Worm Farming Ideas

S
strawberry shortcake
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I tried to do an above ground "in the box" type worm farm and it can't compete with my little spot next to the foundation. I lay out flattened cardboard boxes on top of the bare soil in a moist shady area (there is a drippy water faucet there) next to the foundation of my house as soon as the snow melts enough to show soil. I leave this in place till April or May. Then around the first of May I uncover it (there are usually lots of worms at the surface by now) and add shredded newspaper, grass and leaf clippings along with some soil scattered around the layers, additional earth worms that come out on the road after a rain (sometimes I have to make several trips out to the road there are so many), and kitchen veggie scraps that I gently bury in this compost heap all season long. If need be, I shred more newspapers and add that. With little else in the way of upkeep, I have worms all season long. By the end of fishing season I have a nice compost heap that I use to amend my garden and pottings. Then I start again next year.
 
However, the site included in this post has about the easiest above ground worm farm I have seen to date. If I needed an indoor one (if I lived in an apartment for instance) this would be the one I would use.

Cheap and Easy Worm Bin!
 
Great information I will try do this after I move....Thank strawberry shortcake. I love you name....
 
The reason why I like my "in the ground" system is that both nightcrawlers and redworms live together quite happily. Redworms at the surface, and nightcrawlers a dig away. If you want nightcrawlers on the surface, give the spot a good soaking as soon as you get up before your fishing trip (it can take an hour or more to bring nightcrawlers to the surface). You can also do this the day before and then refrigerate your catch. I don't use electric rods. Not necessary. Some of you might really reject this next idea (wastes water, etc) but I've done it. If you are so lucky to be located right next to a country road, find the place along the road that seems to produce the most worms after a good rain and set your biggest lawn sprinkler to reach it. Set it to go for the morning hours and then harvest at noon. You'll be out fishing for the evening catch.
 
One more thing. If you use non-newsprint paper products, I find it best to use a shredder before adding to the compost pile. Stay away from colored mail. The ink in newsprint is lead free but I don't know about mail.
 
wellcome to the forum. I am new to this forum to,again thanks for the informationand...:lol::clap:
 
Great thread about worms. Thank you and welcome to the forum.
 
Welcome to the Family Strawberry Shortcake..:D
ThankYou.

I've caught lots of fish with nitecrawlers, redworms, & mealworms.

I've caught many Striped Bass with Pileworms & Bloodworms.

:lol::lol::lol:
:cool::cool::cool:
 
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Welcome to the Forum, and I had a question; Where should I look for worms, like a ton of them cuz I plan a lot of fishing this weekend and need a ton of worms, should I dig, go to a wetland area, look under logs, etc? Thanks in advance.
 
Welcome to Forum Shortcake. I'm waiting for Oregon berries! And you've developed a nice way to farm some worms.

I stumbled onto a great way to also "farm" worms at home...by accident. I had a pile of tree leaves that had gotten left on the driveway. Several rains later, I found the fattest night crawlers I had ever seen. So, I just left that pile right were it was until it got too dry.

I had nice plump worms all through that spring. And, I didn't even feed them or water them. They just loved those tree leaves and munched on them as they composted naturally. (Sorry, don't know what kind of trees they are...I'm not a botanist). ;-)
 
One of the best places I have found for worms is in a not very well cared for woodland park right after it rains good n plenty (there is a great one next to the Willamette River just northwest of Albany, not on the town side but across the bridge). Roll old downed branches and logs over. You should see the backside of a nightcrawler in the dirt. Dig like crazy because these guys slither down their holes faster than those gooy (sp?) duck clam thingies on the beach. Also, anyplace in the Willamette Valley after it rains where there are plenty of sidewalks. There is something about the salty wet pavement that worms crave. I remember walking to class at OSU trying not to step on the slimy things. There was a worm in every square inch of the sidewalks on campus, I swear. Caution: If you head into these unkempt parks, watch out for poison oak.
 
Thanks shortcake!
 
When I was younger, I used to "pick" nightcrawlers the night before a fishing trip. Just give your lawn a good soaking with a sprinkler, during the evening. Then, after dark, go out with a flashlight. The worms will be out in mass!

But, you either have to be really quick once you spot them. Otherwise, they will dart back into their holes. The best thing to do, is put a red lens or cover over the light beam. And just walk lightly. They can sense a light and / or the vibration of your steps.

On a "good lawn", you should be able to catch about 1 -2 dozen in a half hour to and hour.

Then, you hit the sack and dream of all of the fishing fun you will have the next morning!
 
If it rains really good go out at night right afterward and walk around in your neighborhood you'll find them every where, the road, sidewalk, and peoples yards :D
 
I've been letting my worm farm have a rest and have been buying worms for the last month. Today, while the thunderstorms passed, I was out digging in it after soaking it for two days (just trickles of water from the leaking faucet while I watered the lawn). It has come roaring back after I thought I had harvested all the big ones! I need to replenish the woody debris, newspaper shreds, and grass clippings because I found very little of that stuff left. I will spade more stuff in, then I will be putting very damp cardboard over the top because I have found cardboard easier to remove than compost to pick up the worms that are usually just under it. I am totally surprised by how big the worms got in one month! And I think word spread around that there was good stuff to eat so I imagine I have had a few emigrants from nearby areas. Will be hitting the river tomorrow.
 
Great topic! I'll be doing some blog posts on the Green Tackle website in a few months about growing your own red worms that can be used for both composting your kitchen scraps as well as live bait. I have a 3-tiered worm farm that I made out of fence boards. It's much bigger and cheaper than the store-bought worm farms. I keep it in my basement which stays at a constant temperature and so my worms stay busy year-round. They multiply fast and consume all my kitchen scraps very quickly. Every 4-6 months I get a bunch of compost for my garden, I reduce my trash, and I have a constant supply of live bait!

I have not done night crawlers because, as you pointed out, they burrow where as red worms rise to the food. The indoor worm farms aren't designed for them. But the red worms certainly catch fish.

Cheers,
 
This is a great thread Shortcake. Thank you. I have always wanted to do something like this, just always been afraid my two black thumbs would kill this, too.:lol:
 
If you don't already...try feeding your worms some leftover coffee grounds.
 
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