Attracting compost worms & a worm barrel update...

Have had a few people ask about trying to capture/collect compost worms as they are not available in their area to purchase.. I think this is a method that would work rather well to collect a few to start you off.. They would reproduce in no time if given a nice home, some tasty manure & chopped up vegetation I think.. If you give it a try, let me know how you go or post a clip..
For more regular updates & pictures from the patch come visit us at / bitsouttheback
Have a great one All...

[@toamaori]

I did something similar, just dumped some food scraps under an upside down planter and tiger worms came out of the ground to feed on it, they were the start of all my worm farms and were free! :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

I'm doing something similar at the moment using a barrel with holes in the base. 👍 Cheers.

[@toamaori]

@@RobsAquaponics I also found that when I added blended food scraps and mixed into my regular compost bin there was zillions of tiger worms after a little while. It's like ringing the dinner bell

[@lcm1559]

Your info is just what I need d to hear. Moved from Africa where I had composting worms to South America where no such worms are available to Ben purchased. Thanks for the tips. NowI know for certain I can compost again by baiting my own surface worms, which I noticed live in our garden soil, which is heavy clay, too heavy for veggie planting. I'm going to lay layers of cardboard and kitchen scrap in designated blocks around garden that hopefully will create growing stations. Way too unaffordable to purchase soil that people harvest from riverside/ swamps and that's full of weeds / fauna that just takes over a veggi e garden. Wis me luck! Thanks again sir.

[@MindCrime550]

I've tried collecting worms two times both with success. I've done it on the lawn and on a woodchip mulched area. I lay out a piece of damp cardboard and put pieces of lettuce or fruit rinds under it. If the ground underneath is too dry you'll want to wet it too. Come back a day later, try early in the morning or later in the evening, pick up your cardboard and grab a handful of wigglers.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Couldn't agree more Mark.. Cardboard & paper appear to be candy for them we have found & is a very satisfying sight to see worms slowly getting rid of shredded bills :) Cheers Mark & have a great one Sir, Rob.

[@paverop]

I once had a 4'x8' sheet of plywood leaned against the back of my garage. The wind blew it down and it laid for several months on the concrete slab. Much to my surprise, when I finally got around to picking it up, the rain had washed soil under the sheet of plywood and there were hundreds if not thousands of worms under there. It looked like a 4'x8' sheet of worms!

[@OrionFyre]

I don't know what kind of worms I have. But I started my worm bed on accident when I left a trash bin full of grass under the porch many year ago. When I did dump it out the next year there were thousands of worms that came in from a couple holes in the bottom of to trash bin. I've kept them ever since. They may might not be red wrigglers but they tear through whatever I give em.

[@FensterfarmGreenhouse]

This is how I got my worm bin started Rob. A few years after putting a few handfuls of worms in my bin and it is full of compost worms. Great job. Cheers! Chuck

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think they would love your patch with all the organic matter you have on the garden beds.. Was moving the horse manure bags the other day & found a dozen or so trying to make their way through the woven fabric to get to the manure.. We never had this many when we moved in & have only "improved" the lawn soil with manure & compost that has spilt while handling.. Must of been enough to keep them happy & boost the numbers here.. Cheers Sir :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Does work well for us Abbey.. The lime trees next to the barrels love it as well I think.. Have a good one :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. All's good here & hope there as well :) Have found the same thing with the wicking beds we piled 3-4" of tree mulch on.. You move away the surface layer & there are loads of compost worms feeding on the top layer & noticed that it disappears in some areas faster than others.. Just started to use some of the tree mulch that was left to cook a bit too long & found that it had drawn in more earth worms that we have ever seen here as well which is great to see.. TBC

[@RobsAquaponics]

Is definitely a lot cheaper than buying a starter pack. Nice garden BTW.. Have a great one... Rob

[@RobsAquaponics]

The worms in the farms we have love paper & cardboard.. They chew through it so fast leaving the other food just to munch on that.. We also used to find a few in leaf litter but never in the amounts I saw there... Cheers :)

[@ctm75]

I love your worm composting videos. Thank you for sharing. :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi +Chad Marcum. Hope the clips give you a few useful ideas mate. Have a great one.

