, the optimal set up (one that can be maintained for optimal produce) is the countryside. There, entire areas like barns are allotted to setting up worm farms that produce worms all year long. Think of livestock that doesn’t care much and is not affected by the weather, because they live under soil, and you have a good idea how neat it is to raise worms in a good worm farm.

Worm farms are simply plots of soil where worms are allowed to increase their numbers. So, setting up a worm farm, as has been mentioned, not merely becomes a source of income for some people (not all worm farmers are actually farmers), but also helps preserve nature’s delicate balance.

Most of this information comes straight from the Worm Farming pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

Building a worm farm. If you fish a lot or are a gardening enthusiast, it would make sense to cultivate your own worm farm. That way not only will you always have a source of good worms (because you are aware of the conditions that you raised them), but you can even supply other people and earn in the process. Here’s how to set one up.

Get the right kind of worms. You can’t just get any worm and throw them on dirt. That won’t do. You want Red worms or Tiger worms as the usual easy-to-find worms won’t do. Visit plant nurseries near your area, they’ll probably have the worms you need.

Plan the worm farm well. You need some materials you can use to segregate your worms. If you don’t think you need a large worm farm, just use some waterproof large jugs. Otherwise, you can use plastic bins, wood, and even crates. Just make sure you don’t get materials that have been exposed to pesticides. So if you get materials from livestock-producing farms, you’d better be careful. So you might as well get stuff from your house or garage.

Putting the farm together. Use just enough soil for the quantity of worms you’ve acquired. The top bin must be lined up with old newspapers you shredded and then lined with soil once more. Add the worms and put there some scraps of food. The upper bin must be moist and kept away from bright lights. Now let the worms be for about 2 weeks to allow them to settle in. Then come back and add more scraps of food. Don’t overfeed your worms. Worms love cool and dark areas, you take off the cover to your worm farm only when feeding them and when pouring fresh water into the soil.

Avoid onions and citrus fruits as scraps. Stick to these tips and your worm farm will be thriving in no time.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get the Automated Traffic Blueprints for cheap

4 July

How to Keep Your Worm Farm Safe

When you are doing worm farming, it does not mean that you can leave you worms unattended. There are worm predators which can pounce on your worms and eat everything. Why keep your worms for profit if you just let predators take them away.

You have to make sure that you worm farm is safe for your worms. Who are the predators and what should you do?

? Make sure that you worm farm has proper drainage. Make sure that you are not using contaminated water. Also avoid using paper which had contact with pesticides since this is also source of contamination.

? Make sure that your worms are safe from predators like birds, moles, hedgehogs, foxes, toads, snakes, beetles, leeches, slugs, and parasites. All of these feed on worms.

? Even if there are predators in the area which are not interested in eating the worms but are eating the worm’s food. Then you should also be careful. If worms are not fed enough, they try to leave the worm beds.

? If you are feeding birds in your area, then it would be ok. Just make sure to feed them in a different section, you definitely do not want them to eat your profit.

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Worm Farming, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

? If you are living in a populated area, you would have to have a different kind of worm protection. There could be thieves that are looking for free fishing bait. So make sure that your worm farms are duly protected.

To protect your worm farm, you can have shed that can be locked to make sure that unwanted people and presence are kept out. Make sure that the floor is kept clean. If you have concrete flooring, you can hose it down to remove the dirt and leftover scraps. Some worm farm owners have a technique of keeping their farm safe from predators. They would put their worm bin on a stand with legs, then they would put it a container where there is water surrounding it.

Aside from being cautious in providing safety measures in the worm farm’s surroundings, you also need to be cautious of the food you provide to your worms. Some worm farmers aside from giving ready to eat food, also give food treated with chemicals. These medications and chemicals should be handled with care since these substances could be harmful.

Although worms eat meat, or eat anything that is offered to them, it is for the best altogether to remove meat among the things that farmers offer. With meat, there is a higher possibility that pets will be attracted to and eventually will be bad for the worms. Flies and maggots can also be attracted to the worm farm if meat is offered to the worms.

Aside from these foods, we should also avoid offering citrus fruit, onions, and garlic. Its strong smell drives the worm away. Another kind of food that needs to be avoided are dairy products, aside from attracting also predators, they also emit foul odors as they rot.

Taking care of worms are easy job, as long as you take note of what you should and should not do. Worm farming can be both financially profitable and enjoyable. There are even studies saying that worm farming relieves stress. So, happy farming!

