Today, I'd like to show you my start on a, "worm farm," in anticipation of next year's fishing season.
For this job, I've selected three junky, 5-gallon buckets picked up on the side of the road, with 1/4" holes evenly drilled in the bottom of two buckets.You can scale this to any size you want, and you may have seen plastic tote bins used for this. But, I had the buckets handy and they have been a go-to before, so they get the nod.
The Buckets Three
Cap It Off
- For now there is only the single bucket, #1, and it will be a few months until the worms chow through it and bucket #2 is needed.
In case I forgot to mention it, worm farming is a slow process. You need patience....
This project has been in operation for about a week and a half, as of publishing this article.
The Buckets Three
Bucket #1.
This is the first of 2 worm containment buckets; it starts the process.
As mentioned earlier, the bottom of the bucket is drilled with 1/4" holes, spaced about 2 inches apart.
It is then filled with shredded newspaper, dampened but not sopping wet. I shred the stuff by hand, and just wet it before adding it to the bucket. It isn't packed in tight, either, but is placed in loosely.
This will be the bedding media for the worms.
On top of the dampened newsprint, I've placed a large handful of composted native soil, and the worm bedding that comes in a tub of bait shop worms.
This bedding media is then capped with a piece of carpet, cut 1-1/2" smaller than the interior diameter of the bucket.
It is then filled with shredded newspaper, dampened but not sopping wet. I shred the stuff by hand, and just wet it before adding it to the bucket. It isn't packed in tight, either, but is placed in loosely.
This will be the bedding media for the worms.
On top of the dampened newsprint, I've placed a large handful of composted native soil, and the worm bedding that comes in a tub of bait shop worms.
This bedding media is then capped with a piece of carpet, cut 1-1/2" smaller than the interior diameter of the bucket.
Cap It Off
This smaller-diameter carpet cap is important. It creates an air-and-light gap between its edge and the side of the bucket. In effect, this makes an "exclusion zone" which the worms tend to avoid.... which, in turn, deters them from crawling up the side of the bucket.
The worms are given vegetable kitchen scraps and a few bits of dry cat food once a week, and only enough water to keep the bedding and carpet cap moist. They worms now have a happy little home in which to grow.
The worms are given vegetable kitchen scraps and a few bits of dry cat food once a week, and only enough water to keep the bedding and carpet cap moist. They worms now have a happy little home in which to grow.
Plantain and sweet potato peels, apple slices....yum!
All this has one main purpose - I want the worms to prefer living in the top layer of bedding, under the carpet cap, and near the food.
They can move throughout the bedding media as they feed and grow, but the top is to be their main living area.
Why? Because it makes it easier to find them when they're needed for fishing!
Bucket #2
After several months, the worms will have bred and multiplied in bucket #1, thoroughly infiltrating the media in the bucket.
In the process, they deplete the food and convert the bedding into mulch.
For these reasons, they eventually need to be moved to a fresh supply of bedding in a new bucket. That is where bucket #2 comes in to the picture. This bucket is essentially the same as bucket #1 - filled with dampened newspaper strips and drilled through the bottom with evenly spaced 1/4"holes.
To achieve the move to a new bucket, the carpet cap is taken off the first bucket, and # 2 is simply set on top of bucket number #1.
Then, since the worms are mostly in the upper level of bucket #1, they volunteer to crawl up into bucket #2 through the holes in its bottom, where they find new food and bedding into which their little "colony" can expand.
After about a week, nearly all the crawlers will be in bucket #2, and the media in bucket #1 can be processed.
To do that, you turn it out onto a plastic sheet, and examine it for any worms that didn't migrate to bucket #2. Any stragglers are collected and moved to their new home.
Lastly, the spent bedding - which is now mostly worm "poop" (aka castings) - is gathered up and put into the garden or compost pile.
Bucket #3
This is the liquid catch basin, into which the buckets drain. A large rock is in the bottom to keep the buckets from "sticking" together.
This catch basin exists because the working buckets continuously drain off small amounts of excess waste liquid; this is water that isnt directly utilized in the life and maintenance of the, "worm farm."
This liquid, called, "worm tea," is collected in the catch bucket and, like the composted bedding, can also be used as fertilizer for plants.
In the picture, you can see an adventurous worm has made it's way all the way down into the catch bucket, after only 1 week. So they do move around in the bedding, as they explore and grow.
Catch Bucket and Friend
They can move throughout the bedding media as they feed and grow, but the top is to be their main living area.
Why? Because it makes it easier to find them when they're needed for fishing!
Bucket #2
After several months, the worms will have bred and multiplied in bucket #1, thoroughly infiltrating the media in the bucket.
In the process, they deplete the food and convert the bedding into mulch.
For these reasons, they eventually need to be moved to a fresh supply of bedding in a new bucket. That is where bucket #2 comes in to the picture. This bucket is essentially the same as bucket #1 - filled with dampened newspaper strips and drilled through the bottom with evenly spaced 1/4"holes.
To achieve the move to a new bucket, the carpet cap is taken off the first bucket, and # 2 is simply set on top of bucket number #1.
Then, since the worms are mostly in the upper level of bucket #1, they volunteer to crawl up into bucket #2 through the holes in its bottom, where they find new food and bedding into which their little "colony" can expand.
After about a week, nearly all the crawlers will be in bucket #2, and the media in bucket #1 can be processed.
