Why raise earthworms? What kind of earthworms do I need?   The Red Wiggler   The European Nightcrawler   The African Nightcrawler Where can I raise composting worms?   Worm Bins     Compost Pile   What size bin do I use? What kind of bedding do I use for indoor bins?   Shredded newspaper   Peat or Sphagnum Moss   Manure   Coconut Fiber Feeding - What, How and How much?   What do I feed earthworms?     How do I feed earthworms?   How much do I feed them?   Raising Worms for Bait Harvesting the Vermipost What is Worm Tea? Which earthworms for my garden or yard?   The Alabama Jumper Summary Books About Worms

Raising earthworms is one of the easiest ways you can go green and reduce the amount of trash entering our landfills and water systems. Instead of throwing your kitchen scraps in the garbage can or down the sink disposal simply feed them to your worms!  And if you enjoy gardening this is a great way to save money -- your worms will produce fertilizer for life!  Earthworms can produce more compost, in a shorter time, with less effort, than any other tool known to the gardener or farmer. The compost which is produced by earthworms is of the highest grade, containing not only greater amounts of mineral nutrients in soluble form, but also containing a high percentage of castings that help to form soil aggregates, leading to a permanent improvement in soil structure.  Are you a fisherman, too? Why pay $4.00 for a dozen worms when you can raise them yourself?  Whatever your reason for raising earthworms, you will enjoy watching your critters grow, reproduce and recycle!

There are three types of composting worms and one type of garden worm available here at Worms4Earth.com,  I will list the three types of composting worms in this section. You can read about the garden worms further down the page.

The Red Wiggler is also known as Eisenia foetida, the manure worm or brandling worm.  This voracious eater is definitely the beginner's choice because of it's adaptability to a wide range of living conditions as well as the ability to process large amounts of organic material.  Although this hardy worm will survive temperatures close to 40°F, they prefer bedding temperatures between 68°F and 80°F. They are hardy enough that, if acclimated, they can live in bedding as hot as 100°F.  If your needs are strictly composting, this is your worm of choice. Another benefit is that because this is a small earthworm you can easily provide live food for your aquarium fish and turtles.  
Click here to Buy Red Wigglers >>

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The European Nightcrawler is also known as Eisenia hortensis, the Belgium nighcrawler or super red. This composting worm is much larger than its cousin the Red Wiggler.  It has quickly become known for being a great bait worm for it's size and ability to live longer on the hook as well as it's tolerance of salt water. This hardy worm will survive temperatures close to 40°F, but prefers bedding temperatures between 68°F and 80°F.  Europeans are easy to raise; just keep in mind that if you want them attain their potential size you will need to raise them in manure and feed them grain or corn.   Click here to Buy European Nightcrawlers >>

The African Nighrcrawlers is also known as Eudrilus eugeniae (you DRIL us   you JEN ee eye).   This is a large tropical worm species that tolerates higher temperatures than it's cousins listed above.   The African Nightcrawler enjoys a bedding temperature of 70° - 90 °F and consumes large amounts of organic material from kitchen scraps to manure.  If you live in especially warm areas this will be the worm for you. Keep in mind that this worm is sensitive to colder temperatures and will perish if exposed to bedding temps below 45 °F. This worm is very popular in the southern U.S. because of the lack of freezing temperatures. This is the longest of the three composting worms and produces a lot of compost as well as breeds quickly.  Click here to Buy African Nightcrawlers >>

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Earthworms need only a few requirements in which to successfully live and breed. These requirements are moisture, darkness, and food.  These conditions can be found in any outdoor compost pile, which is definitely the easiest type of worm system to maintain.  But, because these requirments are so easily produced, many people choose to build a bin they can keep indoors, which also has its advantages.

Many people who are new to raising earthworms begin raising them in a Do-It-Yourself plastic storage bin or a manufactured worm bin system. The convenience of portability along with the fact that most folks will not be raising populations in the tens of thousands makes the indoor worm bin system an easy project.  And for those who are contemplating raising worms on a large scale, the worm bin is a smart way to learn how to raise them in a controlled environment before making a big investment.  Because the extremes of heat and cold climates can be harmful to earthworms, raising them indoors ensures that their environment will always be climate controlled.  You can put the bin in your garage (if cool), basement, closet, spare bedroom or your porch. If you decide to keep your bin outside, keep it away from direct sunlight.  For those of you living in the south, putting your bin outside may be too hot during the summer months -- the combination of heat and humidity definitely becomes a factor when raising earthworms in a plastic bin that isn't designed to insulate against that kind of weather.  

Check out the Get Started web page to learn how to build your own do-it-yourself bin.  If you don't want to build your own, I also offer an excellent product made from recycled plastic right here in the U.S.A.  It is called the Worm Factory Worm Bin and it is an upward migration, multi-tiered system.  For more info, check out the Worm Factory Worm Bin web page.

