I ordered 2000 worms from Uncle Jim's Worms about 2 weeks ago now. It took about 10 days, from order placement, to get here. They were packaged in a simple little bag inside a cardboard box. It looked like there were no casualties. All the worms, as far as I could tell, were ready to get into their new bin and get to work! I placed them in a 15 gallon fabric pot that I had partially filled with some peat moss and a small amount of kitchen scraps. I pored some water over them because they were shipped in a dry peat moss bedding.
The next day when I lifted the pot to see if there were any escapees and I found 2 worms underneath. I put them back in and have yet to find anymore runners! When I figure out how to post pictures I will and I will also post updates on how they are doing. I am really excited about these little farmers that are turning my scraps into garden gold!
I got these worms to help turn my decomposed granite garden sites into lush jungles of fruit and vegetable goodness. I also have a plan to grow the populations these red wigglers so that I can sell some. I am dreaming of a huge greenhouse that has worm bins under the pathways producing their castings for the plants growing there. Since I only have a small amount of worms right now I have more food than mouths to feed it to. When I have in ground worm beds full of red wigglers I am not sure that I will have enough to feed them. I can't wait to have too many worms to feed!
In the mean time I need to figure out how to track growth rates and how to inventory my stock. Oh yeah, I also am trying to keep my costs down. I want to use only waste materials to feed my worms. Also, I want to expedite the growth of my stock. I have a plan for that. I ordered worms so that I could see how they are shipped. I am able to find worms, for free, just by moving some leaves that have been mostly undisturbed for the last few years. The only problem I have with this method is that I am not able to be certain that the worms I find are red wigglers.
I am making an assumption based upon the research I have been conducting that shows that red wigglers are "compost worms" that feed on leaf litter and manure on the surface of the earth. Now I am sorting through ideas on farming them. I have been keeping worms for a few years now but I have been unable to produce the pure worm castings that I have bought at the garden centers. Actually, I have bought a few different brands. The one that seems to have the best consistency is the one I am attempting to emulate.
In my attempts I have run into some of the same problems that other folks are reporting on other sites. The main one being overfeeding and ending up with fungus gnats getting out of control. I have a stackable bin, with 4 trays, that I keep outside and I have 2 ten gallon rubbermaid style bins out there too. About a month ago I started a compost heap that I will eventually feed my worms.
I feel like I am starting to wander in this post. So, I will end it with a plan of action:
-- G.
The next day when I lifted the pot to see if there were any escapees and I found 2 worms underneath. I put them back in and have yet to find anymore runners! When I figure out how to post pictures I will and I will also post updates on how they are doing. I am really excited about these little farmers that are turning my scraps into garden gold!
I got these worms to help turn my decomposed granite garden sites into lush jungles of fruit and vegetable goodness. I also have a plan to grow the populations these red wigglers so that I can sell some. I am dreaming of a huge greenhouse that has worm bins under the pathways producing their castings for the plants growing there. Since I only have a small amount of worms right now I have more food than mouths to feed it to. When I have in ground worm beds full of red wigglers I am not sure that I will have enough to feed them. I can't wait to have too many worms to feed!
In the mean time I need to figure out how to track growth rates and how to inventory my stock. Oh yeah, I also am trying to keep my costs down. I want to use only waste materials to feed my worms. Also, I want to expedite the growth of my stock. I have a plan for that. I ordered worms so that I could see how they are shipped. I am able to find worms, for free, just by moving some leaves that have been mostly undisturbed for the last few years. The only problem I have with this method is that I am not able to be certain that the worms I find are red wigglers.
I am making an assumption based upon the research I have been conducting that shows that red wigglers are "compost worms" that feed on leaf litter and manure on the surface of the earth. Now I am sorting through ideas on farming them. I have been keeping worms for a few years now but I have been unable to produce the pure worm castings that I have bought at the garden centers. Actually, I have bought a few different brands. The one that seems to have the best consistency is the one I am attempting to emulate.
In my attempts I have run into some of the same problems that other folks are reporting on other sites. The main one being overfeeding and ending up with fungus gnats getting out of control. I have a stackable bin, with 4 trays, that I keep outside and I have 2 ten gallon rubbermaid style bins out there too. About a month ago I started a compost heap that I will eventually feed my worms.
I feel like I am starting to wander in this post. So, I will end it with a plan of action:
- Empty my stackable bin into the rubbermaid tubs, except one tray. This will be my gauge.
- Find more worms from around my property to fill the first tray to capacity (I am not sure how to tell what that is, but it is a goal).
- Find a rate to feed that tray.
-- G.
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