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Free Adsense Websites – every month!

2 July

How to Make your Own Worm Farm

Worm farming is one of the best and simplest way of advocating environmental consciousness through the process of recycling and how to make your own worm farm is just as easy as setting up your garden.

You can start building your own worm farm using old styrofoam boxes, used tires, wooden crates or similar type of box or crate containers.

You will also need to make sure the worm trays are kept moist -not too wet nor too dry, as long as it is damp and cool. Should it start drying up, just pour in water evenly until the compost bed absorb enough water to stay moist.

Various kinds of worm farm containers are available at hardware stores and garden shops, you may need to check around for fair prices and good buys, should you need to acquire new ones and save yourself the hassle of modifying boxes to make into worm farms.

Worm farms must be kept away from direct contact with the ground to prevent pests getting into the farm and there should also be a drainage tap or water collection area within the container in case it gets too wet, the liquid overflow can also be used a liquid fertilizer.

You must use special composting worms that can be purchased from garden shops and hardware stores, since ordinary earthworms are not ideal types for farming.

The ideal types of composting worms for your worm farms are Indian blues, red wrigglers or Tiger Worms.

You can start of with 1,500-2,000 worms to get your worm farm started.

Composting worms only eat organic matter, thus are good composters, instead of the usual earthworms that you find in the garden, which are earthworkers that aerate and burrow the soil and do not make them good composters.

The primary purpose of setting up a worm farm is not to mass produce worms or culture them, but to get the product that the worms produce when fed with organic material similar to that used in a compost pile.

This by-product is called castings and while it’s technically worm manure, it is a highly productive fertilizer or add-on for garden soil or potted plants.

The technical term for using worms to process compost and produce castings is ‘vermicomposting’, and the by-product is called vermicompost or vermicast.

To get high quality castings from worm farm, it is necessary use the proper type of worms.

Getting on all fours and digging the ground to look for worms is not exactly the way to go about it, since there are actually worms that are of the composting types.

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Worm Farming, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

These are worms that adapt well to living in a limited area or boxed container and those processing organic waste are the ones used for worm farms.

The wrong type of worm, especially the usual earthworms, tends burrow down deep and are not suited to cramped spaces.

You may want to purchase your worms from an experienced vermicomposting supplier, as you go along, you may be able to identify your local worms and be able to establish whether or not they are good ones for suited to your farm.

An easy structure would be start the farm using a cubic container, be it a styrofoam box or wooden crate.

You begin by placing a couple of sheets of shredded newspaper or cardboard on the worm tray to serve as bedding, followed by a few handfuls of soil.

Moisten the bedding material lightly with water, and begin add some organic waste for food, and then the worms.

Cover with the top of the container with something that will keep out the light while retaining moisture, using materials such as burlap, shredded box board or newspaper.

As much as possible, try and resist the urge to look at the worms for a couple of weeks, then take off the cover and add some more food.

Continue to do this process as the worms multiply and if the container starts to smell bad, you may be supplying the worms with excess food than they can process.

Be sure not to add any animal products or waste like spoiled meat, milk products or oil-based matter, which can cause the smell or attract pests.

If you notice the bin is about half full, it’s a good time to harvest the castings.

There are several of ways to do this.

Some just push everything to one side, being sure to pull out large non-decomposed food and then they add the new bedding, dirt, food to the empty side and wait a couple of weeks for the worms to move over to the new side, leaving the vermicompost behind that can be removed and used in the garden.

So this is how to make your own worm farm and by now you already know how to go about it.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on Worm Farming. Compare what you’ve learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of Worm Farming.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Free Adsense Websites – every month!

30 June

Worm Farm: Recycling the Worm Way

Believe it or not one of the most efficient ways of recycling your food waste is not through the help of large recycling machines but rather through the assistance of our small, long, and disgusting wrigglers. Yup, as always nature has provided us with a great solution to garbage problems that we created in the first place. Establishing a worm farm is great for the environment in so many ways.

The first benefit you’ll get from worm farming is composting. Compost what? Composting is a process where you convert food and other biodegradable wastes or materials into a soil like substance called compost. In worm farming, you allow the worms to eat the food wastes. And as that food goes in, so should they come out. The worm poops are called castings and that my friends are what you’re aiming at. You gather the castings from your farm and use that soil like substance as fertilizers for your plants.

