What Do You Know about Worm Farming?

If you have wondered how popular or widespread worm farming is in the United States, or if you have ever thought of starting your own worm farm, you may find the following information interesting.

Worm farms on a large scale exist as follows: Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico-1 each. Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, and the United Kingdom-2 each. Pennsylvania, Texas-3 each. Canada and Washington-4 each. California-15. Of course, there are many that aren't listed as major farms. Many people have their own backyard worm farms.

Any business, including worm farming, will take from 3 to 5 years normally to break even after their initial investment and maintenance costs. It's essential to be careful with your purchases and to do your research before jumping into any business. Careful consideration means a better chance of netting profits sooner.

What do you know about breed stock? You can find good breed stock in a city gardener's basement supply just as well as you can from any established breeder with the same type of worm. It isn't unusual for someone to try to sell breed stock at an inflated price in any animal business. The population can take as long as 90 days to double no matter where you buy your breed stock.

How many worms you should start with depends on several things. How much can you afford? How big do you want your worm farm? How much space do you have now? Are you investing as a second income, for a little pocket money, or are you hoping to grow into a big worm farm? Can you shield your worms from temperature changes? Will you be willing and able to ship your worms elsewhere for selling?

Some helpful information to know is:

1. Worms are sensitive to pressure changes in weather. Finding them in the lid of your worm bin before it rains is no reason to panic.

2. Ants will be more likely to enter your worm bins if the bedding is dry or highly acidic. Raise the moisture content or keep the legs of your stand in a container of water. You could try applying petroleum jelly around the legs or adding some garden lime near the ant gathering spot.

3. Cover your fresh worm food with the soil in the bed or lay a layer of wet newspaper over it to get rid of vinegar flies. If you feed your worms too much for them to finish each day, it will invite the little flies, too.

4. A smelly worm bin is a sign that you may be feeding your worms too much for them to digest quickly. Stir the waste lightly to allow air flow and space for the worms to travel more easily and feed less. It may take a little experimentation to figure out how much your worms can process efficiently. The amount will change as the worms multiply.