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Tiny Worm Farm?

jAfFa CaKe

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Does anyone know how I could set up a tiny worm farm? I mean I only want about 5-10 worms a week, is that even possible to do?
Thanks in advance
 

mizzerman

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Look up stuff on red wrigglers and kitchen composting. I have a couple of rubbermaid containers in the basement with red wriggler colonies and they don't smell at all. I guess you could try a smaller container. They breed really well, and eat your apple cores and peelings and stuff.
 

HMontross

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Would you be keeping only 10-15 worms at a time? According to Uncle Jim's Worm Farm, red wigglers double in number every 90 days. I have a worm farm that I started with 500 worms about a year ago, and they haven't gotten out of control.
 

jAfFa CaKe

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Right now I have 50 (approx) worms in a small(ish) tub with the earth they came in and a bit of compost (no chemicals or anything like that in it) to let them have more space. I'll put some potatoe peelings with them.
 

Jennewt

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The problem with a tiny worm farm is the same as the problem with a tiny aquarium. In either case, any slight error or imbalance in the environment can quickly cause the whole thing to crash. A little too much food, or a little too dry or wet, and the worms are likely to escape - or die trying.

It's OK to start a farm with a small number of worms and build up slowly, but don't try to keep them in a very tiny space. I would guess that a 5-gallon bucket would be the smallest possible container that would work, and even there you'd have to be vigilant and change out the substrate fairly often. It works best if you have two containers, one with drainage holes and another container outside of it to catch the liquid.

My worms don't care much for potato peels. They are much more enthusiastic about fruit, such as banana peel, melon rind, mango peel, etc.

Have fun!
 

dennis

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A 20 gallon Rubbermaid tub about 3/4 full of medium works good for a small inexpensive worm farm.......Old straw from livestock pens, organic yard debris and soaked rinsed newspaper or cardboard cut up works great for a starter media....if ya don't soak the newspaper the salts left over from bleachin the newsprints not desirable for the worms and they will take way longer to use n consume it.......
don't use peat if possible its not ideal n pretty environmentally horrible imo...Feed them about any non meat or dairy human food table scraps, stale bread, and occasionally some chicken feed or something and they will thrive.........I don't use the double bin with a drain because wigglers prefer an extremely wet section of medium imo and don't drowned easy......If about 1/4 my bottom medium is soaked but the top is slightly dry and the middle just moist I find that ideal. Spring n fall I clean the bins really good and separate the extra castings with a window screen and use them for my gardens. Usually about 2/3rds the accumulated media is castins by then so I just replace it with soaked cardboard or newspaper n the cycle continues.......


Idk im no all time worm wrangler expert but I've cultured them 10 years or so and I know a few tricks.
 
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