[@bevmanart9553]

About 5 years ago I was searching for suppliers and information about composting worms. I called several worm suppliers and asked what would happen if I would lose control of these imported worms and they got out into the environment, what destruction could they do. They told me there were many already escaped and they were already out in the environment. So I decided to save my money and build a composting worm attraction. I dug a 3 foot square hole 3 foot deep and filled it with the normal things we compost. Wood chips, shredded paper and cardboard, straw, grass trimmings, dried and green leaves, kitchen scraps, ground eggs shells, sand, used coffee grounds, horse manure, molasses, you know what I am talking about. I not only filled the hole, but my pile was 3 foot higher then the ground level. I sprayed it with water, and covered it, and left it alone for 3 months. It heated and cooled and became infested with worms that eat compost. Since then I met a person who raises worms, and they Identified that I had at least 3 different types of worms, but the most I had were red wigglers. I am sure the hole I dug was overkill and I could have probably dug a deep hole with a post hole digger and fill it with the same stuff and they would come too. I have since built a 6 foot square by 5 foot tall composting bin above the original hole and cannot feed it fast enough, and remove several cubic yards of worm compost from it yearly, to feed my garden.

[@RobsAquaponics]

+BevManArt Nice one Bev. Have found that all we need to do here is build & compost pile & as soon as it cools down a load of compost worms move in ;) Have collected some to give away & also used some to boost the numbers in the aquaponics & our bathtub worm farm. Cheers & have a great one, Rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Is funny the places you can find them... I found some the other week on the inside wall if the water tank we use to top up the aquaponic system.. There were about 4 of them worked into a small ball.. Took them out & added them to a barrel which would have to be a much better place for them to live.. Cheers.. Rob

[@_4Mother2MothEyes0]

Thank you, I’m trying to attract compost worms for my tree saplings 💚

[@RobsAquaponics]

It surprised Bianca & I that's for sure.. Looking at setting up some other traps like this as the bucket one didn't work so well.. Have a good one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad you liked it... Thanks & have a great one Pestleman :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

We get a few wrens & "Willy wag tails" here that are great at hunting down small insects & the like but I haven't seen them get a worm yet.. The larger Butcher birds & kingfishers like to collect worms we have noticed.. Am amazed at how they can pick them out from their perch in the trees.. Cheers John

[@MarkGardiner1976]

They seem to love carpet too. I put a piece of carpet over the top of my compost pile upside down so that the fibres are on top of the pile. I did this too "finish" the pile. The other day I lifted the carpet off the pile and it was crawling with red rigglers. I have never seen so many worms in one place in all my life. They were crawling through the carpet fibres.

[@MrPaulnestor]

Great stuff as always Rob!

[@CCbalconygarden]

Wow, that's a great discovery! That's an insane number of worms.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi David.. Winter here is fairly warm with only a few mornings dipping below 0°C/32°F so the worms do fine out there... This clip was shot in the middle of winter here so you can see we still have loads of worm activity in the ground as well as the barrels.. Hope that's the information you were after David.. All the best, Rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

We feed a fair amount of cardboard & shredded bills to the worms in the bathtub farm & they make very quick work of it.. I think they actually prefer that to the wet food we put in there at times.. Cardboard is also a great insulator for the top of the farm in winter & helps to keep the light out as well we find.. Thanks & have a great one :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Would work just as well I think John.. The cardboard works great as they all gather between the layers & that makes them easier to collect :) Actually have another worm "trap" set full of horse manure but I think I left it too long to check as it is now full of castings & a few cocoons :D Have a great one John :)

[@Morkvonork]

If you have problems with getting worms especially in compost check soil pH. If it is under 5.5 they wont be happy. I startet to add ash or lime to my compost (grass clippings, brush chips) and It compost very nice.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think they really love feasting on the microbes that are breaking down all the mulch as you never really see earth worms that close to the surface, normally just compost worms.. I have mostly found our variety of earth worms about 8-12" down.. Cheers Sir, Rob.

[@WORMGITTER]

Keep the cardboard wet and cover it with small piece of plywood. I use the Worm Gitter to bring the worms out so I do not disturb the bed. You will have worms all summer if it is in the shade and kept moist. Like your channel. Cheers mate!

[@RobsAquaponics]

+WORM GITTER Haven't seen them for sale down here yet but know a few folks that use them in the states. Cheers & have a great one.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope they multiply well for you :) Have a great one..

