How I Am Using Redworms In My Garden

Let me start out by saying that I am a fan of a well fed worm trench system. My garden has begun to grow since I dug the trench and began adding manure to it. The key seems to be the manure. Now that I've had some slight success with the trench I've decided to create a series of garden beds that all utilize the same worm trench.

I dug a trench, that may need to be resized, that will have a 4' x 4' garden bed butted up to it. I will have another one next to it with a small 18" path between them. Opposite these beds, across the trench I will mirror this setup. I plan on having 18" paths between all my gardens. If I have enough room I am going to duplicate the trench and pattern of garden beds. I will plant in this setup and feed the worms more often and see if I can't grow some really nice veggies and some sweet fruits.

Meanwhile I've got two stackable worm bins and an old couch frame made into a three chambered on the ground bin. The stackable bins are doing the best right now. The on ground bin is getting attacked by large scavengers and making a mess. I should put a cover of some sort. I can do that today. It's just so hot out today. I will wait til this evening. Don't worry, the worms have shade all day,they are doing fine.

I haven't really checked the trench for worms, I have just noticed that the additions of cow manure have seemed to shrink into the pile pretty quickly. I need to add more soon. I have to go next door and pick up some free horse manure this weekend. That should keep them fed for a month or so. If not I can just go next door and get some more. Three horses work up a good pile to feed a lot of worms. I wonder how large a population that source alone could maintain. I guess a few months will tell. I wonder how long it will take for them to catch up. I wonder if I should weigh each time I feed them or just wait and let the worms catch up to the food source.

I think I've been under feeding my worms. They were growing and there were tons of them. I've spread them out quite a bit but I have been consolidating lately. I like having less bins to manage. It is easier to put food in one place than to try to remember whose been fed and who has been neglected. I know it is not too difficult to make a schedule and get a good feel for when they need food. It is just a matter of deciding when to do it.

Experimental Results in My Worm Farming Adventures

I had been putting 100 worms every week into small shoe box containers. I was having mixed results. Some containers were growing and flourishing and others were not doing as well. I noticed that the bins that had more moisture were the ones that did better. The ones that had less moisture didn't seem as alive. It seems that the worms aren't as much at risk of drowning as some misinformation out there would like for you to think. I did end up putting all of the shoe box colonies back together in an in ground bin outside.

As far as I can tell, in the past 3 days, the worms seem fine outside. My worm trench is really starting to pick up too. I am not sure if it is due to the increased moisture it has been receiving or if it is the steer manure I fed it or if it is a combination of summer, moisture and food. Since I am in Southern California I don't think that winter is going to be much of a struggle.

Our winters here in this valley rarely ever even see frost. I mean there are some cold mornings, every year, where frost shows up but the ground has never frozen, that I am aware of. The combination of a mild winter and some warm compost should keep them comfortable for winter. I may even try to grow a tomato plant all winter long. I think my porch may be warm enough. The only problem is that there may not be enough daylight.

I also have a bucket with 3/8" hole drilled in it buried out in the yard. I have been putting some bokashi compost and some garden waste in it and there are tons of worms all over in there. My garden is starting to pick up. It has a long way to go before I will be satisfied with it but the combination of more water and the worms being near by is starting to make a difference. It may also be the steer manure I piled on top of the worm trench. Any way you look at it I am getting better results. I am going to make a new trench with a 2' garden on each side of it. I am pleased with my results so far and I believe I will continue to improve as time goes on. As I start to see improvement I also gain motivation to do more work in the garden. It is a matter of how much you have to feed to the worms and how much room you have to keep them.

I recently picked up a new worm factory. I really need to start taking advantage of the nearby sources of free horse manure and start growing more worms faster. I only have so much time each day and only so much irrigation. I need to invest in more hoses and more sprinklers. That would allow me to care for more gardens with less effort. I could also build a shelter for a large quantity of worms. I could grow worms in large rubbermaid bins and sell worms and produce enough castings to keep my yard green. So, my new goal is to automate my irrigation and build a worm shack to house a large population of worms. In order to do that I need to start investing time in getting worm food supply. I will have to buy them food which may be a good investment but getting free manure is even more cost effective. I want to sell them locally but also online. There is a lake nearby that I may be able to sell bait worms to and there are lots of small farms. I need to start making money from my efforts.