If you decide to keep your worm bin in the garage keep in mind that worms will bake in a closed garage with no air conditioning.   I can tell you from personal experience that earthworms will not do well in a plastic storage container sitting in a hot garage with temperatures exceeding 100° F in the middle of the summer.  Plastic bins are not insulated so the hot ambient air temperature will easily transfer to the contents of your bin.  If you don't have a basement, keep them in a utility or spare bedroom.

Hey all of you gardeners out there -- did you know that earthworms are the most efficient composters in nature?   Your pile will be composted ten times faster with earthworms than without them.  One of the advantages of a maintaining a garden compost pile is that the finished vermicompost is conveniently close to your fruits and vegetables.  Making a compost pile is easy -- just get yourself some chicken wire and make a simple enclosure (this is optional), find a nice shady spot, rake up some dead leaf or grass mulch and add some kitchen scraps.  Water thoroughly and add earthworms in a week or two.  You can add any of the three types of composting worms listed above to your compost pile. You'll even discover that your compost pile will begin to attract a lot of the native species of worms you have in your yard (this only applies to areas that have native species -- some places may not have earthworms such as New Mexico and Arizona).  To add them to your pile simply dig a hole in the top of your pile, place your worms in the hole, and cover them up.  You'll want to keep your pile watered, but not soggy as this could make you pile heat up too fast.

When you turn your pile use a pitch fork if you have one.   You will always run the risk of injuring or killing a few worms when you turn your pile, but a pitch fork is less intrusive than a shovel and will keep your losses to a minimum.

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You will want a bin that gives enough space to house your worms and bedding.  For do-it-yourselfers, an 18 gallon (give or take 2 gallons) bin is a good size to start with.  Starting with 3 pounds of worms gives you a good amount to process your kitchen scraps.  This amount also allows enough room for your earthworms to reproduce as your worm bin can hold upwards to around 9 pounds of worms.

Use only opaque bins.  See-through bins will stress your earthworms as they will continually dig toward the center of your bin trying to get away from light.

If you choose to go with a manufactured bin, a 4 tray model is sufficient for 6+ pounds of worms.  You can also add more trays later if you want to expand the composting capacity of the system.

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There are several types of bedding that you can use.  I'll outline the most popular types and list some pros and cons of each type.

This has long been the composter's choice for raising earthworms.  It has excellent moisture retention and is readily available from your local garden or home improvement store.  You will need to moisten the peat before adding to your bin.  Soak until completely saturated, then squeeze until just damp like a sponge.  And... although worms will consume peat, you must add other food such as kitchen scraps or paper because peat has no nutritive value. Pros: Readily available, retains moisture. Cons: Recognized as being environmentally unsustainable, can be acidic. Because peat can to be slightly acidic, I recommend soaking your peat for 24 hours before putting in your worm bin OR adding a cup of lime to the water if you don't want to soak for that long (the calcium in the lime raises the pH).  You can also add a 1-2 teaspoons of lime to the kitchen scraps each time you add food to your bin.  Crushed eggshells will also raise the pH. If you choose to add lime to your bin, make sure you don't buy slaked/hydrated lime. Slaked and hydrated are toxic and will burn your earthworms.  Slaked/hydrated lime is used in making mortar and cement.

Manure can be used as either bedding or food and is generally used for outdoor worm beds and compost piles.  You can use rabbit manure, composted cow or horse manure to top off your bin if you use peat as bedding.  Rabbit manure is especially attractive for worm farmers because it is a "cold" manure -- it does not need to sit for weeks composting before adding to your worm bin.  The manure already contains loads of microorganisms that earthworms thrive on.  Earthworms LOVE manure and thrive on the nutrients available within it.  Manure is a natural habitat for composting worms and contain many of the organisms vital to an earthworm's growth. Pros: Highly nutritional, often free when obtained from local stables or farms. Cons: Fresh cow and horse manure will heat up when fresh and needs to compost several weeks before use.  May contain de-worming drugs. There is one potential downside to using horse and cow manure;  if the animals were given de-worming drugs this could be fatal to your worms.  Any amount of de-worming drug the animal's body did not absorb will be present in their stool.  A good rule of thumb is to only use composted manure that is at least two months old.

Coconut fiber, or coir, is a renewable material that comes primarily from India and Sri Lanka.   It is becoming more popular with organic composters as well as the hydroponic growing industry.   It may be a bit pricier that some other bedding material, but you will be satisfied to know that you are using a renewable of bedding when compared to peat moss.  But, just like peat, your worms cannot survive in coconut fiber alone. Pros: Clean, odorless, mixes well with other bedding, retains moisture well, renewable source. Cons: More expensive than other bedding material, more difficult to obtain.

It is always a good idea to "turn" or "fluff" your bedding at least once a week.  You can do this by digging down to the bottom and bringing the bedding to the top.   This ensures that plenty of air is in contact with the contents of your bin.  You want your bedding to have plenty of oxygen so decomposition remains accelerated, plus it makes it easier for your worms to crawl through it.

