Up close and personal with a writhing mass of hungry Red Worms
I recently added 5 lbs of hungry Red Wigglers to a large bin I’d set up ahead of time. The bin is a 121 l (32 gal) Rubbermaid-style storage tub with quite a few air holes drilled in the sides and lid. The bedding was a mixture of shredded corrugated cardboard and ‘egg carton cardboard’ with a considerable quantity of food scraps mixed in as well. Given the size of the system, I also had to spend a considerable amount of time moistening the contents with a spray bottle (I don’t like simply pouring water into a worm bin). By the times the worms were added it was definitely in awesome shape, if I do say so myself (haha!).
It was actually very important that I made sure the bin would provide an excellent worm habitat. Not only is 5 lbs of Red Worms WAY more than I would normally add to a bin this size, but I also had to go away for a couple of weeks and thus would not be able to make sure the worms were doing ok.
Here is the system prior to leaving for our trip – just before taking this photo I had added a considerable amount of watermelon (a worm favourite), plus a thick layer of cardboard over top.
Here is what the system looked like when I got back home. In all honesty, the image just doesn’t do it justice. The only hint of watermelon left in the bin was a cluster of watermelon seedlings that sprang up from the seeds! I thought there would at least be some remnants of the rinds. It just goes to show you what can happen in a nicely optimized system!
Down below the surface the worms seem to have annihilated much of the cardboard bedding, converting it into large quantities of fibrous worm castings. Not only did I find writhing masses of worms as I dug around, but an unbelievable abundance of cocoons!
Thankfully I’m now collecting food waste from a local restaurant, as mentioned in a recent post, so I’ll definitely be able to keep these worms (and all my others) very well fed. Just in the nick of time, too – I suspect this hungry bin of wrigglers would have eaten me out of house and home pretty soon!
Technorati Tags: red worms, red wigglers, red wrigglers, eisenia fetida, composting worms, worm composting, worm bed, vermicomposting, vermiculture, worm farming, food waste
Written by Bentley on May 31st, 2008 with 3 comments.
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One of the original four Red Worms added to this bin
Well folks, I decided it was finally time to pull the plug on my Four Worm Reproduction Experiment. I know I’ve really let things slide on the update front, so hopefully the final wrap-up will provide some closure for those of you who have been following along, and are keenly interested to learn how it went.
As a bit of a recap, I started this experiment (I use the term very lightly) back on December 12, 2008 (so about 5 1/2 months ago). I was curious to see how quickly Red Worms can reproduce, and specifically how quickly four adult worms could produce a thriving population of worms.
I should say right off the bat that conditions were FAR from ideal in the bin. The worms had to deal with really dry conditions for much of the experiment given the fact that I was using a flow-through (stackable) worm bin and was quite forgetful when it came to keeping everything nice and wet – especially early on.
In order to limit the amount of disturbance to the system, I decided not to do counts during the experiment – aside from the time involved, I felt that this would potentially have a negative impact on the worms. Those of you who are curious about the population size will be pleased to learn that I did in fact take the time to count the worms yesterday. It took awhile, and I have little doubt that I missed some smaller worms, but all in all I think it is a pretty good estimate of the population.
I separated worms into two categories only – adults and juveniles (as dictated by the presence/absence of a clitellum). From what I could tell, there were FAR more juveniles than adults. Here are the numbers:
Adults: 12
Juveniles: 94
So a total of 106 worms – or an approximately 25 fold increase in population size! I can only imagine how many more worms there would have been if I’d provided ideal conditions.
I didn’t bother to count cocoons, but did see a fair number while I was picking out worms.
As for the four original worms I put in the system, I think they all survived, but there was really only one worm I could say without a shadow of a doubt was one of them (since it was much larger than the rest of the worms in the bin).
All in all (despite the lack of attention), I’d say it was a pretty interesting experiment. I would certainly like to try it again, but next time I’d likely use an enclosed plastic bin and would be more diligent with adding food etc. I also would like to try putting Red Worms and European Nightcrawlers head to head (each in their own bin) in a reproduction challenge to see how they compare.
