We Are Worm Farmers Now!? (Vermiculture for Soil & Plant Health)

[@maryosullivan7910]

I've kept a worm bin on and off for years! Honestly, it's really easy. Worms are pretty basic, keep them in a moist and dark environment and they're happy. They absolutely love cardboard, and they will eat right through that corrugated cardboard you put on the bottom- they love to get into the channels and stay there eating their little hearts out. Generally they don't climb out of their bins unless it's too dry/wet or there's no food. Your worms were likely a little dehydrated from being shipped, but they bounce back fast and as you see, then they get a little crazy and try to climb everywhere (I could tell you a few funny stories but I won't, lol). After you leave the lights on for a few days, they settle down and get busy. I never used coconut coir until recently when it came with a new order of worms. It's a nice addition, but I always did fine with newspaper and cardboard for bedding (nothing glossy, and be sure to remove staples and any clear packing tape. They actually love the glue that's on brown packing tape). I check the moisture level once a week or so, and mist if it's drying out a bit. I only feed them every now and then- a good tip is to freeze your scraps and then you can throw it straight into the bin and it will moisten the bin as it thaws. I also put dry paper on top to discourage any wandering. Then you just ignore them and wait for them to do their business! The castings are great- I put them on my rose bushes last year and they went WILD- they bloomed profusely right up until after New Years, when we finally had a deep freeze here in NY. Good luck with your new venture!

[@bloomandgray]

Thanks for the comment Mary! Lots of info thanks, looking forward to getting into the vermicompost 😁

[@mkwats5375]

Thank you for the video! Where do I rent a Rob?

[@brgovender8879]

Great video. I'm new to worm farming as well. Started last November 2023. Heard of it a few years ago but didn't show much interest for it. Now that I'm retired and growing my own vegetables, it makes good sense to farm organically. I loved the teamwork and hope to follow the progress you guys have made so far. Thanks for sharing. Bobby Govender from South Africa.

[@kinsjsmggoiktaylor5659]

Great Sarah Flower 🌹 Just Found Your Channel,Now I Am Going To Listen To You ,Juno ( Do You Know) Abbreviated ❤️❤️❤️

[@macmcminn4726]

I am in the US in North Carolina and have just started worm farming very recently. I decided to start with Red Wigglers for their composting excellence. I started with one pound and have them in a large mortar tub which has been quite functional for a home. I am going to expand to much smaller tubs and take some of the mature worms and let there be 4 more smaller grow out tubs. I wish you all the good luck possible and will be keeping an eye on your channel. I spent a lot of time in the UK working with the Royal Navy in the Bahamas before retiring. I again hope the best for your worms.

[@littlehouseontherock-wormery]

I bought 500g of dendrobaena worms (Eisenia hortensis) from Yorkshire Worms in September and I love them.

[@fitzymon]

buy a leaf shreder. I put 3 inch's of leafs on the bottom and add compost, coffee grounds and Organic Coco Coir. they love watermelon and pumpkins.

[@kristinmiller4264]

I just started a small worm composting set up!!! I'm in the US and I wish I had a friend like you nearby to geek out about this kind of stuff.

[@bloomandgray]

Aww me too!! There’s not many people round here to geek out with 🤪

[@AJsGreenTopics]

You two are goofy. 🤪

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Sarah, wow, fantastic you are starting a worm farm, looking forward to seeing how it progresses, thanks for sharing & take care 🙂

[@hobin1433]

I understood that worm liquid that leaches out can be used as fertilizer too

[@bloomandgray]

I think it’s advised not to use it because firstly your bins shouldn’t be wet enough to produce leachate anyway and secondly if you are putting rotten food scraps in the bins you don’t know what potentially harmful substances are coming out (E. coli etc). It’s best to let the worms process all of the material first (they can reduce all harmful microbes) and then make tea from the finished product.

[@davidkinnear1070]

Fascinating stuff 😃 who knew worms could be so interesting 🧐 well done you two 👍 you do work hard 😓👏

[@fishmut]

A fellow I know here in Australia has his worms in a few sheds and had put fire places in them , simple and effective he breeds a few different varieties of worms and the fire place keeps his worms fine. Temperature here in our region some years get low to -7 but not that low to often mostly -3 or 4 and other nights varied, something to consider , hope this might of helped. 👍 also has a temperature gauge in side so he can leave a door cracked open or window etc if he thinks it needs it.