To do that, you turn it out onto a plastic sheet, and examine it for any worms that didn't migrate to bucket #2. Any stragglers are collected and moved to their new home.
Lastly, the spent bedding - which is now mostly worm "poop" (aka castings) - is gathered up and put into the garden or compost pile.
Bucket #3
This is the liquid catch basin, into which the buckets drain. A large rock is in the bottom to keep the buckets from "sticking" together.
This catch basin exists because the working buckets continuously drain off small amounts of excess waste liquid; this is water that isnt directly utilized in the life and maintenance of the, "worm farm."
This liquid, called, "worm tea," is collected in the catch bucket and, like the composted bedding, can also be used as fertilizer for plants.
In the picture, you can see an adventurous worm has made it's way all the way down into the catch bucket, after only 1 week. So they do move around in the bedding, as they explore and grow.
Catch Bucket and Friend
NOTES
- The worms are sold as, "wigglers," but are identified as eusenia hortensis, aka, European night-crawlers.
I got them about 2 months ago at a bait shop, and they've been in my refrigerator or utility room ever since! I fed them a little oatmeal and water through that period, but nothing else. They're very resilient in that way.
In fact, these worms are an important part of this project, because they are different than the common leaf worm found in the garden. I learned the hard way that those don't work for this, as they are not composting worms.
In fact, these worms are an important part of this project, because they are different than the common leaf worm found in the garden. I learned the hard way that those don't work for this, as they are not composting worms.
I tried farming them in the past, since I could get them easy enough in the woods. But they are a bit fragile for this job, they don't cooperate like the wigglers do, and they readily get wanderlust and tend to escape. This is probably due to their natural foraging habits, but overall, they are unsuitable for worm farming.
The wigglers, by contrast, are pretty hardy and they tend to stay put near the food. They are composting worms, which is crucial. They do well at temperatures between about 45 and 80 degrees, and are not very demanding. They also grow fast and are fatter and juicier than true, "red wigglers."
The wigglers, by contrast, are pretty hardy and they tend to stay put near the food. They are composting worms, which is crucial. They do well at temperatures between about 45 and 80 degrees, and are not very demanding. They also grow fast and are fatter and juicier than true, "red wigglers."
That's why they predominate in the commercial bait industry.
- This worm farm will be kept in an exterior utility room that is around 50 degrees in winter. This is to ensure my wifes peace of mind, more than anything. Worms in the house are definitely not her thing!
However, the worms reproduce better at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees, so I will be adding a heat mat below their buckets to assist with that.
However, the worms reproduce better at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees, so I will be adding a heat mat below their buckets to assist with that.
- For now there is only the single bucket, #1, and it will be a few months until the worms chow through it and bucket #2 is needed.
In case I forgot to mention it, worm farming is a slow process. You need patience....
- As I said in the beginning, you can scale your worm farm to any size.
In the past, I've used scavenged house-plant pots, thrown away coolers, plastic bins, even crisper drawers from an old refrigerator.
My preference is to scavenge and recycle the containers I use, going for the sort of thing that has been tossed on the trash heap.
By contrast, you can also spend as much money as you want and go super deluxe with it. If that's your style, have at it!
But the point is, most any type of container will work, with plastic being the hands-down choice for ease of drilling, etc.
Some people, by their nature, will want to go gigantic with this, and it adapts to that. I know one guy who does this in an old bath tub in his shed. Others use old refrigerators as a worm farm.
However, you'd be surprised how many worms will grow and live in a well-maintained bucket arrangement like this. Historically, I haven't needed a lot of worms, so a bucket worm farm has been about right.
In the past, I've used scavenged house-plant pots, thrown away coolers, plastic bins, even crisper drawers from an old refrigerator.
My preference is to scavenge and recycle the containers I use, going for the sort of thing that has been tossed on the trash heap.
By contrast, you can also spend as much money as you want and go super deluxe with it. If that's your style, have at it!
But the point is, most any type of container will work, with plastic being the hands-down choice for ease of drilling, etc.
Some people, by their nature, will want to go gigantic with this, and it adapts to that. I know one guy who does this in an old bath tub in his shed. Others use old refrigerators as a worm farm.
However, you'd be surprised how many worms will grow and live in a well-maintained bucket arrangement like this. Historically, I haven't needed a lot of worms, so a bucket worm farm has been about right.
But now that I'm remarried and have a fishing partner, I might need more. If that happens, the whole operation can just move into larger plastic tote bins.
- I will also look at doing this with Aftrican nightcrawlers before long. These worms are big, 6-12" long, but unlike their European and Canadian cousins, these African versions can tolerate the higher temperatures one finds here in the South. It seems prudent to have these available, as the smaller ones can be used for panfish, much like the red wigglers. But the big whoppers appeal to fish like catfish and bass. So they present a sort of two-fer deal for the worm farmer.
For now, thats it. Worms aren't very exciting, and there isnt much to do once they are settled in. Once or twice a week you feed them, give them some water - and then go do something else.
For now, thats it. Worms aren't very exciting, and there isnt much to do once they are settled in. Once or twice a week you feed them, give them some water - and then go do something else.
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I hope you found value in this article.
Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
Do you have questions, gripes, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com
Thanks so much for reading, and...
Tight Lines,
Tight Lines,