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Worm Farming

Vermicomposting With Red Wiggler Worms

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Tag: vermiculture

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!

Worm Factory 360

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.

Red Wiggler Composting Worms

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.

Worms Eat My Garbage

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.

Some people ask, “Why in the world would I want to have a worm farm? There are plenty of other useful farms that sell vegetables, fruits, animals, and eggs. What good is a worm farm?” Well, it’s an understandable reaction. After all, it’s usually the quiet people in society that go unnoticed; so why shouldn’t there be quiet creatures that go unnoticed? People underestimate the value of the worm.

It’s true that there are worms that do damage to crops, animals, and people. Worms in your intestinal system are best flushed out. That’s why dogs and cats, even horses and cows receive worm treatments. These worms are taking away nutritional values the animals need to survive.

Worms

What about the good worms? The first reaction to a worm is, “Ewww, gross.” Well, understanding anything is the key to appreciating it more. The good worms are not poisonous and have positive benefits that are not readily seen. They’re hard-working little creatures and deserve our respect.

So, what are good worms? Earthworms, compost worms (red wigglers, blue worms), and fishing worms (night crawlers) are good worms. Earthworms are found in rich soil. If your plants are healthy and growing, chances are there are earthworms down there toiling away to help make this happen. Those die-hard fishermen can tell you about the benefits of a good, fat fishing worm! Catfish and bream are two of the types of fish that enjoy worms.

Worms are important for composting. They break down the material and produce a rich compost called vermicast or vermicompost. This compost is an excellent fertilizer. It retains moisture, encourages root growth and is high in the minerals that help plants grow.

Here’s one way you can help an earthworm (I know you want to)-the next time it rains and you see a worm on the street or sidewalk, gently move it to a grassy area so that it can burrow back into the ground. You can then congratulate yourself on being a lifesaver!

So now you know why you should create a worm farm. Worms are a vital part of our ecosystem and they do deserve our appreciation and respect.

Worm farming is a fun and simple activity. Even if you haven’t been brave enough to hold a worm before, don’t let that stop you from making a whole farm of them! This article will explore some interesting and crazy facts about worms and worm farming.

Worms

Let’s start by discussing the various types of “worms”. Earthworms loosen the soil by digging through it. Compost worms eat the mulch layer of soil. Many “worms” are actually the larva of beetles or moths. Grub worms are the larvae of a variety of beetles, including Japanese beetles, June bugs, European chafer, and Oriental beetle. Catalpa worms are not really worms either. They’re caterpillars from a moth species that are known to infest the Catalpa tree. The catalpa worm is an excellent fishing bait . Tomato hornworms are the larva of sphinx (hummingbird or hawk) moth.

Grub Worm

Vermicomposting is using worms to compost. Worms are great little workers that will turn your household waste into a rich soil. The vermicompost they produce can be used on your plants and flowers and will really make a difference in the plant growth.

You can build a worm bin out of wood, plastic, concrete, an old bucket, or an old bathtub. Make sure that you have a drain in your bin. You can’t let your worm dirt get too soggy. They rise to the top of the ground after a rain for a reason, you know.

The liquid drainage is another benefit of your worm farm-it can be used to create a worm tea. No, you don’t drink it!  Dilute this and some of the vermicompost with water and this makes an excellent, all-natural fertilizer for your plants and flowers.

So to get started you need a worm bin, the worms (red wigglers work the best) and whatever you are going to recycle. Worm farming can be an inexpensive way for you to recycle household waste, create fertilizer and produce a rich soil.

Worms

Vermiculture composting, also known as vermicomposting or worm composting, is the procedure of using worms and micro-organisms to recycle food scraps and other household waste into a nutrient-rich black soil.  This rich soil (worm castings) is the product of the worm’s digestion.  Worms are capable of eating between half to their full weight in waste each day. The worm castings are a natural fertilizer that provides a wonderful source of nutrients to plants, flower beds and gardens.  The castings are extremely valuable to the texture and fertility of the soil and can add 10 times the nutrients back into the soil that have been taken out during harvests.  Vermicompost increases the water-holding capacity of the soil and improves the overall soil structure. Your plants will grow stronger and have deeper root systems for better drought tolerance and disease resistance.

Red wigglers, manure worms, tiger worms, blue worms and red hybrid worms are used in  the vermiculture business and the vermicompost process.  These worms can be purchased on the internet, in a bait store or from your local worm farmer.  A pound of worms is all that is needed to start a worm farm.  These worms will reproduce quickly.  They have big appetites so expect them to eat their weight in waste every day.

Vermiculture bins can be basically a box with a lid.  They can be made of wood or plastic.  A loosely fitted lid will allow the worms the proper oxygen they need.  Always have drainage holes in the bottom of the vermiculture bin.  Vermicomposting worms like moist, dark and cool places.  Without the proper conditions and temperature the worms will try to escape the worm bin. Building a worm farm is easy and anyone can set up a worm farm.

Commercial vermiculture is the breeding of worms for re-sale. For many years worms were raised solely to sell in bait stores. Now with the new shift to commercial vermicast composting in the past two decades, the demand for worms has greatly increased.

A vermicomposting business solves two very important problems.  It takes care of organic waste and it produces an enriched soil that is extremely helpful for plants, gardens and lawns. Vermicomposting, through the use of worms, changes organic waste into a product that can be harvested regularly and sold.  The need for more vermicomposting sites around the world will continue to grow.  Schools, institutions, military bases, prisons and other facilities can set-up vermicomposting bins right on their site to recycle food waste.

Vermiculture is an easy way to recycle food waste, help the environment, put nutrients back into the soil and make money, too.  One third of household waste can be recycled through a worm farm.  The environment is helped by keeping tons of waste out of landfills and vermicompost is an all-natural fertilizer that eliminates the need for harmful chemicals.  The worm castings add important nutrients back into the soil. This aids in stimulating healthy root growth, control erosion and enhance soil fertility. Worm composting can even be turned into a business with the right vermiculture technology.

Worm Factory 360

Click to get more information about the Worm Factory 360

Red Wiggler Composting Worms

Go to  Red Wiggler Composting Worms to find out more.