what is the easiest and the fastest way to start a worm farm and what do they eat??
Image by Mosman Council
On Thursday 6 May, 20 local residents enjoyed a free tour and workshop in the newly renovated EcoHouse & Garden at Kimbriki, Terrey Hills. Peter Rutherford, ecogarden expert and guest on the ABC’s Gardening Australia program, conducted a workshop on worm farming and composting, with participants also learning about their role in preserving natural ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.
Council has compost bins and worm farms for sale, which can be delivered to your home.
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Question by bounce7769: what is the easiest and the fastest way to start a worm farm and what do they eat??
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
2 Responses to what is the easiest and the fastest way to start a worm farm and what do they eat??
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There are several things that a person must know before leaping into the dirt for their first batch of success. Earth worms will work for the right entrepreneur. Composting worms, in comparison to bait worms, do not necessarily need to be as big or robust in behavior. The purpose of these worms is to generally create compost for gardening and farming. This is a much more specialized area and can require a bit more research. One of the biggest concerns for an earthworm business is the climate you are in or your ability to control that climate. Earthworms will require set temperature and moisture requirements for optimal growth and reproduction. This will be critical in both vermiculture and vermicomposting. Breeding earthworms will require some patience and attention to the detail of the worm’s environment.
WHAT YOU NEED
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A container
You will need to get one or more suitable worm containers, which can be either plastic, wood or metal. Use your imagination and recycle an old bath tub or wooden box, a plastic basin, bin, or crate. Worm farm containers can either be bought from your local hardware store or garden centre, or you can make your own out of recycled materials. Wooden containers provide good insulation, and because they are absorbent, excess moisture in the wormery may be less of a problem. Plastic containers are convenient but have a tendency to keep the compost too wet at times. Experiment and find out what works for you and your worms.
Bedding material
Worms require moist bedding in which to lie and lay their eggs. Shredded paper with a couple handfuls of soil is ideal.
The worms
The type of earthworm suitable for farming is the tiger worm Eisenia fetida. This species prefers to live at or near the surface of the soil or compost and does not burrow into the ground. Tiger worms especially like to eat moist organic matter such as food scraps.
Food
Worms are omnivorous (eat both plants and meat) so most organic waste can be fed to them. They will eat most kitchen waste – including vegetable and fruit scraps or peelings and shredded paper.
Whats suitable
Tea bags/leaves, Grinds/filters, Bread scraps, Cereal, Biscuit crumbs, Meat, Fish, Dairy products, alsorts of vegetables, Corn, Pasta, Flesh of Fruits.
These shouldnt be given Onion and Garlic or Spicy foods.
Citrus or acidic fruit should be given in small quantities only (e.g. lemons, oranges and kiwifruit)
Sarah W
December 9, 2011 at 5:55 am
You can go to basically any farm supply store and buy “Worm bedding”. It looks like really thick dryer lint. Moisten it and Voila, instant worm stuff! Put it in a styrofoam cooler in a cool, kinda moist place or put the cooler in the fridge(an old beater fridge, not the new Maytag!) You need to use the styrofoam cooler because it’s not airtight, the worms do breath and one of the new ones would not hold enough air after a while. The food is already built into the worm bedding. After a good soaking rain, go outside around midnite with a flashlight, us a cheap one, one of the bare bones ones, not a Maglight or an “industrial grade” one. One that has been used for a while and doesn’t give off a blinding light is best. Go all over your yard, and you will find worms on top of your lawn. The will be partly out of the ground, grab them quickly and pull with a gentle pressure, you don’t want to pull to hard, you’ll snap the worm, to soft and it’ll slime you and slip out of your hand. The best is when you find 2 in the “throes of passion” and get ’em both! Once you get your worms put them in the bedding, and let them live. Put water in there everyonce in a while, and they’ll make little worms, go out “hunting” to keep fresh worms coming in, go to the neighbors yards too! Keep a close watch on the worms, make sure they have enough bedding, so they don’t get crowded, and you should be all set. Add coolers and storage space as needed. Put a sign out front that says “Nightcrawlers” and you’d be surprised how quick you get people coming to your door. Buy a supply of Fireworks and put them in a back room and you’ll have a thriving cottage industry all summer long!
Kenneth H
December 9, 2011 at 6:36 am