Raising and Growing Worms
Article by Commercial Farming
The first man who set up a worm farm started out with a profitable business that did not even require much capital to start with. Earthworms, they say are farmers' friends. Note that not all earthworms can prove to be helpful when it comes to creating your own worm bin. Red worms and red wigglers are the two breeds of worms that are suitable for setting up a worm bin.
It is the worm casting that helps the soil to maintain its fertility. Growing worms is indeed an easy task. Worms do not need any maintenance whatsoever. All you need to do is provide them with a warm and cozy home to grow in. Worms consume all organic food items. Leave dairy products, almost all kinds of kitchen wastes act as great food items for these worms. While food is not such a big issue when you set out to raise worms, there are certain aspects that do need a little attention.
It is very important to adjust the moisture levels and the temperature to the right value in a worm bin. If the moisture content is on the higher side, it can lead kill the worms. Worms use their skin to breathe and too much water does not let the oxygen reach the skin of these worms. Experts suggest that the moisture content of the bedding should be the same as that of a wrung out sponge.
Similarly, the temperature inside the bin should fall in the right range. This range has been determined to be from 15 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius. In order to provide the right temperature to the worms, it is important that you keep the worm bin in a place that is shielded from sunlight but is well aerated and ventilated. The holes that you drill into the bin should not be more than 1 inches in diameter and should be around an inch and a half away from each other.
For growing worms, you can simply use a plastic or a wooden box. In some countries, the worms are raised in pits in the farmer's farm as well. The compost bin can be set up in several ways. In order to collect the castings, you can simply place one box over the other. Strings can suspend the box on top or ropes or you can simply buy a worm bin stand for the purpose. When one box is suspended over the other, it gets easier to collect worm castings in the box below. The castings often leak out from the box above to the box below. After a few months, you can swap the boxes and start the process all over again. Growing worms is not a tough task but you need to get it right.
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