[@AdzeysGarden]

I found lots in my compost heap which had layers of leaves, kitchen scraps, cardboard, cow manure. After a few months and winter rains, I turned the heap to find lots of healthy wriggles and eggs. I collected as many as I could, added them to my worm farm and hope to repeat the process in a month or so.

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Yep. The very best way to attract/and feed them/and feed the ground organisms. Then harvest them and but them where you need them more as a continous fertilizer/enhancer in a large pot with living roots in it for example.

[@shahan504]

Wow great video thanks a lot👍👍👍 . I was searching for worms . Now I got an idea to catch them from a nearby forest with this card boad ides. Thanks, love from Pakistan.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope you find some Shahan. 👍Happy hunting.

[@RobsAquaponics]

They are particularly bad this year Lois.... Could only leave the kitchen window open last night & jut a jumper on this morning !!! ;) They are fun to garden with, naming them all can be a pain though **nods** Have a great one :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

The barrels are started with well aged horse manure so don't get warm enough to make it unlivable for the worms.. You will also find compost worms around the edge of hot compost heaps as they are fairly heat sensitive.. They always move to the extremities of hot piles until they cool then move back in for a good feed.. Cheers..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Is a great way to start a farm I think. As long as the mow through the food it doesn't matter I think. Ours look like red wigglers to me. I tried to collect some in a bucket with no base that was filled with horse manure & left next to a pile of composting tree mulch. I forgot to check it until I filmed this & when I looked all that was left in there was castings & a few cocoons. I think hey had been, had a good feed & high tailed it back to the warm compost heap for winter. Cheers..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Paul... Still have your maggot farm clip bookmarked to watch ;) Cheers

[@RobsAquaponics]

& they reproduce so quick as well Chris.. I have been thinking about getting some African night crawlers as well to see how they go.. They are supposed to reproduce & consume food faster than the red & blue worms.. All he best to you & yours..

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think they might do OK on rabbit manure... Might be a good idea just to try a little first & see how it goes... From memory it was fairly fibrous..

[@RobsAquaponics]

We have had small patches in the past that came in with other plants but nothing we couldn't control just by repetitively pulling out the plants as they shot from the bulbs.. That worked for us but was a very small infestation.. I know people have tried mulching methods & some claim it works.. Others say that only herbicides with metasulfuron methyl will kill it but I don't like to use them in our patch.. Will PM you a link to a forum thread that might help you out a bit..

[@LondonWorms]

I've used the exact same method to catch ''escapees'' :) Layer of leaves and wet cardboard and within a day or two when it's removed underneath is teeming with worms, so there's no reason that shouldn't work as in incentive to bring worms into the garden if there are none. Nice work :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks. I use the large open based compost cage we use now to collect them for family. The ground is crawling with them here now. 😊 Cheers and all the best.

[@Gardeninggirl1107]

Thanks! I'm going to lay down a few layers of cardboard, water it (no rain here for months) and see what I get after a few weeks...

[@RobsAquaponics]

They look to be loving it & strangely enough some of the weed still looks to be alive :D Was going to try & fish some out but my back keeps locking up on me... B has ordered me out of the garden for another week unfortunately.. Think I will get a second opinion though ;) Cheers Sir :)

[@aliharb2180]

Very very nice and beneficial video👍🏻thanks alottt!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Ali. 👍🙂

[@kellytyson65]

lol the way you say cacoon. I'm from the north west QLD so totally different accent. Anyway I got some great tips off you so thanks for sharing and I'm moving to the coast in a couple weeks and my new place. I plan of having chickens 2-4 and a small garden not much room but I'll make it work thanks to your tips. so thanks

[@RobsAquaponics]

Kelly Tyson Hey Kelly.. Glad the clips have given you some ideas & hope you settled into the new digs OK.. Was going to ask how you pronounce it but that would be rather silly :-D Sorry I missed your comment at the time.. Have a great one..

[@kylaalpin4074]

Finally i found a good idea how to get wiggler worms...yay..thank you!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope you have some luck attracting & collecting them Kyla. Cheers, Rob.

[@pestleman1951]

Great viddy, love your channel ...

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one.. Makes sense that they would have some.. Have you added many to the beds yet ?

