New to Worm Farming

[jimmy2s83]

OK,
I know little to nothing about this business of worm farming.
However I am really interested in this as a Hobby. To start at least. One never knows how deep they may get into it once started. LOL.
So my goal is to hopefully have all of you here to help me when I start this. So to start off.
First I need to know where to buy some worms. I tried to find some around the yard but after an hour with maybe 35-40 worms I decided that purchasing them would be ideal since I read 1000 worms weigh about a pound and I think I want to start with about 5 or so.
I am already in the process of building a containment but would love to see some other designs that may be more ideal for my use.
The reason for starting is for bait to start and then possibly using the castings for a small garden.

So remember that I am very new to this and all my knowledge if you would call it that is from articles read and no Hands on experience. My actual occupation is Electroplating and probably none of that knowledge will help me in Worm farming.

Thank you for your time.
Jimmy

[Jay Blair]

Jimmy,

Here is a simple design for an indoor starter bin

www.whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

Also you can search the posts by tt here and she has views of her larger scale outdoor pit and wind row units.

None of us really know anymore about raising worms than what the worms themselves teach us through observation of them in their natural environment.

We then bring them into our controlled environments and do our best to duplicate their natural environment for observation purposes and collection of empirical data.

As our observations progress, we learn more as any crop farmer does and intensify some aspects of the worms environment or making elements less harsh. Making the most utopian environment for our worm crop is always high priority.

We then share that which we have learned with others in conversation as we learn others experiences also.

Over the years since I first just wanted to try to raise some bait for myself, I learned that for myself the greatest knowledge the worms taught me was how to keep running my "modern homestead" farm after I was divorced.

When I learned to use Texas style raised beds and worms as my "farm hands", I then let the others on my self relent singles message board know how they could use worms and vermiculture to help them achieve their goals of increased self reliance.

Only the worms really "know it all", but our group here has many eyes watching them and together we can build a panoramic scene we can all use as reference and benefit from.

[redhen]

Jimmy,
Actually the first thing you might want to do, is decide on a bin type, size and whether it will be indoors or out. What do you want to use for feedstock and bedding? The worms are the last thing to be considered. If you want bait ,then you might consider raising European Nightcrawlers. I have been testing them out and they are doing well in a bin situation. They are bigger and tougher than then redworms but do not populate as fast.
Ask lots of questions here as you go along. As many questons as you will have, you will see there are many varying answers from the folks here. Everyone will share their best advice from their experience and then you will blend those answers to fit your situation. Get ready for a great, fun journey!

[Jay Blair]

Jimmy,
Some folks do claim success with Euros "from the get go", however , there are many factors to consider such as environmental requirements, hardness zones where the worms are bred and shipped to for use and of course product viability and chosen method of shipping

If you are just starting out most find Eisenia fetida easier to maintain while they are learning to maintain worms. Also you can begin with Eisenia fetida less expensively while building your knowledge by observation.

While starting with European night crawlers generally requires purchasing stock from commercial worm farms, sufficient compost worms can be obtained for no cost if you have access to a source of horse or cow manure.

Some of the most advertised distributors of European Night crawlers have been known to improperly ship their product in insufficiently maintained peat moss shipping bedding.

Recently, two Euro purchasers have contacted me of euros that they purchased from a Midwest U.S. distributor and the stock they received was only about 50% viable and they have not had their calls to the distributor returned yet.

My opinion is that the use of Eisenia fetida red worms or any indigenous worm you find in a composting leaf pile would be both more cost effective and a wider spectrum education that you can provide for yourself as you start out.

If you choose not to make a leaf mold / manure compost pile to begin your education in vermiculture, you can also purchase a few inexpensive cups of bait in your local market to begin herd cultivation.

Eisenia fetida while being a bit more versatile environmentally, the locally available bait is generally locally grown also.

This helps reduce some of the environmental stress your seed stock of worms will experience from shipping and environment changes.

Three growers I spoke with last year, have failed with Euros yet succeeded with Eisena fetida. Two ordered European Night crawlers from the same Midwestern U.S. commercial dealer while the third bought ENCs that were a product of Canada from the bait shop in Georgia where he lived .