[@MallouMakeup]

I looked in vermiculture a few years ago, but didn’t take the leap, becose living in Canada, the bins would have to be in my house to stay above freezing temperatures. This video is really making me want to restart researching the subject and maybe finding a small corner were a could store 1 bin.

[@daiseegray9110]

Quite interesting 🌸🐝

[@northeastworms]

Amazing set up, I love it

[@hayleybarrett1883]

Can't wait to see how you harvest the castings without disturbing your worm friends. I'm also concerned with my aerator tool, looks so sharp for the little worms! I'm hoping to start adding bokashi to my own worm friends.

[@bloomandgray]

I’ve just started with bokashi too. Looking forward to adding that in the future

[@amberlockhart1386]

Maybe try putting some kind of screen in the tote? Like a wood framed screen to keep them from escaping? Love your videos!

[@karie3]

Keep us updated! Looks like lots of work. I am sure it will be well worth it. I enjoyed the video.....which makes me laugh because only farmers and gardeners could love a video like this. I am sure everyone else would think it's quite odd to love a worm video. 😄 I can't wait for updates! Will you sell worm castings in the future?

[@itsmewende]

Breeding worms, now that's something you don't hear everyday. I haven't done anything with worm castings but I have heard about it before. I have bought worms to put in the garden. And I'm thinking at my age, I'm happy buy them and not being a worm parent =^)

[@flatbrokeatfifty]

So excited to see how this goes. The world is your oyster with this. You can sell the castings, the tea or the worms. BTW be careful with coir. I purchased some to try and it killed all of my plants so there must have been something wrong with it.

[@FLlife]

Fantastic!

[@hilarymathison4289]

We’ve had a small purpose built set up for a couple of years, not really done much with the castings but have used the leachate for plant feeding. Ours are brought into a cold garage for the winter, but are outside in the shade in summer (just a stack of boxes with a lid). We need to learn more to be more productive!! So will continue to watch your channel for updates. We did kill off the first batch by leaving the stack in the sun!! :(

[@fauzanfauziah61]

Good night my friend

[@tonywhiston6768]

Sarah great video have you thought about bio char, I make bio char that I run through my bins or inoculate it in worm tea. The inoculated biochar goes back into the soil acting like thousand of microbiology sponges. Just another way of better soil biology and moving away from soil chemistry.

[@linniebabe99]

Loved this…so interesting…can’t wait to see more 🤩🤩🤩

[@cindynicholson372]

That was great. I’m looking forward to seeing your updates.

[@janpapworth7956]

Really interesting and a very professional looking set up you have there.

[@NJGardengirl1961]

Hi Sarah! I have purchased my can-o-worms and will purchase my worms very soon. I've never been so excited to hold a worm in my hands in my life! I am a member of Jenny Love's regenerative flower farming community as well

[@bloomandgray]

I was so nervous about ordering the worms!! I was putting it off because I felt like I needed to do more research but there’s nothing better than learning from experience 😂 the rffn is fab isn’t it!

[@NJGardengirl1961]

@Bloom & Gray - Flower Farm Yes it is! I am totally emerging myself in it. It's still very cold here in NJ, so I plan on ordering my worms at end of March. By then, I hope to have my self-educated worm degree 🤣

[@AJsGreenTopics]

Worms are the best pets to raise. Great video. 😎

[@joelsoutlet8366]

Truly informative and impressive content. I really enjoyed watching it. Well and have a blessed day.

[@christiensgarden3325]

Totally going to try this again I originally had a small one set up but I wasn’t very good about being a very good parent.. I will attempt to try this again and I have joined the regenerative group to assist me with my first year of flower farming for me as well.. thanks for your wonderful information..And good luck and I will continue to watch your channel

[@bloomandgray]

So fab that you are into regenerative farming from the start. I wish I had been 5 years ago. I can only imagine what my farm would look like now! Good luck with everything!

[@ale-iensbrewery8871]

Good luck, vermicomposting is a really interesting and rewarding experience. Your set up looks great.

[@sandraengstrand2784]

Exciting adventure!! 🪱

[@bluespooncatering7484]

Grit for the gizzard. Add a cup of sand to each bin, once a month.

[@halo091]

very informative and productive attitude. btw what shredder is that?

[@BareMtnFarm]

Very well done! We think you will get lots of vermicompost. Good video

[@bloomandgray]

Thank you guys! Looking forward to harvesting it down the line.

