Get Started Worm Farming: A Beginner’s Guide

Did you know that it’s possible to turn food waste into gold? No, we aren’t talking about alchemy, we’re talking about vermicomposting!

Vermicomposting, or worm farming, is a natural, sustainable, and incredibly effective way to create nutrient-dense compost for gardening. Worm composting takes advantage of the natural process of worm digestion. Happy, full, and pooping worms provide you with a virtually limitless supply of high-quality fertilizer for your garden!

What is a worm farm?

Before you get started worm farming, it is important to learn how it works. At its core, worm farming is a process designed to generate nutrient-dense compost. This compost is ideal for home gardens while being far easier to attain and less expensive than other composting methods.

Traditionally, gardeners who want to use compost must either let it slowly decompose – which can be smelly (and time-consuming!) – or spend money on fertilizer made somewhere else, which can quickly add up (especially for those who like to do a lot of gardening).

Why Start Raising Worms

You might be surprised to learn the numerous benefits that raising worms can offer. Whether your concerns are environmental, financial, or horticultural, worm farming can provide significant value to those who are willing to put in the effort. Although there are many benefits that come with worm farming, according to our readers, these are the four of the most significant:

1. Reduce Household Waste

Every day, we produce huge amounts of waste in our homes. Everything from banana peels to old newspapers would normally add up to a lot of waste thrown away. In fact, it is estimated that Americans generate about 67 million tons of organic waste every year, and less than a third of that waste ends up composted. Part of the reason for this is that many Americans think composting is too difficult or not worth their time and effort.

Whether you are interested in reducing the environmental impact of your household, or you just like the idea of reusing what would otherwise be garbage in a useful way, vermicomposting is by far one of the best ways to do so.

In addition, not just organic waste can be used. Even paper waste (such as newspapers and cardboard) play a role in the composting process.

2. Limitless Supply of “Black Gold”

Anyone who has been gardening for a while knows that fertilizer is one of the most significant expenses in home gardening. Nevertheless, the payoff (both in terms of enjoyment as well as the financial savings of growing your own fruits and vegetables) almost always outweighs the costs. But, what if you could create all the fertilizer you needed for free? Wouldn’t that make gardening that much more enjoyable?

The compost generated from vermicomposting is called “black gold” for a reason! The incredibly nutrient-dense material can turn even the most barren soil (the type of soil you’ll often find in your backyard) into great gardening soil. Over time, this “black gold” can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in fertilizer money! That saves time, money, and the environment!

3. Valuable Teaching Opportunities

Vermicomposting is a great activity to teach your child as well. It is simple enough that most children are able to pick it up quickly, but also requires a level of responsibility that proves invaluable down the road. Vermicomposting is most effective when it is maintained for a few minutes every day. It can be a great alternative (or addition) to teaching your child responsibility through the care of a pet.

Not only that, but vermicomposting teaches your child about the value of conservation. Raising worms introduces them to the fun and rewarding world of gardening in a way they understand. Think about it: many kids play in the dirt anyway, now you can make it a worthwhile endeavor!

4. Great Conversation Starter!

Worm farms are popular in many parts of the world. However, it’s still a relatively new concept across much of the United States. If gardening is something that you enjoy talking about with your friends, vermicomposting can be an interesting and fruitful addition to your conversation.

Benefits of Worm Castings

Worm castings generate the best compost in the world. Not only are they made through a completely organic process, but they also provide the perfect balance of nitrogen, phosphates, potash, and all the other plant nutrients that your garden needs to thrive. Of course, not all worms are the same, and the Red Wiggler worm is by far the best worm for vermicomposting.

The worm casings themselves are the result of the digestive process the worms go through. The material itself naturally mixes into the soil of the worm farm, producing the highly valued fertilizer.

If you are worried that you’re somehow disrupting the natural process by harvesting the worm castings, don’t be! Studies have shown that worms don’t actually thrive best in their own castings, so you’ll actually be doing them a favor every time you harvest new fertilizer for your garden!

Some other benefits of worm castings include:

• Completely non-toxic and organically produced fertilizer alternative
• Less odor than other fertilizers
• Studies indicate that fertilizer created with worm casings can have as much as 5 times more nitrogen, 7 times the potash, and 1.5 times the calcium of regular soil.

Is Worm Farming Difficult?

In a word: NO! Worm farming is actually incredibly easy to learn. That’s why we encourage you to teach your children how to do it; it’s a great skill that is absolutely manageable by even relatively young children. In order to create a worm farm, all you have to do is follow a few simple steps:

1. Build or find a container – The first step is to find a container (typically wood or plastic) to hold the farm itself. While it is possible to build a container yourself, commercially-produced containers are more reliable over time, and are certain to not interfere with the natural processes of the worm farm.
2. Fill the container with appropriate bedding – Before adding the worms, you’ll want to line the container with wet newspaper (or another appropriate bedding), then add some simple soil, either that you purchased or some that you already have in your backyard. The container itself should be moist enough to keep the soil loosely packed, but not so wet that the worms are at risk of drowning. It is also helpful to add egg shells to the soil (if you have them).
3. Populate the farm with Red Wigglers – This part is fairly simple: simply add the worms to your container. Don’t worry too much about putting too many (or not enough) into the farm, as the worms will self-regulate their population fairly quickly.
4. Provide the compostable material – Compostable material can be everything from food waste to the remnants of lawn mowing. The simple rule here is: if it decomposes naturally, it can go in the farm. However, there are some specific types of compost that should not be put into your worm farm. These foods include: dairy, meats, citrus, spicy foods, fats, oils, and heavily-processed foods.
5. Maintain and harvest the farm – While it is important not to overfeed your worms, keep in mind that your worms like to eat a lot. In fact, Red Wigglers eat about half their weight every 24 hours, which means you can add new food for your worms every day (this is a great job for kids!). Remember to cut the food into the smallest pieces you can. Also, avoid putting dairy and meat into the farm. These are harder for the worms to digest and can create a significantly worse smell.

What Do I need to Start Worm Farming?

Vermicomposting is great because it doesn’t require much of an investment, and provides significant dividends very quickly.

Worm composting bin

While you can technically use just about any container as a worm composting bin, some are far better than others. Commercially-made containers make it far easier to maintain new layers of your farm, and will be far more reliable than something you make yourself. We have a few worm bins available in our online shop that are optimized for the environmental concerns involved with worm farming.

Live red wiggler composting worms

As we mentioned, not all worms are ideal for vermicomposting. Red Wigglers are by far the best option because they generate the ideal blend of nutrients for gardening. While it is unlikely that you can find Red Wigglers in your backyard on their own, they are incredibly affordable and available on our website. For the cost of a bag of fertilizer, you can have the creatures you need to create your own fertilizer in perpetuity.

Worm composting accessories (optional)

As far as required components, you will be able to make do with just a bin, worms, and the raw materials your worms will eat. However, there are a number of accessories that make worm farming easier, and help increase your yield (effectively paying for themselves over time). Having the tools you need to ensure your farm has the right temperature, moisture, and pH prevents mistakes and saves you money down the road.

Get Started Worm Farming Today!

Not sure what’s next? It can seem confusing for those who have never tried it before. We’re here to help. The Squirm Firm supplies everything you need to learn about the wonders of vermicomposting. Want to learn more? Visit our library of resources or sign up for our free monthly newsletter.

Are you ready to take your garden to the next level?  Do you want to create your own premium fertilizer? It couldn’t be easier. Here’s how to get started.  Add one pound of red wiggler worms to a Worm Factory 360, or something similar.  Add food scraps and shredded paper.  Boom. Vermicompost in action.

Let’s get started!

Article by Donny B