[@shadowofjuniperhill]

Wow, you have so many worms there. I heard that earth worms really like the glue used to make the cardboard. Not sure how true that is but it sure seems like cardboard is delicious to them. Great idea!

[@RobsAquaponics]

We noticed a few in the leaves that collect around the fence line & have added them to the wood chip compost pile.. I think they like the warmth of the pile, especially this time of year.. Where abouts in the world do you live if you don't mind me asking ?

[@freakygeaktwo]

in my area I think we call those nightcrawlers, wow those are huge :) thanks for sharing

[@jenniferturner3821]

Brilliant idea thanks Rob

[@ravens3310]

Jennifer Turner i

[@RobsAquaponics]

Can't hurt to try.. A hessian bag over the top again might help keep it moist too.. Let me know how you go... Have a good one GardeningGirl..

[@loislaney23]

Great idea. Wow, your winters sound awful. LOL Hope you survived. That is a pile of worms there. One thing I am thinking about trying, but haven't yet.

[@RobsAquaponics]

They were looking rather large & healthy.. Think they much prefer the horse manure home to the lawn though ;) All the best Rob :)

[@MrLachupakabra]

My lazy bones left some cardboard boxes out by the garbage last year. Upon finally getting around to throw it out, the concrete beneath the box was teaming with wigglers. The concrete makes it easy to harvest, because they have no where to run!

[@GavinShenhav]

Rob, Your videos are the best! You inspired me to start my own worm bin and it is going great. Thank you! Do you think adding some mellon might help attract the worms under the cardboard?

[@memberson]

Another great video, I put down woodchips 6 inches deep throughout my yard I think maybe you have seen some of my videos. I wonder this being a year and a half since I put down my woodchips. I think my soil has improved some. what are your thoughts I know that the soil will continue to get better , I will put down more woodchips maybe about 2 inches on top depending on how much is left at the the end of the year. Thank you and have a great day

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey there.. This post slipped by me, sorry about that.. From what I have seen with others gardens, it's also good to add in some manures like horse or poultry to help the wood chips break down that bit faster.. The extra nitrogen is needed to replace that which is used to help break down the carbon in the chips.. Cheers, Rob..

[@elishat122]

Thank you so much! I can't stomach paying $30 online for some worms when I know they are in my yard for free.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I know what you mean.. Have lost purchased worms before, not a good feeling.. They will breed up fast for you as well given the right conditions.. Have found compost piles to be the best way to attract them here.. Cheers & good luck wrangling some worms..

[@RobsAquaponics]

@Hoefledorf I've fed them moist rolled oats in the farm & they go bonkers over it so can't see why it wouldn't work outside too 👍👍

[@kingturner19mt]

awesome video my friend, thank you!

[@RobsAquaponics]

+Mroker Hi there & Thanks. Hope you'rte having a great weekend. Rob.

[@mustwereallydothis]

I bunch the pulp leftover from making juice into little balls and bury them in the garden. The worms come in and eat but can retreat to regular soil, where they are safe, once they have eaten their fill.

[@RobsAquaponics]

We noticed that they smashed through it here as well Tara. Cheers.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Doesn't take long for them to multiply Chuck... Take it easy Mr Chuck :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Haven't had a chance to try carpet here as all the stuff we ripped up was nylon :/ Great to know hat they find it tasty though :)

[@bcu567obzx]

Paper is like desert for them and they love it as it breaks down.

[@RobsAquaponics]

It never lasted long when we were adding it to the farm here. Cheers Peter.

[@nancywebb6549]

They actually love the glue,

[@BobbyW00]

Ok, Now you made me go look under some cardboard that I have laid down to kill some grass on a new patch of garden that I am expanding to the existing one. Midnight here so I have my flashlight in hand. And guess what ? Worms. Hundreds of them. Maybe they tunneled from your place through the Earth to Texas. HaHa, -BobbyW Texas

[@FancyFarmOFFICIAL]

great update

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks :) Have a great one.

[@RobsAquaponics]

It might help to bring them in..I know that when we but rind in the farm you can always find a load underneath it.. Might also attract rodents depending on where you live.. I think the possums here would find it & have a quick snack on it as well :D Thanks & have a great one Giora..