Some enterprising individuals have marketed these worm castings since their effectiveness as fertilizers are quite known. It is said that flowers will bloom even before its season when worm castings have been used. Vegetable growers will tell you that the harvested vegetables are a lot crisper and even taste better all because of the fertilizer they used which came from the worm farmer across town.

And even the worms themselves are being sold in farms, pet shops, bait shops, and even online. You see worm farming can be scaled down small enough for ordinary people living in even a small house or apartment. That’s one of the beauties of worm farming. You don’t need a large area of space if you decide to start your own farm at home.

Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.

For a home scale level of worm farming all you will need is a container that preferably is around several inches deep. You have to place some moist paper, leaves or cardboards to form a layer before you put the worms in. Adding in some soil or compost on it may be a good thing as well. You then place your worms and food. Feeding the worms is rather easy. Basically any food scraps would do. However, avoid putting in meat, poultry, and citrus related fruits in the container. The meat will only generate this awful smell which is bad, especially if your worm farm is inside the house. Maggots from the meat can also appear which is kind of gross. Citrus fruits on the other hand are too acidic for the worms.

Feeding your worms your food waste and some other biodegradable is an effective way of managing your trash. You will have less garbage to worry about and you’re doing your part for the environment. The worms will give you in return a rich hefty serving of castings which you can use for your own plants. So if you’re going to have a worm farm, it would be better to start taking care of plants as well if you don’t have any now. The enriched soil will go to waste if you just throw it away.

The good thing of using the worm castings or vermicompost is that it does not destroy the soil unlike the chemical fertilizers available in the market today. Although the effects of chemical fertilizers are immediately noticeable, the effects on the soil in the long run are devastating. Vermicompost increases the quality of the soil.

Having a worm farm is quite an interesting project which helps you recycle food wastes into rich organic fertilizers. You can begin a home project which you can manage to become a large undertaking that can supply either live worms and/or vermicompost to a waiting market.

If you’ve picked some pointers about Worm Farming that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won’t really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don’t use it.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Free Adsense Websites – every month!

28 June

What is Worm Farming?

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Worm farming has been around for years on various scales. While the reasons for worm farming are not widely known, those who participate are big believers in the benefits that these worms have on the environment.

Many worm farmers commercially culture worms for profit. Specific breeds of worms are bred and are typically kept in breed specific quarters. Commercially raised worms are typically sold for composting. Some worm farmers distribute to landfills providing a natural method for composting waste.

These specifically bred worms are also used for soil fertilization. As worms dig through the soil, they aerate and stir up the soil carrying water with them. The waste that is composted by the worms is broken down into a substance that can be better used by the soil, improving the fertilization of the soil. A healthy soil is then produced for better growing plants, vegetables and crops.

In recent years, the supply of worm farming equipment and accessories has made it easier for individuals to make a hobby of this technique. Household sized bins are on the market in a variety of shapes and sizes. Home owners and apartment dwellers have been given the opportunity to raise their own worms for waste compost and soil fertilization.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of Worm Farming, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Worm farming provides worms with a nutrient rich diet of what many times is thrown out with the garbage including discarded fruits and vegetables. Other compostable materials include paper products and cotton rags, leaves, egg shells and hair. Excreted by the worm is a nutrient rich substance called vermicompost or worm compost.

Worms are also farmed for bait. Small bait and tackle shops often receive their livestock inventory from worm farmers providing fishermen with various worms to use as live bait. Fishermen who fish on a larger scale than the hobbyist often use these worms for bait for anglers and other large catches.

Many different worms are available depending on the job. Each variety of worms is used for its own reasons. Red worms are commonly used for composting while the Belgian worms are good for both composting and bait. Home owners looking for worms to keep in lawns and flower beds will find success with Night Crawlers and Wigglers.

Worm farming can also be an excellent educational tool. As using worms provide a more space effective way for composting, small kits can be purchased and even hand made to be used in a classroom setting. Students are able to participate in the project learning about how composting occurs. Using natural methods for composting and reducing waste in landfills is easily demonstrated by classroom worm farms.

Worms can be farmed just about anywhere. With the various systems available on the market today, home owners can raise their own supply of worms outside or in an apartment. Providing the correct amount of moisture, light, bedding, temperature and food will ensure a long living worm population. In return, the reward will be a natural way for composting without filling up local landfills. As a result, nutrient rich soil is provided that can be used right away or stored for use during gardening season.

When word gets around about your command of Worm Farming facts, others who need to know about Worm Farming will start to actively seek you out.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Unlimited Web Hosting from ONLY $1/month

23 June

How to Raise Red Worms

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Worm Farming? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Worm Farming.

