What is a Worm Farm

Some people raise chickens while others raise livestock. If you want to help cultivate the soil or restore its nutrients, then you build a worm farm instead of buying fertilizer from the supply store.

The nice thing about creating your own worm farm is that it does not cost that much. The only thing you will need are 3 or 4 stackable bins or crates made of plastic, wood or any other light weight and waterproof material, a few worms, a strip of insect screen for the bottom, shredded newspaper, garden soil or potting mix, water and good scraps.

When you have all these materials, it is time to build your worm farm by first putting some holes on the lid and on the bottom. The number of holes will depend on the size of the box or bin. Just remember that this should be evenly spaced to allow oxygen to enter and excess water as well as worm waste to drain out. The strip of insect screen should then be placed at the bottom so the worms do not fall out.

Now that you have worked on the exterior of the worm farm, you now prepare the interior by filling the container with shredded newspaper. It is best to put ¾ of this inside and dampened with water before you put in the garden soil or potting mix in the grit. This is done to ensure that the worms will eat the scraps you throw in.

Once everything is ready, it is time for you to welcome the worms into their new home. Some people throw in a thousand of these little creatures and as long as you keep them happy, they will multiply and you will most likely lose count of their exact number.

But what do we do with the other bins or boxes? Well, the last step is to place the extras containers over the first one.

If you have any idea what worms like to eat, a few examples of these include coffee grounds or tea bean bags, crushed egg shells, fruit peelings, hair clippings, stale biscuits and cakes, saw dust, plate scrapings, soaked cardboard, vacuum cleaner dust and vegetable scraps.

In short, worms love to eat dirt and leftovers. Don't put too much since you might over feed them. The best way to figure out how many is sufficient is to put in a small amount at first and then observe how long it takes for them to finish eating that batch before putting in another one. Given the large area, it will also be nice to put their food in different spots each time.

Watch your worms regularly so you can be sure that the shredded damp newspaper does not dry out. If the old newspaper needs to be changed, make sure to replace this with a new one.

Naturally worm poop will accumulate in the bottom of the box. That waste product is also known as vermicast and this is what helps plants grow. So you only get the vermicast without letting the worms come out, it is best to open the container and just leave it for awhile under direct sunlight.

Worms don't like sunlight so they will naturally look for cover and you won't have a hard time collecting the vermicast and closing the lid.

Your worm farm is a helpful tool to help you grow flowers, fruits and even vegetables. All it takes is a little willpower to get the support of these little creatures.