[@BlueCollarMoto]

I've now wached several of your video's and consider you to be an authority on vermiculture. I want to use earth worms in my compost as well as worm beds to be added to my grazing paddocks along with some new seed. The general idea would be to set up 32 paddocks. 2 of them would be used to grow grains, corn, beans, sunflour for two years alternating each year between the 32 paddocks. First year would be corn (with beans) and grains. At the end of the growing season, I would knock down any vegitiation with chain link dragger, aerate, then lightly compost over area to help build up top soil, and grow a winter cover crop (no till fashion). At the second year of growing crops, comes the sunflour and beans. I would grow them on mounds of 1 year old compost mixed with dirt and the products from the worm beds including the worms. At the end of the second year of crops, the land and mounds of compost would be dragged down with chain link again after the animals have had a chance to graze on the leftovers, reaerated, seeded with pasture good stuff, then mulched again with worms and compost.

[@BlueCollarMoto]

My questions are: 1. At what temp does my compost need to come down to, so that I can add worms of the type that would be most beneficial to my paddocks? 2. Are, or would the composting varieties of worms be beneficial to my free range, no till paddock pastures?

[@BlueCollarMoto]

In short supply due to the free ranging on pasture, would be chicken, pig, cow, and goat manure. The large supply of composting waste would be fish manure. Yes, I also plan on having several ponds for greenhouse aquaponics, using both catfish and tilapia. It would require a huge greenhouse to grow enough plants to use all the waste from the amount of fish I want to raise. So, separating some of the fish waste before it gets into the AP system for the plants, will be a constant supply of manure for the composting beds.

[@BlueCollarMoto]

I'm thinking that after one full year of composting, the temps should be low enough to add whatever worms I want to the compost piles. Or at least use some of the compost in the vermiculture buckets / containers.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Chris.. Thanks for the compliment but am far from being an authority.. Have only had experience with small scale worm farms & not compost worms for broad acre set ups.. The types of worms that will do best for you will probably be the ones found locally in your area.. We found it was a case of just setting up the right situations for the worms to want to come & stick around.. It also pays to check with local authorities as I have seen a post on introduced compost worms upsetting the ecosystems of some areas & out competing the locally occurring varieties.. I think that was more in the North west of the US.. When it comes to adding worms to compost it's best to wait for the pile to cool off some.. Some worms like the Euros like cooler conditions (up to 70°F) where the reds can handle it a bit warmer (up to 80°F).. I think I waited for the centre of our last compost pile to hit 36°C/96°F before adding in the reds as I knew thy would gravitate towards the cooler areas & start processing the compost from there.. Hope that helps some mate.. Rob

[@svelanikolova5776]

Worms love powdered corn and corn meal. I tried it and they went nuts, I think my neighbors worms came over to my yard too

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice score.. Did you collect them up?? Ours wear green & gold so should be easy to pick out from your red white & blue ones ;)

[@K.sandroo]

i love worm i take care of one by ur advice

[@RobsAquaponics]

These were definitely compost worms. The earthworms we get here are light pink in colour & grow to be about twice the length & diameter of the compost worms. I know that the earthworms do come to the surface during the wet & have seen them on the lawn & at the surface of garden beds. They also appear to be more solitary from what I have noticed while the compost worms like to hang in a "herd". Or would you call it a "tribe". Must look that up :D Thanks Sir & have a great one.

[@hardoff]

apparently commercial vermicomposting outfits use cardboard as their main base for growing worms. From what i have heard and read, it is the nice aeration you get in the cardboard pockets, combined with the high Nitrogen content of the glue that is used to stick it together, which makes such a haven for our wriggly workers. if you google "worms cardboard", there's heaps of info out there. Good on ya for stumbling on it by accident though !

[@ronyerke9250]

Lol, horse pellets. We call 'em road apples. :-)

[@MarkGardiner1976]

They love cardboard. As soon as you part some cardboard on top of your compost bin/ heap the worms are attracted to the surface because the cardboard creates a moist dark layer which they love.

[@honeybacres]

I wonder if a pile of leaf mulch would get a similar result?

[@kendram.8553]

I love his voice

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Kendra :-) Have a great one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one.. Won't take long for them to start multiplying in there..

[@IStandwithVlad]

I spread thick layers of cow manure then cover with black plastic. Keep it moistened. The red worms come in droves.