[@fernandaalbuquerque6872]

Really enjoyed this video and watching the two of you work together. Great job! Very interesting about the worms. Thank you for sharing your research.

[@janminton7864]

This is really very interesting! You and Rob make a very productive and cute team!

[@kathypope3010]

Great video and thanks for the resources also. I've been wanting to get started and after watching this, I am definitely going to start worm bins. Thx again

[@bloomandgray]

Good luck with it 😁

[@bobd9640]

Really interesting and informative. You have peaked my interest in worm casts. I’m going to go for a very low tech experiment thou. My lawn is always covered in worm casts so I’m going to see how practical it is to harvest some to add to my seed compost for my spring sowings. Love your videos, if you ever get time, could you do a whole farm tour?

[@bloomandgray]

Sounds like a good idea! Hope it works for you. We might do that sometime soon! 👍🏻

[@Angie_P]

this was a great video! Keep us posted on how it goes.

[@user-rg8oq6yo6n]

I love watching your videos! Found you through searching how to wrap market bouquets. Have a question regarding your problem with the thistles in the hoop house. Are they wild growing thistles or maybe something you had planted that you might not recommend us planting? I’m wanting to plant “star frost and platinum blue globe thistle” and wondering your thoughts on those varieties.

[@alexc1105]

Mcology trick when hydrating coco coir to "field capacity" (just wet enough) drain it in an old pillowcase

[@bloomandgray]

Great idea!

[@alexc1105]

@@bloomandgray Obviousley you can soak it in the pillowcase aswell as draining it. A xx

[@alexc1105]

What's wrong with worm leechate? I thought it was good?

[@bloomandgray]

Rhonda Sherman who is an expert on worms says that it’s an unknown fluid and it comes from food scraps etc that is breaking down so you can’t be sure what is in it. It’s best to make tea from fresh castings once everything is broken down.

[@alexc1105]

God help me Rhonda! ...help help me Rhonda...

[@schriki9582]

We use pre build worm Box since Christmas in our kitchen. Of course we didn't harvest castings till now but I'm so hyped 😄 in the first weeks I was too motivated with a water sprayer and the box started to smell bad. I mixed in some dry cardboard and everything is smelling forest like again 👏🏼👏🏼 Looking forward to see your farm in action! Looks effective!!

[@khalius7506]

Hiii I've been looking to do this but can't find much information for UK weather. I'm in Wales where it obviously just pisses down all day everyday, its cold and miserable most days. I know you are UK to and is that why you chose to do it inside?

[@bloomandgray]

Yes I chose to do it inside because of the cold weather, that’s why we also added the heating underneath the bins. I’ll remove the heating in winter as it should be perfect temps for them then

[@mdaly4010]

Hiya .. first time here, my roommate is watching your Channel. I overheard the music can you tell me where the music's from please? Thank you in advance.

[@bloomandgray]

Hi, I get my music from epidemic sound 😊

[@mdaly4010]

Ok...so anyway to find this particular music...ty

[@kathleencallicoatte6151]

Nicole masters has a webinar “worminar” all about worm farming! I watched it twice lol. Great information. I believe she was also on the no till market garden podcast. Check it out!

[@bloomandgray]

Oooh thanks for letting me know about this, I will check it out. I’ve listened to her on the no till podcast, but might have to relisten with my new worm parent ears 😂

[@mimi27513]

How about some warm manure?

[@mimi27513]

Oops! I Spoke too soon. The very next part you head to get some! Any compost pile with dry leaves, etc would make a nice addition. They will love it!

[@svetomirmoskov9236]

Този мъж,много ви обича!!!

[@grannynjim6626]

Fascinating, educational and enjoyable. Thank you both. Not my cup of 'tea' though, lol.

[@sandraarmstrong3722]

What happened to your worms

[@philaustin1375]

Il

[@ahavarichardson5426]

Worms are both sexes, so breeding is not the correct terminology! They are asexual. And the banded side can reproduce if torn away from the other. My Dad and Grandfather had honesty worm farm sales, they used refrigerators and the the top locked for money and pick a cup.!! You could too!! I plan on going back to my roots and sell produce but cut flowers as well! Mom and Dad didn't make a living from selling produce or worm farming.

[@bloomandgray]

I thought they were hermaphrodites, so if they had to breed asexually then they would, but can also breed sexually.

[@cindynicholson372]

That was great. I’m looking forward to seeing your updates.