Worm Farm

[Jesseliu13]

So i just got my New BD from VAMPTREV. beautiful ray and really active too. hardcore eater as well. Since i have quite a few juvis and i am thinking of breeding, i feel constantly buyings worms for these guys is a waste of money. especially if i am thinking of breeding i feel that i should probably find a better way to produce their food source. Has anyone here built an earthworm farm? if so any tips?

there are tons of sites online showing me how to build one but the product they seek is their excretion so they dont like to see the worms. unlike what my needs are for i need to see the worms... i could care less about the composts (though i may use it in a future garden or let my dad snag the liquid gold).

 

[moosemj]

I just started one. It's a work in progress. Not sure they are reproducing yet, but so far so good. At least they are staying alive.

 

[millerkid519]

What do you use for you worm farm I hear coffee grinds and egg ahells are really good for for worms

 

[Jesseliu13]

you know i heard quite the opposite that coffee grinds arent good because its acidic. i heard citric can be used it it irritates the worms due to its acidity. Currently im plannong on just using some cheap plastic blue totes from lowes. gonna drill it and whatnot.. just not sure the storing capabilities as i do not want any flies anywhere near my house... I am also starting to eat a healthier diet as im trying to lose weight so vegetables are plentiful in my house. and vegetable scraps will be easy to find. i just want to find the most effect and efficient method of creating my own culture without the mess.

 

[Jesseliu13]

so ive done alot of research on this topic. i learned that there are many styles of DIY worm farms. they all have 1 thing in common. The second container where the worm castings are in always contains alot of worms. not as much as the production container (1st container) but in our eyes for our use it is signigicantly large in numbers. So i compared the different between a premade one (mr jim's worm factory) and the most efficient to my opinion's DIY worm farm. here is what i found.

Premade worm farm 100+/-$ W/ shipping Mr Jim worms farm.

Pros -
Well fitted, clean, and well structured. The unit is well manufactured and has a nicely organized strainer. The holes are relatively small and there are alot less worms found in the casting bin than the DIY ones. Especially if you use different worms. Using red wigglers will make no difference between the 2. Using Canadian Night crawlers will have less worms in worm casting bin according to some sites and reviews.

Cons -
expensive. about a 50$ difference in materials cost and shipping. The unit is quite small. This farm is made for about 8 lbs of worms. For our use it should be ok since our priority is the worms, not the casting. The casting bin is smallers than your average tote and will need to be emptied much moreoften than the DIY ones due to size. But again, not an issue for us as we care about the worms more than the castings. needs more attentions when doing maintanence. Weight is a large problem with this unit. it can hold alot of worms and compost but once the castings fill to a certain point, the weight begins to crack the bins according to some reviews. but as long as its emptied it should be fine.

DIY Worm farm -
There about 3 different types of worm farms made but usually all have relatively the same design. there are about 3 common worm farms from watching alot of videos and research.

Pros -
Cheap, customizable and easy to make. average cost of making your own worm farm is about 30-40 dollars. thats just on a 2 stage worm farm. there are 1 stages you will have to digg alot and when the big is full you have to empty it along with the worms and pick out the worms. lots of space.

Cons-
alot of design issues. there is a large problem with the balance of air. if you dont drill enough holes you end up killing your worms or creating a really great environment for molds and bacteria. soon you'll have earthworm pudding. If you drill too much holes or too big, the worms can crawl out and the smell can attract fruit flies which lay eggs in your bins. which is also annoying. next is there are alot of other materials you'll have to buy other than just the bins when making the tower. you gotta get bricks, pots and w.e the price adds about an extra dollar to 2 dollars each level you add. aka 1 more brick or 1 more pot. next it takes time for you to build which isnt a problem for most people but i prefer not to dwell on it.

So from what i have seen im just going to buy a 3 stage tower from uncle jims worm factory. is about 100$ for the set up. personally i would rather spend the 60$ and just have the efficiency of a company made worm farm. they have a 5 year warranty and its really efficient to use and clean. my dad likes to garden anyways so he can use the compost when he wants.

 

[festaedan]

I've had my worm farm for maybe 3 years now. Garden loves it, fish love it, win win.

What I did was get 2 big tubs and set one down and crazy glue 2 filled (so they dont float in the worm drippings) gatorade bottles. Then I took tub #2 and drilled holes on the bottom and around the sides in the top 2" for ventilation. I set tub #2 in #1. Make sure the gadorade bottles stay up so tub #2 isnt touching the bottom of tub #1. Then fill with 75% peat, 10% paper or cardboard (shredded), and 5% spoiled veggies or coffee grounds (I bury them at the bottom so it doesnt stink). Soak it with water and make sure it drips into tub #2. If that all works, you are ready for worms! Put in the worms and dont harvest them for a month or two. Dont forget to feed them whenever food runs out. I always put food in the corners so I can harvest them easily. If you grow vegetables or have a hyrdroponics/aquaponics system the worm castings, worm tea (drippings), and worms themselves do wonders in the garden. lmk if you want to hear more about that. Anyway, your worms should breed pretty quickly but make sure not to overharvest. If you see worms climb up the sides, water it less.
Recently I put in a spout to drain the worm tea for my plants. I put a bulkhead in the bottom of tub #1 and took another tub. I flipped tub #3 over and drilled two holes in it, just big enough to slip some clear plastic tubing through them. I drilled one hole in the bottom and one in the side. Then I attached the tubing to the bulkhead and ran it through the holes in tub #3. I then put on a python shutoff valve. I finally put a clay pot at the end without a bulkhead tilting tubs #1 and #2. This concentrates all the tea in the bulkhead section. If I see the brown liquid in the clear tubing, I know to drain it.
Good luck!