[@uchibauki2515]

Your yard is really healthy so many earthworms, I don’t see any in my yard the soils are dry and clay Texas soils really bad

[@RobsAquaponics]

We haven't seen many in our yard since we renovated & they disturbed a lot of the soil. Have just laid down a load of wood chip to help encourage them back though. 😁😁 This clip shows what I've done if you're interested in sussing it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnuUpmSpasR_sJI Skip to 3:24 to see the mulching we've done. Cheers & happy growing.

[@sudhirkumarjnair6245]

HI rob as usual great video.I have a doubt however.Are they not earth worms which normally come out from the soil during rainy season?They are very different to red wigglers and earthworms do not break down compost material like red wigglers do.In my experiment i tried putting them on some vegetable scraps and they died after a day (no movement)so do ensure whether they survive worm bin unlike earth which is their common resting place.

[@kathynix6552]

Would be great to get a follow up and see the results wouldn’t it

[@lissap2620]

Hi Rob. So with these barrels, when you harvest the castings to use in your garden, do you pick all the worms out, or do you just pop the whole barrel, worms and all into the garden bed?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I take out ½, worms & all. The worms & cocoons that are left start off the next batch of worms. 👍 Cheers Lissa.

[@AdzeysGarden]

Yes I'm surprised at how many I can collect from the backyard. Perhaps I should make a video? I guess I employ the balancing carbon/ nitrogen ratio advice, add water and wait for a month or so. Cheers!

[@agustasister5624]

Using local worms would probably be best...the are use to thr climate.

[@davidgocev7669]

here the winter is very cold -20 but it is too early now for winter-please tell me it is good shit for rabbit for worms -tank thanks a lot

[@petecusack1638]

gunna try this on the weekend; )

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope it goes well for you Peter. 👍 Cheers.

[@petecusack1638]

Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics cheers mate. ps: keen to see you beardless again

[@RobsAquaponics]

😃 I've threatened the girls but they hid the clippers on me. 😉 Cheers Peter.

[@petecusack1638]

Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics do it bud ;)

[@HiMom1311]

i thought the heat from the compost would kill the worms?

[@Doitallgp]

I apologize if you mentioned it in the vid and I missed it. But how long was the cardboard and hay in that location before you decided to move them? Thanks in advance.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I think it was down for a few weeks from memory. I have seen worms congregate under cardboard after just a dew days as well. if that helps any.

[@RobsAquaponics]

If your ever down this way PM me.. Have had a few online friends pop in over the last year & would like to meet another such as yourself.. Thanks :)

[@iChaz]

I know i missed it previously but how are the barrels outfitted to prevent them from filling up with rainwater and/ or to allowing the worms escaping from them? Thanks! ChazinNJ

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there. The works are free to come & so through holes in the base. As a result all we need to do is build a compost pile & the compost worms turn up in large numbers to finish off the process once the pile cools down. Cheers & have a top one.

[@iChaz]

Rob Bob's Backyard Farm & Aquaponics Thank you Rob!

[@RobsAquaponics]

No problem 👍

[@melindalancaster9648]

can you use anykind of worms in the compost bin? some say no earthworms...wow our June and July ate our hottest months

[@MrWoodlover]

I believe earthworms also called "nightcrawlers", need to 'dive' deep into the ground this article -compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/faq.html- says: "When most people think of "earthworms", they usually mean "nightcrawlers," which can be 8-10" long and 1/2" in diameter. These nightcrawlers are different from red wigglers, although both may be called "earthworms" since they both are found in the earth. Nightcrawlers are soil-dwellers, thus they like to burrow several feet below the surface. By burrowing, the nightcrawlers mix different layers of the soil, while creating tunnels which aerate the soil. On the other hand, red wigglers are surface-dwellers and prefer to live within the top 6" of the soil (which is why red wigglers prefer shallow boxes as homes). Red wigglers are often found among the fallen leaves of the forest floor, as well as in manure piles."

[@sharadajoshi8920]

Your ground is so rich with worms, I always wonder why do you grow in growbags and barrels. You must have tried growing in ground maybe raised beds, What is wrong with the native soil

[@RobsAquaponics]

We live on land that was levelled using soil from an old rubbish dump so prefer to grow food in aquaponics, containers, & raised beds. Cheers & happy growing Sharada. 🌱😊👍

[@davidgocev7669]

bob tell about winter

[@shahan504]

Which temperature is ideal for a worm bin. When you are raising worms at home???

