Do Worm Farms Work?

Description

• The most common type of worm farm is a single bin, either plastic or wood, used to contain the worms. The bin must have holes in the bottom to drain excess moisture from the farm. Otherwise, liquid can build up and create odor problems, attracting pests such as ants and fruit flies and potentially drowning the worms. Bedding, typically shredded newspaper, fills the bin. Food is buried in the bedding to give the worms access to it; plus burying the food keeps it from hosting insects as it decays.

Composting

• People who use worm farms are often interested in recycling household and garden waste without the need to maintain a large compost pile. Worm farms can be kept in the house where they are easy to use, and they don't need turning like compost piles, since the worms handle the turning and aeration of the bedding without any help. They convert waste to compost quickly and efficiently, and the resulting fine-grained castings can be used to enrich the soil indoors or out.

Raising Worms

• A worm farm is a very efficient way to raise worms. Worms in captivity usually thrive because they are well fed and do not need to expend a lot of energy searching for food. They breed readily and can double their numbers every few months, resulting in a surplus of worms to be used for starting new worm farms, fishing, pet food or to sell.

Considerations

• Despite the fact that worm farms in general work quite well, some things must be taken into account or the farm will fail. The most important consideration is the type of worms you're going to raise. Not all worms can adapt to living in a bin, and it is necessary to make sure that the selected worms will be able to thrive. Red wigglers make the adjustment easily and do very well, but deep-burrowing worms, such as night crawlers, will not. The worm farm must also be kept damp, since worms will die in a dry environment, and the worms cannot be exposed to freezing or too much heat.