[Shrek]

Heres a link to a site with good plans for a home wormfarm bin assembly that costs less than $20 to construct. It is very similar to what I utilized to start my worm ranch here.

Only thing that I find myself in disagreement with is their listing of feed that worms dont like. They list feces as a do not feed item and I found composted cow manure to be an excellent feed additive.


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

 

[Ozarkguy]

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Thanks Shrek!

Take my word for it folks, if there is anyone that knows about this stuff, it's Shrek! This is the best site I've seen on worm ranching, and believe me, I've checked out many! Thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidays!

gotta love those hills.....

Ozarkguy

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[Balancedmom2003]

Thanks Shrek! Great site and very easy to understand. I do have one question. Can I also shred and use in the worm bins the colored sales papers, the glossy kinds? I tried to look through the archives but I could not access all of them.

Thanks!

 

[Jack in VA]

I always thought Rabbit manure was one of the best things to add . Comments?

 

[countrygurl]

rabbit manure is one of the best things to feed worms, it can go straight into the bed, rabbit manure does not heat up as it decomposes. as for my own red worms their diet is rabbit manure and now & then shredded paper. when i start a new bed i place newspaper on bottom a couple of layers and fill the rest 3/4
full of rabbit manure sok down and add worms. it works well for me & my worms
i do lay a cover ( what ever i have handy, scap plywood, tin ect just to keep unwelcome moochers out

countrygurl

 

[RAC]

This one is supposedly just for cat and dog poo. From what I understand (Real Goods used to sell one of these but not any more) you start them on and only feed them poo to get them used to it.

http://www.composters.com/docs/worms_p2.html#tw

 

[puffdog]

Hey great site Would this work outside in very cold weather ?

 

[pcdreams]

Call me behind but why do you farm worms? Do you sell them as bait or use them in compost or just a hobby?

 

[Shrek]

Thanks Shrek! Great site and very easy to understand. I do have one question. Can I also shred and use in the worm bins the colored sales papers, the glossy kinds? I tried to look through the archives but I could not access all of them.

Thanks!

Some folks say not to, but I do add them too. I even shred the plastic bill envelope windows and sift the plastic out when I harvest the castings. Just no staples in the bins.

 

[Shrek]

Call me behind but why do you farm worms? Do you sell them as bait or use them in compost or just a hobby?

All of the above. I enjoy propagating my herds, make compost for my SFG and excess worm stock yields me a dollar per cup of 60. I sent out 200 cups to resellers today

 

[Balancedmom2003]

Some folks say not to, but I do add them too. I even shred the plastic bill envelope windows and sift the plastic out when I harvest the castings. Just no staples in the bins.

Thanks ever so much! Next payday I will get the materials to make my first worm bin with that handy description! I appreciate it!

 

[Shrek]

www.wormdigest.org is the worm forum that I participate in and has a wide section of vermicomposters and worm farmers. We range from the cheap start up folks like me to the poor folks that got drawn into the buyback ponzi schemes that took them for thousands of dollars and left them with tons of worms to maintain with no market.

If anyone ever offers you a worm deal that sounds like you'll be a millionaire in 3 years RUN... right to walmart or wearever and buy two bins, then go get two to four cups of bait and start. As the year progresses, cultivate those worms and harvest the castings. Make sure to seperate the little lemon drop cocoons from the castings so your herd grows. Then bag those castings and sell them to gardeners for $5 a gallon and use the money to buy more bins for the next time you harvest the compost.

After a few years of investing time not money, you have a worm ranch. By adding consignment bait sellers as you grow, you have a market for your bait.

 

[r.h. in okla.]

Shrek, how do you keep your worms alive through the heat? I know it is a little cooler in your area then here in Oklahoma. I tried this method using native night crawlers and ended up loosing all of them when our annual summer heat drought hit us. I couldn't find a shady enough spot to keep them cool and my wife would definetly not go for bringing them inside the house. In the rainny spring time I can walk up and down the creek bottom and collect a 5 gallon bucket half full of native night crawlers but keeping them alive when the summer heat comes is something I have yet able to learn. Are red wigglers more heat tolerant?