How do I grow worms to sell?  You’ve got a bin, maybe it’s a plastic tub, maybe it’s a Worm 360.  Your worms are doing well, multiplying.  How do you scale so you can grow worms for sale? I am by no means a major player in the worm world, but here are a few things I’ve learned about growing worms for sale.

Worms Need to Be Lonely To Breed

Composting worms will self regulate their population.  That means your worm population will grow only as large as space will allow.  It doesn’t matter how much you feed them.  So if you want more worms, give them lots of elbow room.  The Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture recommends a stocking rate of 1/2 to 1 lb per square foot for optimal reproduction.

Keep a Record of What You Do

I know of what I speak, people.  I was very lax and inconsistent about keeping records and it did not benefit me.  Once you get more than a few bins or systems going, you will not remember what you did when and what needs to be done.  Trust me, you won’t.

What I do now is put sticky notes on the sides of the bins.  Every time I feed, add worms, remove worms, it goes on a sticky note with the date and gets stuck on the side of the bin.  I even put notes to myself like, let sit, or has fruit flies, or baby worms etc.  This works a lot better than trying to arrange the bins in some type of order, or just figuring I’ll remember.  The only problem is that sometimes the sticky notes get knocked off, but it hasn’t been a major problem.

Keep Mix Light For Harvest

It’s going to take at least 3 months to breed some worms, so at the beginning this isn’t so important.  However, when you’re getting closer to the time of harvest, I recommend keeping the paper out of the bin.  Paper is the number one sticky element, and will gum up the works when it comes to harvesting.

Coco coir, although I don’t highly recommend it as a bedding, will keep your worm bin material light and easy to separate.  One thing about coco coir is that it doesn’t clump, at least I haven’t experienced it.  Adding some coco coir toward the last month or so before harvest can help lighten your mixture.

Remember, I’m talking about harvesting worms here, not producing compost.

Another factor in producing a light mix for worm harvest is to let the bin material mature.  That means stop feeding and let the worms work through all the feedstock in the bin.  I can’t give you a set amount of time for this process.  Just know that your worms can easily go a month without feeding with a full bin of material.

Drier Is Better

Once you’re ready to harvest, let the bin dry out.  The drier the better.  Normally, we want our worm bins full of moisture.  But come harvest time, drier is better.  The bin material should be crumbly, not sticky.  Don’t worry if they top layer becomes quite dry.  There’s plenty of moisture underneath, and the worms can take some drier conditions temporarily.

What About Baby Worms?

What happens if you have a major baby worm outbreak and there are also lots of adults?  First of all congratulations!  I love when this happens.  I wish it would happen more often.

What I do is separate out the bulk of the adults and place in a new bin.  Then I add a layer of food for the babies in the original bin and leave them alone to grow.

Anybody have any other tips for growing worms?  Let me know in the comments below.

The flow through bin has been set up and functioning for about 6 weeks now.  You can see a video of it in a previous post.

This is how I set up the inside:

• 4 layers of newspaper, overlapping, and up the sides a little bit
• 4″ of peat and finished compost
• contents of 4 plastic tub worm bins
• 2″ of cooked down but not finished compost
• about 3 gallons kitchen scraps
• shredded newspaper and cardboard

Flow Through Worm Bin Details

As far as starting worm count, I’d say at least 4 pounds, but probably not more than 6.  And that’s a rough estimate.

I’m keeping the compost that broke through in the bottom hopper so that worms that fall through have someplace to survive.

I’m watering every other day and leaving the lid propped open.  Daily highs for the last 3 weeks I’d say have been between 94 and 98.  The sun has climbed high enough that the bin does catch sun on the top for about 1/2 hour.  We’ve got 8 days until summer solstice so I don’t think it sun exposure should grow too much beyond 1/2 hour.

Worm Food for the Flow Through Bin

I’ve stopped putting actual food scraps in the bin because they consistently heat up.  So I’m just feeding  cooked down compost from the garbage can compost bins.

Garbage can compost is leaves and kitchen scraps in garbage cans with holes drilled in them for air.  I also put a tube of hardware cloth down into the can to help with ventilation.

Critters in the Flow Through Bin

There are lots more critters in this outdoor flow through than my indoor plastic bins.  So far I’ve seen:

• black soldier fly larvae – these are coming from the garbage can compost
• earwigs
• a few mites
• potato bugs

I’m planning on adding some more worms within the next month.  I’m hoping to be harvesting worm compost out the bottom by September.

What I like:

• Nice and big – I can add chunky stuff like a whole half of an egg carton and it doesn’t disrupt the bin
• Easy – once again, the large size allows for lots of food, lots of bedding, many areas of activity
• It breathes – unlike plastic tub bins (probably their most notable fault).
• If it works like it’s supposed to, I will definitely like harvesting compost without as much hassle.

