Worm Farming: 1 Year Later

In this video I talk about how I got started with worm farming and why. The system has grown and is very low maintenance but that wasn't always the case. It has been great to put our food waste to good use and I look forward to brewing worm tea and enhancing out garden productivity all thanks to a colony of hungry worms. I hope you enjoy.

[@mattrobinson6594]

very good video......fall leaves (maple,oak) soaked in water for 24/48 hours then drained good makes a very good bedding for worms. the minerals in the leaves from the roots going deep into the soil make your garden veggies taste so much better. hope someone enjoys this tip.

[@lena_4466]

Thanks for posting this. We're learning to live with all of these leaves & I asked my husband for the leaves out of the vacuum. I did just what you said & covered it with moist newspaper and cardboard. They seem very happy & as a first-timer, you've helped confirm my technique. Thanks!!! Happy worming!!!

[@mattrobinson6594]

@@lena_4466 i forgot to mention using some kind of Grit, worms have gizzards like birds. i crush washed eggshells and its worked for me for years. i also add sand

[@lena_4466]

@@mattrobinson6594 yes, thanks. I've tossed in some old potting mix, along with a light shovel of our gritty, gravelly pile of dirt. I've also threw in some crushed oats I didn't eat before they became stale tasting, egg shells, etc. Another thing I'm learning & will leave here in case it's of help to anyone else is that they've loved the banana peels I've added after breaking them down/cutting up. Shredded paper, etc... along with my fruit/veg scraps and other compostable goods. Tried to balance moisture & brown/greens. Lastly, threw in a handful of castings generously gifted to us for our gardening this year. Hoping for the best but it looks like it's working & I am grateful for this community. I hope to get the hang of this, in order to build up the soil & growing mediums around our new home. We had a large, productive garden in the past. Our soil now needs some loving. Worms are going to help. I believe I'm working my way up towards 1000+ worms in my bin... Goal: build my population to sustainable numbers in garden & collecting castings. I've also loved working with our young child with the worms, love how it peaks their attention & interest in the garden. Thanks for the relatable video. Thanks for sharing your success & promoting the community. Just do it!

[@bch9124]

As a kid living on a busy street, I had an earthworm farm that I would utilize to sell by the dozen to fisherfolks. It was a fun hobby that netted me some money for '80s-era entertainment. Thank you for reminding me of a fond memory!

[@NanasWorms]

Looks like you found the right system and feeding regime. My largest system is a converted children's turtle shaped sandbox. I harvest it all at once after the worms have worked through the the material. My other systems include indoor totes, a four tray stacking system and in ground garden worm towers. ~ Sandra

[@agentredhasretired5450]

My red wigglers LOVE carrots. Chop them up in a blender so they are small and soft. The worms will be happy. Thanks for all the great information.

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Great tip. My dad has been juicing and bringing me the carrot pulp. They seems to enjoy it. Thank you watching and for taking the time to comment.

[@rdraffkorn3184]

i too had failed to keep worms alive. twice lol ... then i figured out i live in the south and they don't like the summer heat. I needed a larger bin (half a 55 gallon plastic drum ) and they've been doing good for two years now. they are outside sheltered from the sun but have screened drain holes on each end. I compost my food scraps to get rid of the initial heat of decomposition (important in the summer) then use that as food and bedding. though i feed some azomite and dried molasses to help out. recently that the weather is warm i get a five gallon bucket of castings that i sift from each bin. (i have six now ) The garden is doing better this year too for all the castings applied but i'm still working on that. thanks for the video .

[@dmbrookfield]

I put all my food through a blender and just pour it in, everything goes in tea bags coffee ground all the waste food, it all goes so much quicker as the worms I believe find it easy to eat it all, I started my worm bin about the size of 1 ton bag added some old compost and went round the garden and picked up worms and 6 months later I went back and there were a a load of worms and then I started feeding them. This winter I added a themomiter to see how cold the now 2 bins I've got went and they never went below 12 degrees and they kept munching away. And voila I'm not buying compost anymore.. Great work there :)

[@lena_4466]

You give me hope to tie in my garden & worming through winter months. Thanks for sharing!

[@rhondamontiel3827]

Frozen foods also break down much faster as if cooked.

[@MartinEngelbrecht-ey3rl]

I had very similar containers, ended with a big plywood box, much bigger space, my worms are also small.

[@frednobles2485]

I've watched a bunch of KZbin about worm compost and really I don't think any of them help me but I learned a lot from this one I think I can do it now really appreciate it

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Glad to have helped. It's easier than one might think.

[@tlnelson7598]

freeze the carrot first, it works for me

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Thanks for the tip. I cooked them in a crock pot last time I had some and that worked well too. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.

[@timcoates3821]

Leaves are a great bedding. But you don't need to soak them just wet them a bit. European night crawlers are a better worm for fishing

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Thanks for the tip. Funny you mentioned the night crawlers because everyone that likes fishing complains that my red wigglers are too small. I don't fish very often but I feed all our house food to these so the worms are perfect for my application. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@funkybongo00]

Don't know if it's just my phone but audio is jumbled around the 14 minutes mark for a little section , appreciate the video man , thank you !

[@WD-41469]

Yep

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Sorry about that. I thought it was the editor but I think it was the camera or file and I couldn't fix it.

[@hortusandersgarten3574]

Thank you for this video. It is very interesting and exciting. I learnt a lot. Best regards, Gitta

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@regenerativelifewayne]

Nice video

[@genewileyopa]

Interesting.

[@roywarriner8441]

They do self regulate and if you are only processing your own waste and getting all the castings you need, you want a stable population, castings finish much faster if the worms aren't producing cocoons. Throw the lid away and cover the bin with landscape fabric instead. The worms can breath and keeps gnats and flies out. Compost the food first.

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Thanks for the comment. I used to just put a sheet over them but I have to be careful about animals getting into the bin since it's outside. Long term I want to build a lid with mesh but that part of the project is still in queue.

[@MississippiPrepper]

Do they not get too hot in the summer months? It gets up to 100 degrees here in the summer. I would love to have an outdoor bin, but I dont think they would survive.

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

This will be my first summer in this bin. So far we have hit 96 but it usually stays cooler in the shade so I have them under a roof. I did start adding moisture more often since it dries out faster lately. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@kissdirt]

I’m going on a year and over half… Experimenting… My worms eat everything meat dairy everything…

[@CedarTrailsLiving]

Thanks for the comment. I have seen other videos where people have fed them everything. I guess anything that can break down naturally, they can eat.