[@RobsAquaponics]

15-25°C is a god range for them. They don't do well in the heat in bins & some will try to escape if they can to find cooler areas.

[@peace4peaceful]

Bit jealous of all these worms. The only worms we have on occaison is those huge fat ones about two foot long and as fat as your thumb. Our soil is very sandy. Only about 300mm before you hit sand. I did buy some worms and i put them into buckets in the ground which i put food scraps into..along with holes for them to come n go. Since then i have dug over and area around 30m x 30m and not seen a single worm. This used to be my pig pens, so its seen some manure n water. Across the 17 acres ive dug water holes, laid grasses ect and still no worms. Being sandy it's nearly always dry. No rain to talk of in 2 years. I'm making some worm beds in pods..ibc.. to make sure i have some. Rumour has it that there are flat worms here, apparently they eat the earth worms? I hope not, i really want to get the worms into the garden beds. Will see what happens. My first serious attempt at gardening in a long time. 😊

[@RobsAquaponics]

They sound vicious mate. Hope the new pods do better for you John. I found that the compost worms love out IBC wicking beds. Cheers & happy growing.

[@marieossinac6083]

I see your worms are outside, when it rains, does it cause a problem for the worms?

[@RobsAquaponics]

The ones in the old ½ barrel farms didn't look to mind it Marie. They were also under the trees so that may of helped to keep them a bit dry. Would also be easy enough to sort out some sort of cover for them if the rain fall got too much. Cheers & all the best.

[@spear4food636]

Hi Rob, what species of worm would you say eat your material the fastest, would you say manure worms or bought/compost worms?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I would think it's the red wrigglers. More so due to their numbers mainly.

[@spear4food636]

Thanks Rob, are the red wrigglers you find in the garden really the same as the compost worms you buy on line?

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@spear4food636 Maybe in some areas as they do escape & colonise areas as ours have done. Earthworms generally live in the soil & can burrow fairly deep whereas compost worms tend to live in the detritus layers of leaves on the surface of the ground.

[@sittynaorynombraan2322]

good day sir,, can i ask you if that red worms available here in Philippines?

[@RobsAquaponics]

You sould be able to find some I's think. Best to search for "compost worms" & see what google turns up. 👍

[@jefferyhcsiba7643]

Hi Bro. How do you rescue the worms when you harvest the the compost?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I feed up one end & take the compost from the other. A few worms & cocoons go as well but they will survive in the garden as well. Hope that helps some Jeffery. 👍

[@kiratiemangolian2871]

how many days become to ready the compost

[@RobsAquaponics]

With mine I like to wait until I see a healthy worm population in there. Sorry for taking so long to reply. Rob.

[@harrymrtuluhungwa4717]

Can these worms be put in a media bed in an aquaponic system to help breakdown fish waste, Rob?

[@MrWoodlover]

I'm not Rob, but I did find this page with some info that may help aquaponics.com/methods-of-aquaponics/ Look for the markers *** I made in a paragraph at the end of the page that says "A media-filled bed system uses a tank or container that is filled with gravel, perlite or another media for the plant bed. This bed is periodically flooded with water from the fish tank. The water then drains back to the fish tank. All waste, including the solids, is broken down within the plant bed. ***Sometimes worms are added to the gravel-filled plant bed to enhance the break-down of the waste.*** This method uses the fewest components and no additional filtration, making it simple to operate. The production is, however, much lower than the two methods described above. The media-filled bed is often used for hobby applications where maximizing production is not a goal." I'm not too familiar with aquaponics, but as long as the worms are not drowned they should survive and break down any organic matter decaying in the media.

[@harrymrtuluhungwa4717]

sorry, Colin... thanks for the reply...

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Harry. We add compost worms to our beds here. I add them in to break down plant matter like old roots & leaves that may fall into the media. They will also feed on the fish solids that make it through but they will not remove all solids like some folks claim they will. Organic matter can only be broken down so far & not all of the material left will be plant available elements. Hope that helps you out some mate & sorry for missing your question when it was posted. Have a load I need to go catch up one. Cheers & all the best. Rob.

[@harrymrtuluhungwa4717]

Thanks for your response and clarity....