What I don’t like:

• The hopper is just deep enough that it’s difficult to reach the bottom standing on a step ladder.  This is by no means a major issue.
• So far, no other complaints

What do you think?  Are you going to build a flow through worm composting bin?  Do you have one already?

I just had a wooden flow through bin built.  I’m so excited!  I based it on Larry’s pictures over at vermicomposters.com.  My specific dimensions are 36″ long and 18″ wide.  The depth of the hopper is 30″ and the depth of the lower bin is 12″.  The inside grate is PVC.  I specified rebar or conduit, but my builder thought otherwise.  I may have trouble with that, I’m not sure.

As soon as I get it up and running, I’ll let you know how it goes.  I planning on dumping those bins you see in front of it in there to get started.  That’s at least 4 lbs of worms.

For those of you who don’t know, the idea behind a flow through is that you feed the top and the compost moves down.  Eventually, it falls through the grates in the flow through and you can harvest worm free compost.

I can hardly wait.

Is my worm bin too wet?  It’s a common question, especially for beginners.  It’s hard to tell if your bin is too wet or too dry.

This week’s Worm is a bin check.  I have many, many plastic bins full of worms.  More than you want to know about.

I made a video of a bin check.  As you are watching the video, you may be wondering why the bin changes color from blue to purple.  It’s because I cut the first bin out of the video because you really couldn’t see anything the way I filmed it.

Did you like this video post?  Want more?  Tell me in the comments.

You’ve been researching worm composting.  You found this blog.  You’ve found other worm composting blogs.  You’ve been thinking about doing it, building a worm composting bin, that is.  What are you waiting for?

List of Worm Composting Excuses

1. I don’t have room. Can you find room for a 10 gallon plastic bin?  I don’t recommend anything too much smaller, but I’m sure you can find a spot for a 10 gallon bin.  Use it as a foot rest in front of your favorite chair.  Worms are quite content in closets, under sinks and in the garage too.  The only thing you need to keep in mind are temperature extremes.
2. I don’t have time.  You will need to spend all of 10 minutes every 2 weeks with your worms.  Just pop in and make sure they have food and moisture.  That’s it.  You’ll have to put food scraps aside for them, but how long does it take to put potato peels in a plastic bag?
3. I don’t know how to do it.  That’s what this blog is for.  Check out  this post on how to build a bin.  And here’s one about feeding composting worms.  Here’s another about the 5 essential elements of worm composting.  Just browse the categories on the right to find what you need to know.   Or you can ask questions here.  Just post in the comments below.  You can also ask questions at vermicomposters.com.  Everyone there is very friendly and will help you out.  Andrew over there pointed me to this Vermiculture Farmers Manual.  It’s a technical publication, but not very long or difficult to read.
4. I don’t know where to get composting worms.  I can get you composting worms and so can a lot of other people.  You might even find someone to give you some like Jim did earlier this year.  Check Craigs List and Ebay Local ads.  I see ads for them all the time.

List of Reasons to Start Worm Composting

1. Keep kitchen scraps out of the landfill.  This may not seem like much but it’s one of those things that if everybody did it, it would make a huge impact.  Think about all the newspaper and plastic bottles that used to get thrown away.  That’s a lot of landfill space.  There’s no reason to throw organic matter in the landfill.  Compost it.  Worm compost it.
2. Sequester carbon.  This goes along with #1.  Organic matter rotting in a landfill produces methane gas which is a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than CO2.  Only a tiny fraction of the methane produced in landfills is captured and used.  Creating compost from organic matter actually sequesters, or ties up carbon so it can’t be released into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 or methane.
3. Create living soil.  Soil is alive.  It’s teeming with bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms which hold moisture and allow for the uptake of nutrients and minerals by plants.  Human activities such as plowing destroy this wonderfully diverse and critically important ecosystem that we can’t see with the naked eye.  Worm compost is alive and teeming with these inhabitants of the soil.  By applying worm compost to the soil, even a potted plant, you are repairing the damage done and helping to ensure human survival.
4. Evoke curiosity.  When you raise composting worms, people are curious.  Some people are freaked out, but it still sparks interest.  The more people you can touch with your strange (in their eyes) relationship with worms, the better.  I find that lots and lots of people are interested in composting with worms and don’t realize how easy it is.

So what are you waiting for?  Start a worm composting bin today.

Newly arrived worms are restless. They will escape the bin if they can and will dry up and die on the floor if you can’t get to them soon enough.  One of the things I’ve found quite helpful to alleviate this situation is to wrap the newly arrived worms in a blanket, similar to swaddling a newborn.

How to Prevent Worm Escape

Let me explain.  You’ve probably got some old towels lying around.