Here are all the posts (in order of appearance) from the experiment in case you want a more thorough recap:
Four Worm Reproduction Experiment (December 12, 2007)
Four Worm Experiment Update (December 27, 2007)
4 Worm Update – First Cocoon! (January 2, 2008)
Four Worm Update (March 25, 2008)
Mating Red Worms (April 8, 2008)
Fungus Gnat Invasion (April 23, 2008)
Technorati Tags: worm composting, vermicomposting, cocoons, worm reproduction, worm eggs, worm bin, breeding worms, worm farming, experiments
Written by Bentley on May 31st, 2008 with 5 comments.
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After receiving a number of questions re: my involvement in the Worm Farming Secrets (WFS) membership site, I decided it was high time I write a post and share ALL the sordid details here!
I’ve actually been meaning to write a post about WFS for quite some time now, but you know how it goes sometimes. In an effort to make this as clear and easy-to-follow as possible, I’m going to organize this in the form of a basic Q&A. This way you will get the key info quickly and avoid having to plow through my typically longer rambling explanations. [UPDATE: It seems I was unable to avoid including some long, rambling answers! haha]
1) What Is Worm Farming Secrets?
Worm Farming Secrets is a private online membership site created to provide guidance for those interested in starting their own vermicomposting businesses, and for worm farmers interested in taking their current worm business to the next level.
2) Are You The Owner of, or a Partner in WFS?
NO. (see next response for further details)
3) What Exactly IS Your Involvement in WFS?
I was hired by the owner to write the content for the weekly newsletter (in the form of two long responses to reader questions) as well as the Worm Farming manual, included with the membership. I am also (obviously) a full member myself. I try to participate in the forum as much as possible, but it’s been challenging at times with so much on the go (definitely more time for it now that I’m able to focus on worm stuff full time though).
4) How Did You Get Involved in the First Place?
A little over a year ago I joined the (then free) Worm Farming Secrets membership forum to see what exactly it was all about. In all honesty, given the name (which has a certain ‘hypey-sales-pitch’ feel about it), I really wasn’t expecting much at all! I should mention that I also decided to sign up for the WFS newsletter at the same time.
As it turned out, I actually ended up being very impressed with what the creator (Duncan Carver) had done with it – especially given the fact that he is not a worm farming (or vermicomposting) expert at all. Based on the thriving forum community and the excellent newsletter content alone, it was abundantly clear that Duncan had put a great deal of time and effort into getting the project off the ground. As such, I decided to send him a friendly msg letting him congratulating him on a job well done.
Long story…uhh…longer
When Duncan realized that I had my own vermicomposting website (you’re lookin at it), and was hugely passionate about the topic, he asked if I might be interested in writing for him. Up till that point he had been doing all his own research and writing, but his plan had always been to hire someone with more vermicomposting experience to be his ‘content person’.
For me it was a no-brainer really – having the opportunity to earn some (albeit part-time) income in my spare time, focusing on the (rather obscure) topic I’m most passionate about was pretty exciting!
Writing the manual certainly wasn’t the easiest task I’ve ever faced however – it involved a LOT of research and writing hours, not to mention a lot of stress. Looking back, I’m definitely proud of the accomplishment and really glad I agreed to do it, but there were certainly some trying moments along the way that had me wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into.
Apart from the side income WFS has provided – even more importantly, I can honestly say it was my association with WFS last spring that ended up breathing new life into my own online and offline vermicomposting efforts. It made me realize that there are in fact a lot of people keenly interested in the topic (it is way easier to justify spending time on something when you know there are people who will actually appreciate your efforts!). As such, I am very grateful to Duncan for the opportunity!
Just as an aside…
I have to say, one thing that REALLY made all the time spent on the manual worthwhile was having people respond positively. Here, for example, is a testimonial that completely knocked my socks off!
“WOW!!! In my opinion, this is the best worm manual that I’ve seen, and I have several, going back to the 1970′s. It is concise and well-constructed, authoritative, yet readable, and very comprihensive. It is well worth the wait.”
~ George W. – Helena MT
5) Is WFS Worth Joining?
