Here's how I feed 2 million hungry worms with homemade worm chow and sprouted greens!

[@connecticutwormsgardens]

It's great that you have a method and feeding formula that works well for your worms. Many of the things that you grind, I also include in my chow in the very unusual event that I didn't freeze enough food during the summer to carry me over through the winter. When I got into worms in 1986, it was to get rid of my organic consumable trash in a way other than throwing it in the garbage. Way ahead of the times where everyone is now concerned about the environment, I was 35 years ago. From that time till now, my worms, which are plentiful, are raised on kitchen scraps and garden extras. If I run out of room in the freezer then I use my dehydrator and powder the vegetables which decreases the volume by 90% in size and only requires a soak in water to rehydrate. Please be careful with the chicken crumbles, many of them are medicated which is really bad for the worms and of course you mentioned you use non-GMO corn that's a really good choice. However, I do encourage you to use as much of your kitchen / household waste as possible. Every type of food scrap and paper product can go in. A strong worm colony can have things such as citrus without any issues. There's very little, even chicken bones, that the worms can't eat. Between curbside recycling and diverting anything biodegradable to the worms, I generate about one trash bag a month. I certainly don't want to be spending My very limited food budget money on buying lentils and corn for my worms when I have dozens of pounds of tomatoes at the end of the season that end up falling and splitting or some other issue. Not to mention the entire plants going to the bin as well. A deep chest freezer is a wormkeeper's best friend. All year long you throw your biodegradable items in there, even paper products and add them to the worm bins as needed. I understand your operation is commercial and you're running CFT style systems. You can coordinate with local restaurants to save scraps for you to use in your bins. Then you would be offsetting that from the dumpster. I just hate to see people buying worm food when there is so much food waste all around us

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks so much for you informative comments, we use all our vegetable table scrapes with the worms.

[@connecticutwormsgardens]

@@CaptainMattsWorms I just watched your video again because the wheatgrass is fascinating to me. A question I have is that since you started feeding the wheatgrass mats, how much less worm chow are they eating? Is the wheatgrass taking over a good percentage of their diet? It certainly seems to be the best possible thing they could be eating 👍

[@442jetmech]

Capt Matt, I went from " just getting some worms to help eat my large leaf mulch pile", to."honey we don't need that extra garbage can do we?" Great videos, thanks for all the knowledge.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

So funny how it happens, right? You're welcome... looking forward to hearing of your success!

[@2700Kenny]

You have the best worm composting videos on KZbin, in my opinion. And you have a great helper too 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience Captain Matt.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks, Kenny! You're welcome!

[@oldmanfigs]

I have seen them all…and I agree! These are the most informative about 🪱worms 🪱

[@yes350yes]

OH yeah, thats the way to go, I have switched to the dry forumla away from kitchen scraps and my worms are loving it or dare I say "eating it up" sorry about the play on words. I use egg layer crumbles, wheat flour, corn meal , and oats. The oats and crumbles are run thru my grinder and and made into a flour. My worms are constantly on top of my worm bin trays eating this chow. On top of that they are starting to produce again.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Great to hear. Thanks for sharing your mixture!

[@bethsands7665]

You are awesome ! I have fond memories of my dad growing red worms in the basement. You are full of knowledge, I love it !!

[@jabohabo3821]

This is fantastic and you are a true creator sir. I also love that your worm chow could literally be boiled up or cooked and is 100% safe for human consumption. And the worms go crazy with it. And yet if you buy ANY kind of worm food in stores and do the same thing you will likely endure a great deal of internal damage if not death. This is how we were meant to exist. Worms aside for most other things ;)

[@northeastworms]

That's amazing, I will start to do this grass pad and feed my worms right now

[@BlueMountainWormsInc.]

Brilliant Idea Capt. Matt wheat sprouts.

[@phillippirrip4581]

Wonderful content from an excellent teacher. Thanks so much! I'm glad I stumbled upon your videos.