1. Lay a towel across the bottom of your bin.  If you’ve got small towels, you can use more than one.
2. Soak this bottom towel layer down with water.
3. Place food and bedding on top of the wet towel(s).
4. Soak this layer with a spray bottle.
5. Add worms.
6. Cover with a dry towel or towels.
7. Tuck in the edges all the way around so it looks like a pillow.

I’ve found that this little pouch helps encourage the worms to stay put toward the bottom.   I’ve used this in plastic tub bins and it works quite well.  Even placing a dry towel on top and adding dry bedding on top of the towel seems to decrease worm escape.

In the stackable tray style bins, the holes in the tray bins are made so worms can move up through the trays.  If you start your first tray with the baby blanket method and keep both sides dry, the worms will stay stay put in the middle and very few will migrate toward the bottom reservoir.

If you leave the towels where they are, they will eventually rot and become part of the compost.  Or you can remove them after the worms have settled down.

worm baby blanket

Spring is coming and with it worm composting classes.  I have a class scheduled with Northside ISD in February.  It’s called Build a Worm Composting Bin.  In the class we will discuss worm composting and build a bin from a plastic tub.  Every participant will go home with a complete worm bin including worms.  So if you’ve been wanting to compost with worms and wondering exactly how to do it, this class is for you.

Topics discussed will include:

• what’s different about composting worms?
• what can I feed composting worms?
• can I put composting worms in the garden?
• how long does it take to make worm castings?
• what is worm tea and how do I make it?

Composting with worms is not difficult but there a few things you need to know upfront before embarking on your adventure with worms.

5 elements of worm composting

Red wiggler worms are not your ordinary garden worm.  They specialize in processing decaying organic matter and can process at least their own body weight in waste a day.  Red wigglers are not difficult to raise or keep.   By following just a few simple rules, you will be guaranteed worm composting success.

Keep Composting Worms in the Dark

Composting worms do night like light.  They will do whatever is necessary to escape the light.  So keep your compost bins completely dark.  This means plastic bins must be opaque.

Have a nice, tight fitting lid.  It helps to have a good lid for new bins because newly arrived worms tend to escape.  This also helps you create a totally dark environment, which will help your worms feel at home.  After your worms settle in, you can leave the lid off.

Lots of Bedding is Critical

The most accessible and free form of bedding is paper waste.  Newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons, paper bags, paper towels and the like all make great bedding.  Tear it up into small pieces.  Corrugated cardboard can be soaked in order to make it easier to tear.  Paper bags, newspaper, and office paper can be shredded in an office shredder.

Having plenty of bedding is critical to worm composting success.  Bedding keeps the bin balanced with carbon, keeping it from going anaerobic from the nitrogen rich food.  Bedding also absorbs excess moisture which is very important in plastic bins.

Cover any food with bedding.  This will help keep flies away.  A thick layer of dry bedding on top of the bin will help keep worms down in the bin instead of roaming.  Having plenty of bedding ensures your worms will have something to eat in case the food runs out.  In a word, bedding.

Composting Worms Like it Wet

Composting worms like a moisture rich environment.  In fact, they can survive in pools of water provided there is enough oxygen.  I wouldn’t recommend having water pooling in your compost bin because too much water can actually cut off oxygen in the system.  However, know that composting worms need a water rich environment in order to retain their water rich bodies.

In the area in which the worms inhabit, your composting bin should be moist to the touch.  Like a wrung out sponge is the common description.  To me, like a wrung out sponge means that if it were an outdoor chair, you wouldn’t sit on it because you’d get up with a wet butt.

Being wet to the touch is perfectly fine.  Moisture content can be regulated by opening and closing the lid and by adding bedding.

Worm Composting is Aerobic Composting

Worm composting is aerobic just like the standard compost pile.  This means that oxygen is needed to feed the system.  Oxygen is critical.  If oxygen is cut off, the aerobic bacteria die.  When aerobic bacteria die, the composting process either stops or becomes anaerobic.  Anaerobic composting produces sulfer gasses which stink.  A septic tank is full of anaerobic bacteria.

The only difference between a standard composting pile and worm composting is that, in general, you don’t want your worm composting system heating up.  The high temperatures of a hot compost pile will kill composting worms.

Composting Worms Like it Tropical

Composting worms like a warm and humid environment.  Temperatures between 65°F and 85°F are ideal.  Temperatures below 65°F will decrease worm and compost activity.  Freezing temperatures will kill composting worms, but their cocoons can survive such conditions.  Temperatures above 85°F are getting into the danger zone and can kill composting worms quickly.

The best bet for maintaining ideal temperatures for composting worms is to keep them in the house.  If you keep them outside, keep worms in the shade.  Direct sun on a bin can heat it up fast, especially in the summer.  The larger the volume of your worm composting bin, the more slowly the temperature will change due to external conditions.  That is, if you have a 10 gallon bin 1/2 filled with compost and worms, it will respond to outdoor temperature changes quickly.  If you have a 75 gallon outdoor bin, it will change temperature much more slowly than the 10 gallon bin.

