Worm Farming

You’ll find people who don’t know how important worm farming is to the ecosystem. Worms just don’t crawl around in the dirt, they are necessary for the soil.

Worms were some of the very first creatures on earth. Worms composted the dinosaur waste and turned it into a rich soil eons ago. Today, worms are still the best composters.

Do you know the main reasons that worm farming is indeed critical to the natural environment? Worm farming is done for three main reasons; it’s used for composting, worm castings, fishing bait and to feed other animals and birds.

Many types of food scraps and some other biodegradable things are efficiently composted in worm farms. Some industrial organizations use worms farms to keep much of their waste materials away from landfills. Because of the worm farms, numerous objects are kept out of garbage dumps. Worms are so effective that even landfills utilize them to help compost a portion of the trash.

Even people who reside in condominiums and homeowners can manage a worm farm. It’s easy to place food scraps and paper products into the worm bin and have the worms compost it. This keeps even more items from trash dumps. There are a number of different sizes of worm farms that may be purchased. You can maintain a worm farm inside or outside according to space constraints and the outside temperature.

A number of the items which can be placed into a personal worm farm are: paper products, dampened cardboard, vegetables, fruits, cereal, bread, hair, egg shells and coffee grounds. The finished product is a wonderful rich soil that can be used in gardens and flower beds.

At this point, we can look at another reason for setting up a worm farm. Worm poop, also known as vermicompost or worm castings, is the substance that worms excrete. What you supply the worms will be broken down and turned into nutrient rich castings. These castings can be used as plant food and are an extremely powerful fertilizer for plants. If you would like an all-natural fertilizer then vermicompost is perfect for you.

There’s no need for synthetic chemical substances or chemical fertilizers when you use worm castings. One of the problems with artificial fertilizers is the fact that although it has a temporary quick effect, the soil itself is broken down and nutrients are destroyed. You would then need to use even more fertilizer to get the same effects. It doesn’t fix the problem-you still have to replace the nutrients in the soil.

Excessive use of synthetic fertilizers together with pesticides have destroyed some worm populations. If the earth is polluted the worms will often move to a chemical free area or they could actually die.

By using the organic and natural vermicompost you do not need any outside chemicals, therefore the land will not be polluted. You may also want to add some worms to a flower bed or garden to aerate and fertilize the soil.

A final reason for having a worm farm is to raise worms for fishing bait or to feed other animals. Birds, fish and a few other animals like to consume worms. These animal owners appreciate being able to obtain live worms which were organically raised and are much better for the animals.

Many fisherman are looking for an excellent source of live bait to use for their hobby or profession. The worms from your worm farm are provided with natural ingredients and can produce a fantastic bait.

As you can see, worm farming provides many benefits to the ecosystem. By starting a worm farm you can appreciate the importance of worms a little bit better. Feeding worms food and material that would have gone right into a landfill creates that rich compost that helps the garden soil and supports the planet.

 

 

Worms have been a benefit to mankind and nature long before worm farming became well-known. The soil that worms generate is great environmentally friendly fertilizer for plants, worms may be used by fisherman as bait and lots of different animals eat worms for food.

A worm farm is good for the planet. A worm farm at a zoo or natural history museum can show exactly how nature composts normally. Kids would love the chance to touch the worms. A worm farm is ideal for show and tell at school. If you belong to a garden club, a worm farm could produce a great compost that you can use on your plants.

Birds love worms and bird owners could start their own worm farm to provide food for their pets. Fish and reptiles like worms and their owners may like to start a worm farm. In your own home, a worm farm is a terrific way to show kids how to compost their foods scraps, teach the children responsibility and show them how the fertilizer is good for plants.

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

Catfish love to eat worms, so a catfish farmer would reap the rewards of a worm farm. The worms are a natural bait and are better for the environment than artificial lures that could be left behind by fisherman.

Developing a worm farm along with a chicken ranch would keep your costs for food down..

Now, how many businesses really can reap the rewards of a worm farm? Everybody is able to in someway. Without worms our plants, fruits and veggies would not have good soil in which to grow. Whoever has used a compost pile knows how their plants react to this great fertilizer.

It might be fun to mention worm farming at a get together and see the response of people. You might be surprised at the number of people who respond in one way or the other with this all-natural activity.

Even though you do not like to touch worms you can come to appreciate the dedication of the little worms as they eat away at your kitchen or garden scraps. Most worms are helpful to nature. For those who aren’t squeamish, worms can even be an exotic treat. Remember when we were kids there was always someone who was happy to eat a worm.

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.