[@tentamalaska]

You need some of rancher Greg Judy's all natural Grass Genetic bred, born, raised, finished South Poll cow manure! Check out his natural worm castings in his pastures around the cow patties! Those worm castings are in towers! And the earthworms are huge! But your method is awesome too and I love your channel. And Geg don't sell worms. They improve his soil. 😊

[@terrafarmer48]

I'm so grateful to have found your channel! I started experimenting with feeding my worms different grains to fatten them up and was quite surprised to see my bin full of wheat grass one day! I'm now adding it to all of my bins! I love your system for doing daily grain soaking to prepare the trays! Do you see any difference between making the flats as you do, or just seeding it on top of the worm bin every few days? Also, dandelions are plentiful here right now and they seem to really enjoy the clippings after I mow. Last winter I was able to overwinter red wigglers in my outdoor compost pile in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan Canada! Zone 3!

[@jimraelee]

Cap Matt... thanks.. now i need to build me a shed outside Would love to have a bigger worm bin... those 3ftx 8ft bins are huge..

[@cherylhobbs1091]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge Matt. We really appreciate your mentorship💙

[@rogerbeck5704]

You are so generous with information and I really appreciate it. Thank you!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You're welcome, Roger!

[@joetrino8366]

Captain Matt if you have time could you make a video showing how you make your compost you age and use in your bin thanks .

[@A-V]

Great idea to grow the food that the worms get 👍🏻

[@CelestionPhoenix]

Thanks for the video, Matt! Lots of good information!

[@BenG33]

Thank you for all your knowledge and experience of worm farming. I enjoy you videos so much and all the kind information you just freely share. Can’t wait to hear more stories keep being awesome Captain.

[@Crystal-ft5ki]

Thanks alot for this video. Actually I watched your first video and was waiting for more.

[@chriseastman553]

This guy is fantastic!

[@mrnogood]

I have a terrarium with nightcrawlers and isopods in it and I quickly realized that worms are voracious eaters. I thought that they just stayed underground and ate decaying plant and animal matter. But they come up at night and eat EVERYTHING. So to keep them from turning the soil into sludge, I put some rotting straw in there for the worms to chew on. They love it but I added an extra step. I bought some Chia seeds and blanketed the surface with them and sprayed them down. after 3 days, there's already plenty of food for them to eat. But now I keep the light on 24/7 to keep the worms away while I grow the chia out. If I don't, the worms will be on the surface partying and socializing in the chia. I can't use wheat because I want to add as little weight as possible to the terrarium for every feeding.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Great story of experimentation and learning, mrnogood! Thanks for sharing. The worms will teach you!

[@Floreypottery]

Just found your channel love the info was debating starting a worm compost buisness and feeding them some microgreens

[@lee-royhaarhaus886]

Wow those worms are eating better than I am!! 😂 Such attention to their health!

[@michaelpocock3161]

I just found you. I have been wanting to grow worms for a few years now. Well, it's time to get at it. I plan on a small set up to start, which should be everyone's plan. I will be watching all your future videos. Thank you for sharing!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You're welcome, Michael. Glad to be in touch. Be sure to stop over and introduce yourself at discuss.wormpeople.com/space/882054414

[@timmooney2460]

Mat , I just got my fist ten pounds of wheatgrass seed. Started two trays to feed next week or so.

[@Sharkdog11b]

You’re a real pleasure to learn from Matt

[@eulerizeit]

I've been loving your videos. They are great.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks!

[@rangerfox532]

Awesome content! Thanks! Will be farming my own worms once I get out of an apartment

[@rangerfox532]

found myself watching this video again, I'm a few months into my bin. About to start my 2nd.

[@nickbennett6569]

Going to try that now. Thanks

[@yes350yes]

All kinds of ways to feed your worms, thanks for all the info.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You’re welcome, Morris!

[@gajbirthapa4239]

I’m definitely follow this technique. Thank you Captain Matt

[@SaskFisher]

Awesome video! So the worms will straight up eat the green grass? I thought it woulda have had to die and decompose THEN they worms will eat it. So its a good idea to give the worms green grass clippings then to eat? Thanks!!