Bins can be insulated with straw, bags of leaves, bubble wrap, or Styrofoam board, just to name a few items.  Water makes a great insulator.  If you are able to place a garbage can of water on either side of the bin, the water mass can provide a nice micro-climate in the immediate area.

These 5 rules should give you a solid basis to start raising composting worms.  A lot more detail can be added to each point, and I will do that in future posts.  Don’t stress out too much, composting worms can tolerate a lot of abuse.  If you have any further questions, post them in the comments below.

If you’re just getting started with worm composting, you may be wondering which type of worm bin is best.   There are basically 4 types:

• bins
• flow throughs
• stackables
• beds

Bins

Under this category fall any box-type container you might use to contain worms.  Bins can be plastic, lumber, plywood, a plastic outdoor composter converted to worm hotel, garbage can, and old dresser drawer, you get the idea.

garbage can flow through

Flow Through

Flow through containers are also box type containers which take advantage of the fact that composting worms will only inhabit the upper 1 ft to 18 inches of their living environment.

With a flow through, you continue to feed from the top and harvest from the bottom.  As the food “flows through” the bin toward the bottom, it is processed by the worms, and eventually falls out the bottom.

There’s a whole clan of people who create flow through bins out of anything and everything they can get their hands on.  Like the regular bin-type, flow throughs can be very inexpensive and easy to put together.

What makes the flow through operational is a hole at the very bottom for harvesting.  Just above the hole at the bottom is a grid of some type that allows finished compost to fall through.

Stackables

If you search worm composting bin on the internet, most likely what you’ll come up with are a bunch of stackable bins.  These include Can O’ Worms and the Worm Factory 360, and other commerically produced worm bins.  These commerical bins run around $100 each.

You can make your own stackable by making a series of wooden frames about 18″ tall with hardware cloth on the bottom.  Stack these frames on top of one another, add some type of lid, and you’ve got a stackable worm composting system.

The idea behind the stackable is that when one tray is full of compost, you can feed the tray directly above, and the worms will move into the tray with new food.  By the time worms move into the top tray, the bottom tray should be good compost and free of worms.

Beds

Sierra Worm Solutions

Worm composting beds are pretty much outdoor systems.  Some operations might have beds inside a shed to provide some protection from weather.

A worm composting bed is usually about 18 inches deep and constructed from cinder blocks, lumber, brick or some other material with which to form a wall.  A worm composting bed sits directly on the ground, perhaps with some chicken wire on the bottom to keep varmints out.

Worm composting beds can also be constructed by digging out the ground 18 inches or so.  These beds can also be lined with chicken wire to keep varmints out.

Worms, bedding and food are added to the worm bed, and presto, worm composting system complete.  These types of beds can go on for tens of yards if desired.  Needless to say, they are a great way to start a garden.

Which Type of Worm Bin Is Best?

So which type is best?  It depends on you.  If you’re just starting out, a bin type kept in the house is pretty foolproof.   Worms kept outside benefit from a large volume bin to help regulate temperature fluctuations.  So maybe a large flow through or a worm bed would work for you.

I’ve got a gallery on flickr of worm bins.  I found only 1 flow through picture, but you can find lots of flow through pictures on vermicomposters.com and search under flow through.

Send pictures of your worm composting set up and I’ll be happy to post them.  Just use the contact form.

A common problem for worm bins is that they are either too wet, common with plastic bins, or too dry, common with outdoor setups.

If your worm bin gets too wet you risk cutting off oxygen and causing the bin to go anaerobic.

If it’s too dry, you risk killing off your worms and bacteria.

The optimal moisture range is actually quite large, which is one reason I like worm composting.  The worms are very forgiving and will hang with you even if you’re not paying close attention.

Optimally, the bin materials should be about as moist as a wrung out sponge.  But note, that worms can survive in pools of water as long as they are receiving oxygen.  I routinely remove living worms from my worm tea bags after soaking in water for 24 hours.

For plastic bins, watch for soaking wet conditions toward the bottom.  For flow through systems and outdoor setups, watch that the top doesn’t dry out too  much.

If Your Worm Bin is Too Wet

Add some bedding and rake and turn the contents.  Remove the lid for a few days.  It’s okay to leave the lid off for extended periods of time.  Cover the top with a nice layer of bedding.  This will discourage worms from leaving the bin.

If Your Worm Bin is Too Dry

The obvious thing to do when your bin is too dry is to add water.  To help retain water is a bin that is tending toward drying out, cover it with:

• old carpet
• burlap
• astro turf/fake grass mat
• coir

I usually don’t use coir as worm bedding, but it’s a really nice moisture retaining mulch.  Soak it as directed and cover the top with a good 2 inches.