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 bin. 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, the third from the hardware store and the last in a nursery.

When you have all the materials, put a few holes on the top and bottom of the bin and then throw in the shredded newspaper inside the container to serve as the bedding. You can also potting mix or use both at the same time. Once the red worms are inside, cover the top with a lid because these creatures don’t like sunlight.

Unlike the cat, dog or fish you bought from the 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 yet how much they can consume, put in a small amount first and then gauge how much more should be added to their diet.

If there are big and small red worms, put some food on the outside edges since the adult red worms prefer to hang out there while the younger ones prefer to get food from the center.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about Worm Farming? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

The food that is given to red worms is much different that what you will normally find in the 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 pets.

Red worms are sold by the pound and one pound is about 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 space anymore to relocate your red worms, you can try out what other people have done and that is to sell red worms. After all, the waste or vermicast they produce are great for the soil so you can help others save money by trying out this home made fertilizer instead of buying this 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 to catch fish, you will surely be able to catch a few with your homemade variety.

Raising red worms takes a lot of hard work so watch them regularly. Make sure that there is sufficient food available and their bedding is just right because this is the only way to have a successful worm farm.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Unlimited Web Hosting from ONLY $1/month

21 June

Worm Farming as Extra Income

A worm farm could be a great investment for a little extra income as a first business for a young entrepreneur. A young person with access to a big backyard, who lives in the country or a young person who lives on a farm might find worm farming a great way to get their first experience with business management. Even a child who lives in the city can start a small worm farm if they have a flower bed-sized area to begin. Town folk like to fish and garden, too.

Suppose you’re looking for something to occupy your spare time during your retirement years? Worm farming on a small scale may be just the thing to keep you busy, to give you an activity that keeps you close to nature, can provide extra income, and can be less demanding physically.

Worm farming could be a great interest to share with your young grandchild. You could try it as a way to gain popularity among your fishing buddies or with your gardening friends.

Shelter for your worm farm is important for several reasons. Shade from the sun, cover from the rain (you wouldn’t want your investment to drown or be washed away), and protection from reptiles and birds are important reasons to have good shelter.

The more authentic information about Worm Farming you know, the more likely people are to consider you a Worm Farming expert. Read on for even more Worm Farming facts that you can share.

Worms go dormant in the winter. You’d have to keep them in a controlled environment to sell them year-round. Sheds, barns, or basements that allow for temperature control are some ideas.

Make sure you consider packaging costs. The right packaging for your worms, their castings, or the tea you can make with the drain water could help improve your businesses chance for success. Informative and/or attractive packaging can help spread your trademark to solidify your image in the public eye. But when you first start out, you’ll want to keep your overhead as low as possible, so choose your supplies wisely so your extra income will be more lucrative.

Plant nurseries, feed stores, or hardware stores are some ideas for places to contact about allowing you to sell your products from your worm farm. You may be able to sell on a consignment basis. You could rent a booth at a flea market to get a start on selling your products. To make extra income, you have to be willing to let go of some first!

You might try making a deal with a local livestock farm to trade some fishing worms for manure to help feed your worms. Just make sure there’s no residue left in the manure that would kill your worms. If the animals have been wormed recently, or if they have parasites of the wrong kind, it could wipe out your stock. Chicken manure may be the least attractive manure since it tends to be “hot”. Also, remember not to use fresh manure. It’s better if it has aged for a few weeks.

Some people enjoy worm farming as a way to manage their stress levels. They find it relaxing to harvest the worms. Just as people find relaxation in gardening or bird-watching, worm farming can relieve tension and give you an outlet to focus on. It may even be a way to help your child make new friends with the kids on the block!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, still letting you get Unlimited Web Hosting from ONLY $1/month

17 June

Who Benefits from Worm Farming

Worms have been a benefit to mankind and nature long before worm farming became well-known. Worms provide food for other animals, help create and maintain healthy soil and plants, enhance gardening efforts, provide fish bait, and help teach our children about pets and other valuable lessons.

Worm farms are a part of natural science. A nature museum or a zoo would benefit from a small worm farm as a display and to help feed the animals kept there, as well as keeping the scenery bright and fresh because of the benefits to the earth. A petting zoo could make a worm farm part of their hands-on attraction. You might start a worm farm as a science project with a class or with your own child. It would also make a good FFA project. A small gardening club may want to invest in worm farming.

