Just new to worms, lots of questions

[KateM]

I first heard about raising worms about 6 months ago, and it caught my interest. I've looked up about every place on the internet to learn more about it, and everybody seems to have a different opinion.

I couldn't do it until we moved to a permanent place, but now that I'm able to, and I have a lot of questions

! I would like to raise worms mainly for fishing purposes. I'm thinking Euro's would be the way to go.

I'm thinking about getting some plastic totes from WalMart raise them in. What are your thoughts on that?

How deep do you want your bedding?

How do you gauge the temperature in the soil?

We've got a cool room underneath the stairs in our basement. It is dark, but it also has a light. Would that be an ideal place?

What is the maximum size for European's?

What are the optimum temps for the Euro's to breed in?

Some people say you fatten the worms by feeding them cornmeal, but others say NO! Does anybody have any experience with that?

How do you test the pH level of the soil?

Some people also say you have to have different kinds of bedding for different kinds of worms. What bedding would I use for Europeans?

I've heard from some people that you can start out your bedding with layers of shredded newspaper and dirt, but others say peat moss or something else. I'd think the newspaper and dirt would be cheapest, but would it work?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm learning!

Kate

[tomc]

Composting worms do best in temperatures from 40°F to 80°F much below that and only eggs survive. Much above and neither does (eggs or worms). So posting a general location and USDA zone is kind of central to what you'll need to do to farm worms.

Your goal may be for bait worms, but the byproduct is the grist for a gardener. They will want your worm poo.

Totes or masonry bins all will work; see temperature limits posted above.

Corn meal feeding is for colder blooded worms (read night crawlers) They will need less kitchen scraps and more high carbon bedding (and a dark residence),

Red wigglers live in a wider temperature range, and tolerate sunlight a little better.

[imafan26]

Composting worms don't live in dirt, they are not the same as earthworms. Earth worms live and eat dirt.

Composting worms need to have greens and browns, since they don't have teeth, a little grit is helpful. I started my worm bin with damp newspaper and I feed mine about once a week with kitchen scraps. They like fruits (no papaya seeds or citrus), they really love bananas. They will eat soft greens like lettuce, kale, comfrey, vegetable peelings take a little longer. They are not likely to do much with tough stems. I put bitter melon in the the bin and the leaves decompose but the vine does not, so I fish it out and throw that into the green bin instead. It is best to chop and freeze the greens so they break down faster. It is also better to freeze the veggies when you have too much.

If you overfeed the worms, the bin will smell like ammonia, if they are underfed they will eat the paper. If the bin is too dry or too wet the worms will either be dead or they will make a run for it. The bin does need to be watered, so it needs drain holes and a drain port to collect the worm pee. The worm pee is great for plants.

I went the cheap route and I have the double rubbermaid bins

The outer bin is to collect the worm pee. I use bricks as a spacer. I don't have a drain so I have to drain it manually. A drain is better, to prevent drowning your worms.

The inner bin has weep holes drilled all over it in the sides and a few on the bottom. I also drilled holes in one of the rubbe rmaid lids for air.

I usually have to add newspaper or compost every three weeks or so.


I can harvest vermicast about every three months.

Mostly I have India blue worms, but worm bins have a lot of other denizens that are hard to keep out. Mostly I have roaches in mine, but occasionally a spider. The hardest thing to keep out are the geckos, they will eat the worms. I don't have mice and since I limit the number of fruits I have in the bin, I don't have too many fruit flies and thankfully the ants are happy where they are and have not moved in. I put an additional screen under my cover. The lid should fit well.

Most people find a small half drum (5 gallon) works fine. A spigot is attached for the drain. Plastic bins in the shade don't heat up as much as metal. A piece of perforated partical board works nicely as a lid. It is usually attached with at hinge and the other side has a latch and lock.

The bin should be located in a cool spot but should get a lot of good air circulation. Except when I over feed the worms, the bin should not smell. However, I regularly have to evict the roaches.

[KateM]

How do I keep the soil temperature regulated?
I just started mine a few days ago (European Nightcrawlers in shredded cardboard and peat moss) I've got it in our basement (about 60º down there) and my soil temperature is at 50º-55º.
I'm aiming for 70º, but it's not getting there. I've got a heat blanket wrapped around one side so if they are cold they can go to that side, (in theory) but I'm not sure if it'd work.
Can anybody help me with that?
I'm in Montana, so if I set it outside, the temp. fluctuates very widely, and I'm assuming that's not good for the worms.

[imafan26]

50 isn't bad. Depending on the worms, they may move a little more sluggishly but they will survive.