[@bobhough2332]

Thanks, Matt. Great video. I'm totally intrigued with your wheatgrass idea. I have to try that and see if I can replicate your results. Just hoping my "brown thumb" doesn't get in the way. Thanks again for a very informative and helpful video

[@johncolvin2750]

Hello do you just feed the wheat grass only I have 1000 worms how should I go about it

[@bethsands7665]

I love the way you lovingly take care of the beautiful worms ! You are clearly attuned to this passion and you are awesome !!, thank you.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks, Beth! I feel like all my life has been a preparation for this.

[@SheilaG971]

@@CaptainMattsWorms, it is quite obvious that “you were made for such a time as this!” I felt that same way when I first started with one styrofoam ice chest (I still have it 3 years later:) and a Walmart cup of Red Wigglers! When I saw my 2 precious grandchildren sitting in the floor picking cocoons out and excitedly proclaiming “I found another one”! I knew I had arrived! What an amazing feeling!

[@bennywalsh2038]

Thanks for all the great info and videos. Really appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I am a little confused on two things about feeding. Firstly, you show a bucket of your chow mix and talk about grinding. Do you grind what's in the bucket so as to appear fine and floury or feed as shown? Secondly, how do you feed the chow and sprouted seed? Together or separately? Sprinkle on to of the grass pad or around?

[@billhatcher2984]

Could you grow the grass on the end of a worm bed and cut it and feed the cuttings and just keep growing and feeding

[@stevenmyers1289]

Great video! So exciting!

[@wudangmtn]

Great info, thanks. I would like to start vermicomposting to nourish my plants on the permaculture farm that I am establishing. I will first strive to produce enough for my own needs; and perhaps expand the operation if I see there is a market for it in my area.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Sounds like a great plan!

[@kushcraft9914]

Great video, Thank you for sharing 👍

[@vusimoyakhe1539]

What an eye-opening video. I will wait for the one on building worm bins

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Vusi More details are in the playlist about worm bin construction kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZqrgoqjmqlma5o

[@brettdman2908]

Interested in where you buy your seeds and how many seeds do you put in that one container with the days' difference? All I can find are very small bags of seeds, would like more. Hoping you have a good source. I have a tough time with a couple thousand worms, couldnt imagine a million.

[@jan1451]

Capt Matt You're the best

[@kelliehubler2110]

You always have great videos with important information!! Thank you!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You're welcome, Kellie!

[@johnbaudino2535]

Thank you for all the great information sir God bless.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

You’re welcome, John!

[@johnduffy6546]

Thanks for the info. Definitely gonna try this!

[@MordusdepleinairQuebec]

you are a great teacher wow

[@dannyschumaker]

Love the video! Learned alot ! Love The Grass Mats u make to feed them, that's so cool lol

[@tacobelle69]

Fantastic video! I can tell you really care about your worms 🪱 Very informative 😊

[@happyworms]

Love your video! Thanks for all your valuable information❤

[@martinwhitehurst9893]

Sorry another question. I live in NC and we plant soft wheat around where I live. Apparently there is a hard and soft Wheat grass? Does it matter what one I use? And you say berrys is that the same as seed?

[@profissaoglobal2]

You are so energetic!!! Amazing!

[@rodneycloete5298]

hpw long do they take to eat all of that weed grass and how many worms in a bin

[@ercanyanmaz5624]

Thank You Sir. It was very very helpful video👏

[@redamohamed407]

That’s great sir, I love that idea and I would love to know more, how can I do that, I already have 10 bins but I just started like 2 months ago.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Read everything you can about worms if you want to start a business let me know and I will set you up with my mentr

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Read Call Tom at Unco let him know I sent you to him and he will explain his business opportunity. Tom is a honest business man that can get you going in the worm business

[@philb1227]

You plant the wheatgrass sprouts in "worm bedding". What is the composition of the "worm bedding"?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

We recently did an in-depth video about wheatgrass that should answer your question kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHSVhnSYnNWHjJI

[@jamespapandrea8979]

Where do you get your wheat in bulk

[@PutzinPottery]

Will the nitrogen from the wheatgrass kill the worms? Do you need a specific amount when doing this?