A person who raises birds could start a worm farm or buy from a worm farm to provide treats for their birds. Pet shops could buy from worm farms to feed their fish or reptiles. Parents could benefit from a worm farm as a way to teach their young children about recycling, their first pets, compassion, the natural food chain, gardening, and about business.

Worm farms are a way to help the economy by buying and selling. They provide a useful service by increasing the health of soil, they provide a useful product, and they encourage equipment sales. They increase the sales of the supplies needed to maintain the farms. They provide an extra income for the seller as well as jobs for any workers needed on the bigger farms.

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Worm Farming, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

Catfish farms would benefit from worm farms by starting their own or buying from one for their fish food. Fishermen benefit from worm farms by using natural resources to fish to help keep down the sales of artificial lures, which cause extra trash along and in rivers, lakes, and ponds.

People who run chicken houses would benefit from worm farms because of the large amounts of food the chickens need.

So, who benefits from worm farms? We all can. Even if you never touch a worm, you still eat vegetables or fruit that come from the plants produced in the soil that worms helped make healthy! Gardeners have known the benefits for years because of the benefits to their compost piles and the results of their flower beds or vegetable gardens.

Worm farms can help a person open up conversations, which creates more acquaintances and possible friendships. They can bring people together who are nature lovers, fishermen/women, gardeners, recyclers, teachers, and even business owners.

People can learn to respect the hard-working little worms even if they never quite get over their squeamish reactions to them. Many worms are nature’s friend. For those who aren’t squeamish, worms can even be an exotic treat. They are well-known in other lands as a source of human food. Then again, many of us found out as children taking dares that eating a worm is a fun way to gross out our peers!

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, now offering Unlimited Reseller Hosting from $5/month

16 June

Getting Started on a Worm Farm

Getting started on a worm farm is not that complicated, all you need is a bit of passion for recycling and some trivia about worms.

Here is a hodge podge of some worm trivia that could help motivate and inspire you more with your worm farm venture.

How much do worms eat? Well, mature worms which can eat up as much as their own body weight every day.

For those that are just starting out in worm farming and would like to know how to make worms eat more to be more productive.

The answer is simple- shred, mash or blend food scraps since these will make it more digestible and easily consumed by the worms.

Also maintain worm bed temperature at around 23-25 degrees celsius, since it is at these temperatures that worms feed better.

Lastly, avoid acidic foods, since it messes up the worms’ digestive system.

Here are some things you may also want to avoid feeding your worms, manure, onions, citrus fruits or peelings, garlic, garden waste sprayed with insecticides, dairy products like milk and cheese or meat.

Here are some more frequently asked questions that can help would be worm farmers get on their way to succeeding in this hobby.

Is it ok to water the worm bed regularly? Watering the farm will enhance the production of liquid fertilizer, but make sure not to pour too much water into it or it could drown the worms.

Take note that food wastes are about 80% water, which is released as the worms break them down.

If water is poured over the system every couple of weeks, be sure to just add water only as much as getting the worm bed damp and cool, you will have a constant supply of liquid fertilizer.
  
Will I be able to harvest more worms? The answer is no, worms regulate themselves with any given or available space and the amount of food administered to them.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Worm Farming now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

Is it normal for these worms to gather on the lid of the farm when it is raining? Yes, since it a normal response for these worms to react this way during the rainy season to avoid getting drowned. Simply move the worm farm boxes over to an area where it does not get exposed to too much rain and replace the worms back to the farm bedding.

Why are worms not moving to the top level of the tray? This may be so because you may have added new food before the worms have consumed the previous feeding batch.

Worms have the instinct to stay with leftover food and will not search for a new food source until it consumes what was left previously.

Before you add new trays, stop feeding the worms for at least five days to ensure all existing food has been consumed.

Also make sure that the level of castings in the working tray needs to be high enough for the worms to pass easily up to the next tray.

Can worms endure high temperatures? Worms can tolerate a temperature range between 10-30 degrees Celsius.

If temperatures get hotter than its tolerable levels, move the farm into a shady, cool area where it could regulate the moisture and humidity of the worm boxes.

In cold temperatures, make sure to cover the box with old garments or carpets, blankets and wool shavings to sustain the warm temperature.

It is also best advised to feed the worms at least a quarter more than it should, since more food digested by the worms allow for more heat being generated in their bodies.

So take heed of these ideas and you can be on your way to getting started on a worm farm with confidence.

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