They attempted to bin raise these ENC in Tennessee and Georgia. None of the three were able to maintain their ENCs for more than 5 weeks.

After successfully re-establishing their bins with E.f. manure worms they either purchased from area bait shops or harvested from aged compost piles they established, their bins are doing well and multiplying.

The user in Georgia who failed using the boxes of ENC imported from Canada established two bins using E.F. he harvested from a stables aged manure pile .

While keeping one bin of reds in an 80 degree environment, he placed the other in an environment of 65 to 70 degrees and added 30 product of Canada ENCs.

While his reds in the cooler environment were not as active, he has seen his 30 ENCs multiply to 42 over approximately 7 months.

During the same 7 months his bin of Eisenia fetida have produced enough to establish a second bin.

He is now attempting to harvest more of the E.f. from his cooler bin to allow the Canadian enc stock more room

Instead of spending $40 plus s & h per pound for ENCs, he harvested 10 pounds of E.F for free and bought $6 worth of ENC while he learned and his bins only cost him$15.

IMO to learn, it is better to spend some time and $15 or $20 to learn to be a worm farmer then to spend $100 or more on a risky venture that you are just learning.

Also for initial education resource, I would suggest visiting your local library for books on worm raising and environmental recycling by credentialed biology majors rather than using information on commercial web sites.

While books available at the library are more likely to be focused on education of worm farming, most commercial web sites I have found are primarily established as sales tools for the worms they sell. Use of books from the library in my opinion offer a less commercially biased view of worm raising and their environmental value.

The library will often have better historical publications to better show how worm farming has progressed over the last 50 to 60 years.

[jimmy2s83]

OK,
Thanks for the advice from everyone.
So to let you all know where I am at:
I followed the instructions on the plastic bin setup that Jay Blair sent me. I have placed the shredded paper, Handfull of dirt, a few pieces of bread crust and a little bit of coffee grounds with about 20 worms I found the other day before the weather dropped 25+ degrees and snow started to appear.
I have them placed in a closet that rarely is used so it will stay dark and the temp should be right around 65-70 during the winter.
Oh yeah the bin is a 10 gallon bin so it could be awhile before I have to use the 2nd bin seeming that I am only starting with a few worms. I have pondered the idea of purchasing some more worms at a bait shop to see some progress quicker.
As far as the reason I am doing it. Mostly curiosity. Although if I can start selling worms as bait for a couple extra bucks I won't be complaing seeming how this is for my own entertainment. Also I may use the Castings to start growing a small garden when it warms up. All in all I will be sure to ask questions. It will probably be a while before I order worms with the cost and my lack of knowledge. These 20 worms should prove to be a learning expirience that I hope to use in the latter days of worm farming.
Thanks again for everyones replies. I do hope someday that I will be one helping someone else get started.
Jimmy
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[Jay Blair]

Jimmy,

While the worms like it dark, you should have the bin area illuminated where the bin is if you see the worms crawling up the sides of the bin . The light keeps them sub surface and prevents bin escapes.

Also what type of worm are you using?

The worms will consume approximately 50% of their body weight in a 24 hour period.

As your stock increases your feed technique will require pre-composition of the foodstuffs to reduce the risk of anaerobic activity.

At this point your main lesson to learn is to ensure the worms do not try to escape the bin and the bedding moisture is at 65 to 75 % .

With only 20 worms in the bin, you will be able to leave the bin undisturbed for a longer period of time before turning the contents for aeration and cO2 displacement.

After a few days to a week lay a piece of white loaf bread on the surface to check for any red mite over infestation.

If the bread slice shows more than 1/8 surface coverage of red mites, let us know and we will talk you through the mite removal procedure..

If I get time I may just add the procedure to the beddings and feed board for easy reference.

Talk with you later,
Jay

[jimmy2s83]

The worms I am using are ones that I collected in my yard here in Indiana. I would believe they are just standard Red worms but could be mistaken. I have the worms out of the closet to keep some light around it as you suggested.
I did check on them and the bread was all still there. I couldn't really tell with the coffee grounds but could smell them. The worms seemed to be all huddled together just the same as when I put them in. However once light hit them they started to move to hide from it.
As for the Red Mites I will be sure to check that.
Thanks again for the tips.
Jimmy