Worm Farms: A Practical Guide
Why Worm Farms?
Worms make great pets. They don't make a lot of noise, they never need to be walked, they eat our garbage, and they make valuable compost. Disposal of food waste and the production of fertilizer alone makes worm farms make sense. Whether you live in a big city or out in the country or somewhere in between, worm farming is easy and fun
Do You Have What it Takes?
It doesn't take much to start a worm farm. First, of course, you need somewhere to put the worms. It should be a bin with a few holes for ventilation. For most families, a bin that is 1 foot by 2 feet by 4 feet is big enough. For small apartments, a five gallon bucket will do. That's about a square foot of space in a worm bin per household member.
Second, start off with some bedding for your worms to make a home in. Shredded newspaper or cardboard, dampened, makes a great home. Mix it with a few handfuls of soil, a handful of sand, and leaves. Worm farms that are most successful will mimic what the surface of the earth looks like, with leaves on top for example.
Now the worms. Eisenia foetida is the Latin, scientific name for worms most often used for worm farms, while Red Wiggler is the name most people use. You should have about two pounds of worms, from hatchlings to full grown, to start your worm farm. They like cool, moist environments, and take about a month to get used to their new home.
Caring for Your Worm Farm
Once you've given your worms time to get settled, now it's time to feed them. Start using half the bin. Add a bit of food (they like vegetable and fruit trimmings, eggs shells crushed up, crushed oyster shells for calcium, or pretty much any food waste that's not meat) to one section at a time, and work it in just a little bit. Feed your worms every few days or so.
After about six months, you'll have compost in the half of the bin you've been feeding. Now it's time to swith to feeding the other half. After a few weeks of feeding the new half, most of the worms will be over on that side and you can harvest the compost from the first half of the bin. This is great for gardens, potted plants, or anything that grows in soil.
If you find fruit flies in your bin, it means the bin is too wet. Add some shredded, clean newspaper to help even out the moisture content. If it smells, that means there's too much food; just work the soil a bit for ventilation and stop feeding until the smell is gone.
There you have it! Worm farms are easy to set up and maintain, and can be a fun way to dispose of waste and create some really great fertilizer.
About the Author
Robert Usher owns and operates http://www.WORMS-FARM.COM Worm Farming Whether you want to educate the kids, make compost, or raise worms for bait check this out
