subject: Starting A Worm Farm Is Simple [print this page] A lot of people realise worm farming is a great past time for making a bit of extra cash with minimal effort. Yet other people might be more motivated to have a steady supply of nutrient rich soil for their garden. Whatever your reasons for having a worm farm you will need to learn how to set one up for your particular venture.
Worm farming can be rewarding both financially and environmentally so it's important to understand the benefits and the reasons why you would want to take up worm farming. For starters, worms are able to provide you with an almost unlimited supply of nutrient rich soil. You can also aid the planet environmentally with worm farming. Worms are a great composting technique and will eat virtually anything that is organic in nature. This includes newspapers, cardboard and kitchen scraps. Worm farms are perfect for the keen fisherman, no more digging about in the backyard for their bait. For the aquarium owner worms are a great supply of fresh food for their fish.
With the reasons for a worm farm established in your mind you can now start setting it up. One of the best ways to start is with a worm farming bin. These are readily available online or at your local gardening supply store. Various sizes, shapes, and colors add to the selection. You could even try the large scale worm farmers as they will often have worm farm bins with everything else you need available at a competitive price.
If you like to do it yourself you could even try making your own out of common household items. A modified plastic tub or a large wooden box is all you need to make a nice home for your worms.
Multiple layers are required to provide a space for the liquid run off at the bottom. The liquid will run off the soil above and can be drained via a tap or hole at the bottom of the container. Worms live and move around in the top layer of soil. The material to be composted is simply laid on top where the worms can get at it.
There are many models of worm farms available that are made specifically for those of us who don't have backyards and need to put it in indoors. Worm bins can typically be stacked for adding more worms later on.
Appropriate bedding will need to be provided for the worms to ensure a healthy life style. Peat moss or coconut fiber with a small amount of composting material are some of the worms favorites. It is important to keep the bedding moist for the worms. Prepackaged worms usually come complete with bedding material and instructions on how to keep your worms healthy and well fed.
Where you put the bin is also an important factor for healthy worms. Worms don't survive in extremes of temperature. A location where temperature can be controlled between 72 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or choosing a fully insulated system, will help keep the worms healthy and happy. The level of moisture within the bin can be affected by location too.
Now that you have the bin all set up and positioned correctly you now just need to add the worms. Various worms are readily available. Red wigglers are a favorite amongst worm farmers. For bait you might want to breed European Night Crawlers.
When worms are purchased, they typically come with acclimation instructions. One of the most important steps is to make sure your bedding is already prepared and in place.
Now you can have fun feeding the worms. The variety of items you can use as worm food is mind boggling. Egg shells, paper products, carboard as long as it is pre-soaked, cotton rags and even human hair are all fair game as far as worms are concerned. You can speed the composting process up by cutting everything down into smaller sizes. Fruits should be sliced into strips for easier consumption by the worms.
All of your composting materials are layered on the top layer of soil. The best way to avoid overfeeding is to only add more when nearly all of the previous food has been completely consumed.
All of your worm castings will be found in the bottom layer of soil. Worm castings are one of nature's most powerful fertilizers and you can add it straight to the garden. If your plants like being fed directly to the roots a liquid fertilizer can be made by simply adding water.
Worm farming requires very little maintenance. If the worms don't like it they will simply crawl away in search of a more optimal environment. Your worms will be happy to shack up with you if you keep up a fresh supply of food, good moisture levels and a constant temperature.