[@christineblack1591]

Thank you for your videos they are very educational. The wheat grass, when you put it in the beds does it heat it up?

[@fsepahi]

Are you cooking your bean mixtures or grinding them all raw?

[@danikey8178]

Funny to See you doing it in a comercial way!Last Time i harvested my Microgreens (eapecially nice are Sunflowers and Peas for Salad or Green smoothy) i droped the rootcarped in top of my wormbin and next time it was full of wiggling Worms! Do U experiment with food scraps and Bokashi for feeding your Worms?

[@MarkMayer-i2u]

When do you augment the Wheat grass with other food?

[@tanyacollins9003]

Thank you for generously sharing! I’m curious, how do you minimize pests and maggots? It seems the black liner would allow easy access to flies. Right now it’s cooled off and the only pests I have are these oversized fruit fly looking bugs that don’t fly, they just run fast-what are they?

[@FireStarter2805]

Excellent information - thank you, friend!!

[@thedealer799]

50 gallon drum worm bin let's go! I never seen it before but I just bought a couple 50 drums for $10 so I cut it up drilled some wholes filled it with compost, wheat straw, and newspaper shreds. Cost me a total of $18. I do think I filled it up too high tho. I'm new to this I didn't do much research and am now realizing the worms only live in the top few inches.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Can’t beat that price, Marcus… yes - fill gradually.

[@kamranarshad1203]

Hi, can we use saw dust mixed in the worm chow instead of cardboard to balance the C:N ratio? should we pre-ferment the chow before putting it into the worm bin? some say that these dry foods are concentrates and produce heat and nasty smell which can kill the worms?"

[@brianseybert2189]

Where do you get the wheat berry seeds? Would like to try for my worms this winter.

[@craiganderson3952]

G'day mate , nice vid, was wondering about leaves or leaf mold as a food source? Thanks for sharing!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Yes... I use composted leaves as bedding.

[@johnwebb8196]

Diggin it. Thank you sir.

[@martinwhitehurst9893]

Hey, nice job on explaining everything. Quick question, so I have a bin with holes in the bottom so worms can come in from underneath from the ground. Do you think if I put the Wheatgrass in there it will attract more worms?

[@paullynds3]

Another great video captain.ty

[@BeHappy-hh1ty]

What’s the ideal temperature for these worms?

[@charliehooker1307]

How many lbs of worms would I need for 100lbs of compost a week?

[@benjam0]

I like how he booted the kid away after tearing the mat.

[@kkrollingskkrollings3173]

Awesome love your content I just found your channel. Subscribed and looking forward to more videos.

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks so much, we have a list of videos we are going to do, hoping to share whatever we can

[@bucy1855]

is there a way to take compost from your community?

[@karmatamang4235]

Do these worms feed on leftover rice ?

[@orrfamily641]

Great presentation. I subscribed and excited to hear more. I look through your information but I didn't find any links for the non-gmo wheat berries you use. Can any wheat seeds work?

[@joshream3164]

Do 1 million worms live in one 8x4x2 cft? Someone told me I can only put 4 lbs of worm per sqft of surface area but I’m wondering if you can do much more if food requirements are kept up with so as to produce more castings in a smaller space?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

They will not breed to that level in that size - but bins can be overloaded (breed in buckets/trays) for massive casting production as long as there is adequate feed.

[@rico99586]

Captain Matt, I think I'm older than you, but you taught me something today. Thank you! That's really an amazing idea, simple, but amazing. Sometimes, as I have learned in life, the most efficient or best ideas are sitting right in front of us, but humans want to make it more complex, or complicated. It seems they think that the harder it is, the better it must be. Wish I had realized this when I was young, sure would've saved me a lot of time and stress. Sorry for the long introduction. ...My question is will regular grass seed work as well, is the price of the wheat and grass seed comparable, or does the wheat grow faster and more nutritious? Also does seed that has herbicide defeat the purpose? I know you are a busy guy so just reply whenever you can. I appreciate your videos. I am subscribed. Thanks again. (you have a good strong helper there too).