The earthworm is an eating machine. It literally eats the earth as it burrows through it.  Material that is too large to ingest will be pushed aside with its "head" (prostomium). Worms don't have teeth, so the material they eat is first moistened in their mouth then passed into their gizzard which acts like teeth and grinds the food. The food is then passed to their intestines which absorb the nutrients contained within. Whatever the worm doesn't digest is then passed out of their bodies as nitrogen rich worm castings.

An important fact to know about feeding your earthworms is that they thrive on the microscopic organisms that live on the decomposing organic matter they ingest.  These organisms include a variety of algae, fungi and bacteria that are essential for the worm's growth.

When it comes to kitchen scraps, worms will consume just about everything you do, with the exception of a few.  I outlined below the biggest "don'ts" -- anything that is not listed should be ok to add to your bin or compost pile.  If you are unsure, the best rule of thumb is don't use it.

When you feed them, don't distribute the food evenly throughout the bin. Instead, put the food in the corner about halfway down into the bin. Then cover and check back in a week. You will notice that a lot of your worms will have gathered in the area you put the food! When the food is almost gone you can repeat in the opposite corner of the bin.

To speed the composting process you can chop up or boil your kitchen scraps.  Raw veggies like broccoli and carrots take time to break down -- chopping or boiling sraps create greater surface area as well as soften and break down fibrous material, making the food more readily available to your worms.

A quick note about overfeeding -- too much kitchen food packed together may become anaerobic and heat up your bin.  If you notice that your worms seem to be trying to escape your bedding may be too hot.  To cool it down, remove some of the decomposing food.  Remember, the smaller your kitchen scraps are, the faster they will be consumed. Another clue that you have too much kitchen scraps is if it begins to stink.  If your bin becomes smelly simply remove some of the scraps, or redistribute half to the other side of your bin.

If you are raising larger worms such as European or African Nightcrawlers for fishing bait, you will want to approach growing your earthworms like a farmer.  Simply feeding them your kitchen scraps won't be enough to get them as big and fat as you'll want.  You'll need to feed them a steady diet of food such as manure and grains.  I recommend seeing if your local feed store carries Purina Worm Chow.  If they don't carry it or can't order you any, try the Rabbit Chow.  Chicken laying mash or corn meal works, too.  I've also heard of a guy that uses spent grain from a local micro brewery.  Remember, raising big fat bait worms will take more focus on your part when compared to just raising them for composting.

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After a measure of time that can be from between 1 to several months (depending on worm population density) you will notice that most of the original bedding has been converted into a rich, dark earthy material.  This dark material is the worm castings, also known as vermipost. When most of the original bedding has been consumed it is time to move your worms into a fresh bin of bedding.  

So now that it is time to harvest your worm castings you will need a tarp or sheet of plastic large enough to pour the contents of your bin upon. Choose and area with a good amount of indirect light, empty your bin onto the tarp, then separate the big pile into several smaller piles. Give the worms about an hour to crawl to the bottom of the each pile (if you do this under direct sunlight cut you wait time in half).  Then carefully scoop up the "wormless" vermipost and place its own container.  Now take your exposed worms and put them in a freshly bedded bin.  It may be a little cumbersome at first, but you will get faster with practice.

When harvesting, if there is food in your bin that has not been eaten just add it to the fresh bin.

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Worm tea is a solution made from worm castings and water. Think of what happens when you make tea with a tea bag; when you place a tea bag in water, the properties of the tea leaves leach into the water. The same hold true with worm castings.  When you soak worm castings in water the castings are diluted and the beneficial micronutrients and microorganisms contained within are transferred to the water.  This solution gives your plants and an instant boost of energy and nutrition.  Not only can you feed the roots, you can use a spray bottle and feed the leaves as well.  As the worm tea soaks into the soil, the nutrients and beneficial organisms are evenly dispersed into the soil and substrate. Your soil is now is teeming with molecules that your plants need to sustain healthy and productive life cycles!

Making worm tea is easy! All that you need is

Simply fill the bag with castings, close the top of the bag using a bread tie and place in water to steep -- it's that simple. I offer worm tea bags here. If you don't have worm tea bags you can just add castings to a bucket, add water and stir.  The castings will fall to the bottom of the bucket and after 24 hours simply transfer the tea to a watering pail.  

The Alabama Jumper is also known as Amynthus gracilus.  You can put this type of worm directly into your yard or garden. Alabama Jumpers can thrive in just about any kind of soil, including packed clay, and will aerate and fertilize your yard and garden. These worms are very active and can burrow through the thickest soils with ease. They have thick skin and are very powerful -- true to their name, they will literally jump out of your hand.   Click here to Buy Alabama Jumpers >>

Raising earthworms takes a bit of patience and care.  Remember, they are living creatures that require cool, moist bedding and food they can digest.  If you follow the tips I've given you, you shouldn't have any problems.  The biggest mistake that beginners tend to make is overfeeding.  If you're unsure, give a little less, pay attention, and feed them more when necessary.