Worm Farming

Many schools are teaching their students about worm composting and worm farming.  Kids are encouraging their parents to set-up worm farms at home.  This recycling project is a great one that parents and children can do together.  Worm farming is simple to start, easy to maintain and it can be a very gratifying project for all.

Worm farming, unlike outdoor composting, does not require much space or work.  The worm bin can easily be kept in a garage, basement or kitchen.  The worm bin needs to be stored in a dark place that is between 50°-80°F,  and  ideally, 72°-75°F.

To start a worn farm use a large plastic bin with a lid.  Drill ¼” holes in the bottom and top of the bin.  Worms like it dark, so make sure to use a nontransparent container. There are also commercial worm bins available for sale that are all ready to use.

The next step is to shred newspaper (black and white print only) and fill the worm bin about half way.  Dampen the paper and squeeze out any excess water.  Add a handful of dirt, a few kitchen scraps, the red wiggler worms (start with a ½ to 1 pound of red wigglers) and cover with another layer of moist shredded newspaper.  Don’t use earthworms!  The red wigglers are your best worms for composting household scraps.  You have just completed your worm farm.

To maintain your worm farm feed the worms every few days.  Foods that are not the worms’ favorites and should not be given to them are:  citrus, spicy foods, meats and dairy products. By eliminating these foods the worms will be content and will not try to escape the bin.  The worm bin should have an earthy smell to it.  If there are bad odors emanating from the worm composting bin you may be overfeeding the red wigglers or feeding them unsuitable foods, like meat and dairy which will rot in the bin.

It’s time now to sit back and let the worms do the work.  The worm castings will be available in a few months to be used for your plants, gardens and lawns. Then start the whole process over again.  Worm farming is not only an interesting project, it is a fun project that the whole family can enjoy.

Everyone has that one “hard-to-buy-for” person on their Christmas List. Still struggling with what to get that person? Have you ever thought about a worm farm factory and a pound of red wigglers? What? I bet this is something that person doesn’t have and doesn’t expect to get for Christmas. Give a gift to that special person that will keep on giving for years to come. What a great idea!

One of the best worm bins is The Worm Factory 360. This worm bin is a 4-tray style and is expandable. It comes in green or black and can be used anywhere. It can be kept in the kitchen, basement or any other place that is convenient to recycle household waste. The worm farm can also be kept outside because it is weatherproof. The Worm Factory 360 comes with a DVD instructional guide and an accessory kit with the basic tools needed to take care of the worm farm.

Include a pack of Red Wiggler Composting Worms in your gift. Red wigglers are the worms that are best suited to recycle waste in the worm bins. The worms can be purchased in 1, 2 and 5 pound packs. A one lb. pack would be sufficient to get started with worm composting.

Enclose a copy of the book “Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System” in your Christmas gift. This guide tells you exactly how to recycle your food waste and turn it into a nutrient-rich food for your plants and garden. The book has everything in it that you need to know about worm farm composting.

The Worm Factory 360 and a pound of Red Wiggler Composting Worms will be the perfect vermicomposting gift for that “hard-to-buy-for” person this Christmas. This unique present will no doubt be talked about for many Christmases to come.

Advertising may be the most expensive part of many small businesses, including a worm farm. But without the correct advertisement, your business will have difficulty. There are numerous types of advertising to consider, but the best will always be happy repeat customers who will refer others to you.

Radio advertising, newspaper or magazine advertisements are all pretty expensive. Simply because of the cost you may not be able to advertise on a regular basis. Start-up costs can be demanding in any business.

You should have signage that is large enough to read, brightly colored and carefully located so that it will be spotted by people driving by. A sign that is professionally done will attract the interest of more people. Think about it from the consumer point of view. Surely a large, colorful sign would draw more attention than a small black and white sign. The advertisement for your worm farm should be inviting to visitors.

Another means of advertising your worm farm is by creating flyers or bulletins. Many people will make up a large stack of them and place them on each and every car they see until they run out. But you want to get the most out of every cent you invest in your advertising. Think about areas where people may be interested in worm farming. A person outside of a hardware or sports store may be more likely to want worms for fishing or to use the worm compost for fertilizer than a busy mom taking her kids to soccer practice. . Always get permission from owners or managers of stores before posting anything or leaving flyers on car windshields. Flower or garden shops may allow you to post a flyer on a bulletin board-use your imagination and be creative!

You could consider holding a demonstration about the benefits of your worm farm at the local library. Many libraries hold special sessions for the kids during the summer. These children have parents and grandparents who garden and fish and own reptiles or birds who might need worms. Be sure to hand out color pages or bookmarks or something similar with a small bit of information for your business, including your phone number.

You can purchase a magnetic sign that can be placed on your car or truck which would advertise your worm farm. There are thrift newspapers that have lower cost advertising. There may be local flea markets or farmer’s markets where you can set up a booth.

Make sure you check out your tax laws and your business license requirements for your area. Even if you have your worm farm at your house, you may be required to get a permit to sell your worms or the things you are able to produce because of your worms (like the tea, compost, fertilizers, etc.).

With some creative thinking you will be able to come up with many ideas that will make advertising your worm farm fun and yield profitable results.

Worm farming is not new, it has been around for quite some time. There are numerous benefits to be derived from a worm farm.

Worms may be sold to fisherman or people who want to compost. Specific breeds of worms are carefully bred and are normally kept in breed specific quarters. Many of the worms that are raised in worm farms are used in composting.

Landfills and garbage dumps utilize worms which were raised by worm farmers.

Certain worms may also be used to fertilize the soil. As worms dig through the ground, they aerate and stir up the soil carrying water along. The “worm poop” that is created is high in nutrients and fertilizes the soil. A wholesome soil is then produced for better growing plants, vegetables and crops.

In recent years, the supply of worm farming equipment and accessories makes it simpler 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 are given the chance to raise their own worms for waste compost and soil fertilization.

All that you will need to feed the worms in your worm farms are the fruit and vegetable scraps you would ordinarily throw into the garbage. You can also feed the worms newspaper, egg shells and hair. The waste product that the worms leave behind is called worm compost or vermicast.

Worms are also farmed for bait. Worm farmers supply many bait and tackle shops with all the worms that fisherman can use as bait.

Make sure you choose the species of worm that is best suited for the job. Some worms crawl close to the surface, others dig down into the soil. Red wiggler worms are generally used for composting while the Belgian worms are great for both composting and bait. Home owners looking for worms to keep in lawns and flower beds may find success with Night Crawlers and Wigglers.

Worm farming can certainly be an excellent educational tool. Because a worm bin doesn’t take up much space a small worm bin could easily fit in a classroom. A worm farm provides a practical experience for the kids to learn about composting. Using natural methods for composting and reducing waste in landfills is easily demonstrated by classroom worm farms.

Worms can be farmed practically anywhere. With the various systems available on the market today, home owners can raise their own supply of worms outdoors or in an apartment. The variables that must be controlled in a worm farm are the temperature, moisture, light, bedding and the type and quantity of food. In return, the reward will be a natural way of composting without filling up local landfills.

Click to get more information about the Worm Factory 360

Go to Red Wiggler Composting Worms to find out more.