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

I buy organic wheat berries, from start to finish you can grow 8” wheat grass in 9 days

[@rico99586]

@@CaptainMattsWorms Thanks! I appreciate your help.

[@cedarmillman52]

Where do you get the wheat berries?

[@juliepoolie5494]

@@cedarmillman52 Amazon sells Palouse Brand wheat berries. Azure standard is an organic company that you pick up from a drop site .

[@therealmcoy295]

I like juice in that wheatgrass and taking a shot of it like you would whiskey but gives you a great energy for about 15 or 30 minutes depending on his potency looks like some really good wheatgrass I juice it first and then give it to the worm ✌️

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Agreed! Yes… there’s life in that there wheatgrass! I’ve been juicing it for decades.

[@markmast.thelureshack8944]

Hi Matt found your videos interesting. I was wondering how big of a building we would need to start worming. And also Temperature and humidity

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

All depends… just need temp control to avoid the extremes - and perhaps a smaller area to optimize temp when breeding. Basements work well - I am fortunate to have a well insulated 2 car garage here in upstate Ny.

[@ivaknezevic6752]

Please tell me if lt ‘s a regular plastic covering the earthworms or something the earthworms can breathe Thanks

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Sometimes I use landscape fabric that is breathable... Sometimes regular plastic if still room to breathe at edges. Most important to observe closely to see what the worms are asking for - they will teach you.

[@greganomixgrgry270]

The volume of worms you grab is crazy!!!!!

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Greganomix! Oh yeah!

[@dandoneral5405]

Do you sell your worms? If so, how are the worms used?

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Dan… worms are sold mostly for composting - but a small amount for bait.

[@kinsjsmggoiktaylor5659]

Is Wheat Berries The Same As Wheat Seeds Matt Thank You 👏👏👏♥️♥️

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Same thing!

[@christohattingh5654]

Where can I buy wheat grass in South Africa?

[@GregWilmoth]

Where can I get some worm castings?

[@elihuthompson626]

Thank you sir

[@bobk1955]

Your website is not working correctly, to Subscribe. I tried lots of things, but couldn't get to any fill-in form. Thanks

[@joetrino8366]

Where do you buy your seeds ?

[@KorvidRavenscraft]

Do you have a recipe for the ingredients in your worm chow? Meaning, actual amounts of each? Or a ratio ( 1 part this, 2 parts that)? That would be really helpful for someone who wants to follow your lead and get similar results. Same question for your bedding, and anything else it may apply to

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Targeting that for an upcoming video.

[@thomasgrady9292]

where do you buy your wheat grass seed from?

[@alarmedllama9270]

Awesome video

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Thanks!

[@Debbietolbert-tq6tk]

Where can I buy wheat grass seed reasonable price. Besides Amazon. I live in NC

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

Hey Debbie... try a local farm/feed store. Any sprouting grain will work.

[@indawoods123]

Really awesome video greatly appreciate all the information you provide Thank You!!!!

[@cookie761]

I wonder how it would work if, after you had your mat all growing and ready to go into the bin, if you put it in green side up and let the worms work from the bottom. Would they crawl up onto the greens or what? Have you tried that? I am just curious about if that would work or not. You could also cut some of the greens off and put them in the edges of the bin around the mat. But I've always been told that you can't put green fresh stuff in the worm bin. So you're proving them wrong already! My eyes focused on the sign on your back bin.......I like it! Thank you for your video.

[@jeffskinner4074]

Captain Matt, I have 2 follow through worm bins just started them, place cardboard on the bottom of them, after 2 months the worms are falling out the bottom, can you give me your thoughts?

[@timmooney2460]

What are those black covers you use on the bins?

[@brianheidel4550]

At what temperature do you keep them ?

[@SuperiorNorthwestRailfanning]

Are you able to feed your red wiggles spent brewery grains or do you need to mix it with other materials ??

[@CaptainMattsWorms]

I don’t have a educated answer but if there is no alcohol or chemicals I would try it. Do a test run on a small bin