Ethan Clarke
Raising worms can be a fun and profitable project. Worms can be raised for fishing bait, as live axolotl feed, or for composting bins. A plastic container can be used to create a worm bin, which can be easily made at home or bought premade. The size of the container depends on the number of worms to be raised. The container should have a lid to prevent worms from escaping, and small holes should be drilled in the bottom for water drainage and in the lid for airflow. The container should then be filled with shredded cardboard or paper, with the addition of a few inches of dirt or potting soil, and a bit of water to maintain moisture.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Container Type | Plastic or foam |
| Container Size | 15 inches deep, 25 inches wide and 5 inches high, or three five-gallon buckets |
| Container Lid | Required (plastic, plywood or cloth) |
| Container Holes | Required for drainage and airflow |
| Container Location | Indoor or outdoor |
| Container Temperature | 55-75°F (13-24°C) |
| Container Contents | Shredded cardboard, paper, soil, food scraps, water |
| Worm Species | Red wigglers, nightcrawlers, Alabama Jumpers, etc. |
| Worm Population | 2 dozen worms per square foot of container space |
| Worm Food | Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags |
| Worm Requirements | Water, food, oxygen, darkness, warmth |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing the right worm breed
Other good options for worm composting include nightcrawlers, which are commonly used for fishing bait and are available in two varieties: the European nightcrawler (Dendrobaena hortensis) and the African nightcrawler (Eudrilus Eugeniae). The European nightcrawler is the larger cousin of the red wiggler and prefers slightly cooler temperatures, while the African nightcrawler is a tropical worm that can stand higher temperatures provided it is given enough moisture. However, it may begin dying at 60°F, making it unsuitable in cooler regions without a climate-controlled environment.
If you're looking for a worm that is particularly well-suited to vermicomposting, the Epigeic worm is the one to choose. This type of worm likes to settle on top of the soil and eat and live off organic scraps. They also adapt well when placed inside a worm composting bin or worm bed. Within this group, the red wiggler (Eisenia fetida) is the most common option, but another species to consider is the Eisenia andrei.
Finally, if you're interested in a worm that is adaptable to concentrated organic waste streams, the tiger worm (Eisenia fetida) and the red worm (Lumbricus rubellus) are commonly used in worm farms and are rapidly increasing in popularity. These worms thrive in rotting vegetation and can live in garden soil if they are supplied with an ongoing source of food that is in contact with the soil.
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Preparing the container
Next, you need to create bedding for the worms. Shredded cardboard or paper can be used, but avoid coloured or printed paper as this can be toxic to worms. You can also use strips of newspaper, which should be placed in the container and dampened with water—the bedding should feel like a wrung-out sponge, moist but not dripping. Add dry strips of paper or cardboard if it gets too wet. Fill the container to about three-quarters full with bedding.
Now, add some soil. Sprinkle in a couple of cups of soil, which will introduce beneficial microorganisms and aid the worms' digestive process. You can use potting soil or soil from outdoors.
At this point, you can add your worms. Before doing so, it's a good idea to weigh or measure the volume of the worms to ensure you're providing enough food and to make record-keeping easier. Place the worms gently into their new home and cover the container.
Finally, you need to provide food for the worms. Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags are all suitable foods. Bury the food scraps in the bedding, ensuring they are covered to avoid attracting fruit flies.
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Feeding your worms
Worms require about three times their weight in food per week. For every pound of food waste per week, you will need about one square foot of bin space. It is recommended to feed your worms only once a week, and to monitor the bin to see if they are eating the food. If they are not, adjust feeding levels accordingly.
To feed your worms, bury food scraps in the bin. Lift up the bedding, add food scraps, then cover the food with bedding. Place a full sheet of dry newspaper on top of the bedding to help maintain the moisture balance, keep any possible odors in the bin, and prevent fruit flies from making a home in the bin.
If you are using a multi-level worm bin, the worms will start out with bedding and food on one level. As they fill that level, they will instinctively migrate to the next level, leaving behind finished compost for you to use in your garden.
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Worm bin maintenance
The bin should have a lid to prevent the worms from escaping and to keep out flies and pests. Air holes should be drilled into the bin to provide oxygen, but these should be small enough to keep bugs out, or covered with mosquito netting. The bedding should be damp, and made of shredded cardboard, paper, or newspaper strips. Avoid coloured or printed paper, as this can be toxic to worms. The bedding should be fluffy, not packed down, to provide air for the worms.
The worms should be added gently to their new home, and the bin covered. Worms do not like light, so a light left on overhead will prevent them from wandering. The worms will naturally migrate towards the food source, and will be joined by other insects and microorganisms. The bin should be placed away from windows and heaters.
Worm bins can be stacked with two buckets, with the worms starting on the bottom level with bedding and food. As they digest the food and turn it into compost, you can add food and bedding to the next level, and the worms will migrate upwards. The bottom bucket will collect any moisture created, which can be harvested and used to fertilize plants.
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Harvesting compost
Vermicomposting is the technical name for worm composting—the process of using various species of worms to digest and convert organic material into usable garden compost. Worm bins produce more worms as well as great compost.
There are several methods for harvesting worm compost:
Method 1
- Feed the worms on one side of the bin for a couple of weeks to draw them to that side.
- Once all the worms are on one side, harvest the compost on the other side and use it in your garden.
- Be sure to harvest compost at the end of the week, before you feed the worms again.
Method 2
- Push all of the worm bin contents to one half of the bin, removing any large pieces of undecomposed food or newspaper.
- Put fresh bedding and food scraps in the empty side of the bin.
- Continue burying food scraps only in the freshly bedded half.
- Over the next 2-3 weeks, the worms will move over to the new side (where the food is), leaving their compost behind in one section.
- When this has happened, remove the compost and replace it with fresh bedding.
- To facilitate worm migration, cover only the new side of the bin, causing the old side to dry out and encouraging the worms to leave the old side.
Method 3
- Dump the entire contents of the worm bin onto a sheet of plastic, cardboard, or paper.
- Make several individual cone-shaped piles. Each pile will contain worms, compost, and undecomposed food and bedding.
- As the piles are exposed to light, the worms will migrate towards the bottom of the pile.
- Carefully remove castings from the top of the pile, repeating several times until you've harvested most of it.
- Put the worms back into the bucket, and start anew.
The compost you harvest will most likely contain a worm or two, along with old food scraps and bedding. If you are using the compost outdoors, there is no need to worry—the worms will find a happy home and the food scraps and bedding will eventually decompose. If you are using the compost indoors, you may want to remove old bedding and food scraps for aesthetic purposes and ensure that there are no worms in the compost.
You can store your compost in airtight containers until spring when you can once more use it as a soil amendment or mulch.
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Frequently asked questions
The first step is to pick a container. A plastic bin setup is one of the easiest ways to start raising worms. The size of the container depends on how many worms you want to raise.
Drill small holes in the bottom of the container for water to drain and in the lid for airflow.
Worms can be fed fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, and coffee grounds. Bury the food scraps in the bin and cover them with bedding.
Keep the worms between 55-75 degrees F. Too hot or too cold will hurt them.
