Notes About Worm Farming

For the beginner, worm farming can either seem like a simple adventure or something totally foreign to them.  Some people have never been brave enough to hold a worm, not to mention making a whole farm of them!  So, let's explore some interesting odds and ends about worm farming.

Compost worms and earthworms are not the same.  Earthworms loosen the soil.  Compost worms eat the mulch layer of soil.  Grub worms are not really worms at all.  They're larvae from the June bugs that are pests to people in the southern parts of the United States.  Catalpa worms are not really worms either.  They're caterpillars from a moth species that are known to infest the Catalpa tree.  Red worms are popular as fishing bait.  Tomato horn worms sound like little monsters, but they're actually edible worms.  Witchetty grub worms are served in restaurants as barbecued appetizers in Australia.  Palm grubs are prepared by frying in hot pepper and salt.  (Kinda makes you want to ask what the new dish is before you eat in a strange place, huh?)  If you soak an earthworm overnight, it will purge the soil from them.

Odds are that the end result of many dishes served in other countries could be quite tasty.  But most worm farming in America is done for other purposes.  New word of the day is vermicomposting!  It sounds really smart and sophisticated, but it only means composting with worms.  Worms are great little workers for your compost bin and can enrich the end result.  This means you have better luck with that green thumb you've been trying so hard to encourage!

You can build a worm bin out of wood, plastic, concrete, an old bucket, or an old bathtub.  If you really want an odd bin, create one out of an old toilet!  You just knew you were saving it for something, didn't you?  The only problem with having strange bins is that you need to create a drain.  You can't let your worm dirt get too soggy.  They rise to the top of the ground after a rain for a reason, you know. 

Drainage creates another benefit of your worm farm called worm tea.  No, you don't drink it.  That would be far too odd and might end with a sick stomach.  You don't serve it to your worms either.  Although it does create a cute picture to imagine them sitting at a tiny table, holding their tiny little tea cups and wearing tiny little straw floppy hats!

Did you know you can feed your worms vacuum cleaner dust?  Although you may want to ensure that you didn't just fog the house for bugs before you vacuumed. 

Worm farming can be as expensive or as low-cost as you choose to make it.  How much does it cost to start a worm farm?  Well, that's up to you.  How fancy you think you need it?  How large do you want to make it?  What type of worms do you want to start with?  How much space will you have for new growth?  How much money do you have available for the adventure?  What type of advertising do you want to do if it is a business venture?  Whatever your choices are, odds are that you'll end up learning something valuable!