That definitely depends on your vermicomposting interests and goals. If you are simply a vermicomposting hobbyist with no interest in ever starting your own worm farming or related business (most people who read this site, I would imagine), then NO – I’d recommend simply signing up for the free WFS newsletter and taking advantage of all the other quality free content out there (like on this site for example – wink wink). If, on the other hand, you have a worm business or are interested in starting one, then I’d say that it is worth it. I admit, I’m a little biased – but really, it just comes down to me knowing what is in the manual (which will continue to be improved upon over time) and feeling good about the potential to help people out.
Just so you know, I’m a fairly cautious, careful person myself, and happen to care a great deal about the best interests of others – so be assured, there is NO ploy to get members involved in any sort of ‘worm growing contracts’ or propositioning for ‘turn-key business investments’, or anything like that. The goal is simply to educate people about the field, and hopefully get them pointed in the right direction. If anything, I probably tried a little too hard to keep things ‘real’, thus potentially discouraging some people from even attempting to start a vermicomposting business.
Aside from vermicomposting itself, my big passion is the Web, so one of the areas I put a fair bit of emphasis on is web marketing and promotion. From what I can tell, there are a lot of worm farmers (and people in general) who just aren’t all that familiar with the online world, and thus tend to shy away from it. Having been immersed in the web for the last three years professionally, I’ve witnessed (firsthand) the incredible potential it has for allowing literally anyone to share their message with the world. The importance of having a solid online presence is only going to increase over time, there is no way around it – so now is definitely the time to get up to speed!
Now that I’m actually involved the worm business myself, I will also be able to provide even more insights (in future editions of the manual and on the forum) about the industry – now based on firsthand experience, rather than the information shared by others.
6) What Does It Cost and What Do You Get?
The cost is $67 per year (recurring unless canceled before renewal date). What you get is access to the members forum (which in all honesty has been pretty quiet as of late), the manual (and all future editions released while you are a member), all the current and back issues of the newsletter, plus a boatloat of other valuable information resources.
7) Why Does It Cost Money?
As mentioned, Duncan himself has put a LOT of hours into the set-up and promotion of the membership, and has also paid for assistance (mine and others’) as well.
Obviously, it’s no secret that there is plenty of fantastic free information online about worm composting – but the aim of this membership is to provide specialized information for those interested in the business side of vermicomposting. Apart from the valuable information provided, it is also a great opportunity to connect with others in the industry.
OK that pretty much sums it up – hopefully this has helped to answer some of the questions people have had about WFS.
If after reading all that you think that Worm Farming Secrets might be something you are potentially interested signing up for, please let me know – I may be able to hook you up with a sweetened deal (wink wink).
Technorati Tags: worm farming, worm farming business, worm business, vermicomposting business, worm farm, starting a worm farm, selling worms
Written by Bentley on May 30th, 2008 with 2 comments.
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I recently came across an interesting (albeit brief) article about a new vermicomposting initiative at a California hotel/spa. I always enjoy reading about these kinds of projects. There is just SO much potential, given all the businesses out there producing tons and tons of food waste each year, but there really aren’t that many taking advantage of these materials.
The hotel in question is the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (Sonoma, California) – here is a brief blurb about their new system:
The 3′ x 3′ x 14″ worm bin sits near the employee parking lot and is intended to reduce about 128 pounds of organic waste each month. But cutting out the organic waste isn’t the only thing the wormy guys are good for, explains Melissa Attanasio, the resort’s “Green Champion” (I wish I had “champion” in my official title). “By feeding the worms hotel food waste, we end up with one of the best (sustainable) soil amendments and fertilizers—worm castings,” she says.
Be sure to check out the full article: Hotel Hip: Worm Composting
I’m actually just about to start up a similar food waste vermicomposting project in my own region. A little while ago I contacted a local restaurant to inquire about obtaining some of their wastes for my worms, and they ended up being very excited about the idea, so we’ve made it into more of a serious project. Needless to say, you’ll definitely be hearing a lot more about that in coming weeks.
Technorati Tags: worm composting, vermicomposting, worms, red worms, composting worms, food waste, food scraps, restaurant waste, composting
Written by Bentley on May 26th, 2008 with 3 comments.
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