If you are squeamish about crawling animals like worms, you might think that worm farming is not for you. Be comforted with the thought that you are not the only person who feels the same way about worms. If you live in the city, in a small apartment or in a home with small grounds, you may think that composting is not for you. With a worm farming guide, much of these apprehensions can be dispelled.
Of course you can culture worms even if you are squeamish about worms. You do not need to touch them. Take note too that they are as queasy about humans. They go to hiding once they sense human presence. Further, be comforted with the thought that composting can be done with the use of some commercially available or recycled containers for composters. You also need not worry about large piles of decaying kitchen wastes. What you need to do is simply follow the suggestions in a worm farming guide to get all the basic techniques and tips to get you into the action.
Here are some basic tips and techniques that any worm farming guide can tell you:
1. Prepare your own composter. You can use wooden or plastic containers; decide based on what you have or what you can afford. But, remember that wooden worm bins work better because of improved oxygen circulation. If you must use plastic bins, make holes to ensure efficient circulation of gases. The size actually is immaterial unless there are certain factors to consider like the amount of space that you have in tight spaces in the grounds or garage. If you live in a place where these need to be transferred as the seasons change, you may also want fabricated worms bins that fit in the allocated space.
2. Pick the right worm type. Do you know that there over 3000 varieties of worms that you can breed? If your purpose is to compost kitchen wastes, the most ideal worm to use is the Red Worms. These worms are sturdy and can survive adverse environmental conditions, they are easy to care for and they proliferate fast. They are also voracious eaters and can consume kitchen waste equivalent to their weight. If your purpose is to breed worms as fish baits, then it is better to raise European Night Crawlers. In other words, the purpose of farming is important when deciding on the type of worm to grow.
3. Build the worm beds. Do the base of the bed using the black and white prints of the newspaper; don’t use the colored prints. Moisten these before placing at the bottom of the bin. Top this layer with a thin layer of garden soil mixed with a couple of egg shells. Keep all the layers damp, but not soggy. This will keep their skin moist that helps the worms breathe through their skin (cutaneous respiration) but not to the point of drowning.
4. Feed the worms right and with good interval. Anything that comes from living things (organic matters) can be fed to the worms. But, they hate certain foods like onion, garlic, teabags, coffee and citrus or acidic foods. Adding too much food can make the soil medium acidic as rotting ensues. To prevent this from happening, dump the food on just one spot at a time and wait until it is completely consumed before feeding the worms again. Adding lime and egg shells from time to time can prevent the development of acidic pH. The soil should remain neutral all the time. Making new beds is also important especially with extreme fouling of the worm beds.
5. Harvesting the castings (poop) and the worm tea (urine). These can be used in fertilizing the soil in your garden; this is the added benefit of growing your own worms. If you have more than enough, you can start sharing with the neighbors. In 2 to 3 years, they can grow so many to the point that you must think of how to make money out of selling the worms or its wastes (castings and worm tea).
If you want to harvest the castings, you need to separate the worms and prepare new beds for them just as you have done at the start. Remember, there is nothing to get worried about so long as you stick to a worm farming guide.