How to keep earthworms for recycling soil?
Posted on January 4, 2009
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I heard about how good earthworms are for recycling food scraps. I thought it was pretty interesting. I found some earthworms but I put them in the pot and they escape. What are their basic needs?
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7 Responses to “How to keep earthworms for recycling soil?”
it depends what type of food, if its meat and just vegetables it isnt going to do it for them, you need to put leaves, tree pcs and at least some type of dirt or manure to start, they dont need it to be to wet and slimy either but a moist to dry envirnoment, thats why when it rains you will always see worms in teh road because its too wet for them , so where they live in moderate to good soil they work they will work the compost better.
I got a huge amount at a fishing tackle store once my compost was sorta established.
I saw worm beds that has to be sprayed with water.
ON the top they put cow manure. Don’t think food scraps feeds worms.
I was eating when I saw this question and read the details and I almost threw up!
Anyways talk to someone that knows about gardening and landscaping!
In the bottom there is a site that deals with earthworm for recycling soil!
Check it out!
My grandfather used to keep earth worms, he kept them in a fifty gallon drum or the largest rubbermaid tote. No top, and in a cool dry place. He fed them vegetation scraps, coffee grounds and would moisten the soil for them. After there were to many he would put bunches of thenm in his garden or his compost heap, to let the population grow up again. I hop this will help someway.
Google “vermiculture” or go to VA Tech site for worm composting. Good Luck!!!
I have a worm farm, and it works best with red wigglers. Which are smaller then most earth worms you see outside. They also like dark places that are moist. They might have escaped because it was not dark enough. I have a worm farm that I purchased that has multiple bins that you stack on top of each other, with a lid on top.
Only feed them vegetables- that way it will not attract maggots, and will have little or no smell.
I have read that you can do this in a large Tupperware container, or in a bucket. But you would need to provide them with enough food. Mine started to escape after a period of time, because they had multiplied, some were take outside to the garden and the problem has stopped. I would also think you would need to have a couple of buckets going at a time- that is the great thing about the purchased farm, worms can move on to another level to find more food- and the first can get ready to go into the garden, or plants.
This is a great way to compost if you do not have a yard. You will still need some outdoor material to make the right mix, but we get it from the leaves that gather random bushes around our building.
Good luck and buy your worms local.
Ordinary earthworms aren’t what you want, they won’t be happy. The red brandling worms like the compost environment, breed fast and are very effective. If they can find a way into the compost they will, otherwise you should be able to find them in any open compost heap.
edit: angling shops might sell brandlings.