Comments on: Growing Worms vs Breeding Worms vs Waste Processing

By: Bentley

Bentley — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:37:14 +0000

Hi Julie,
I would think cooking them first wouuld definitely help (would likely take a fair bit longer to break down otherwise) – but maybe even soaking them in water for a number of days would be enough? As toxicity, other that really harsh compounds that could harm the worms even via contact (eg capsaicin in hot peppers), and persistent man-made toxins, my hunch is that toxins in plants will get broken down by microbes and should pose little or no threat to the worms. I’d be careful about amounts of legumes added, though, since they are N-rich but also starchy so there is definitely some potential for them getting pretty foul if a lot added at once.

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 04:13:13 +0000

I have quite a lot of legumes which may be stale and I’m considering making worm feed. Would it be best to cook them first before feeding to worms? Perhaps freeze and thaw, too? Some beans, like kidney beans, are toxic for humans to consume if not adequately cooked. Are all legumes safe for red wigglers, uncooked and ground? Thanks, Bentley.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Thu, 28 May 2020 14:42:03 +0000

I have definitely thought about the use of legumes – and I have used the syrup from salt-free (important!) canned beans to soak cardboard. I think lentils would be fantastic and your mix in general sounds like it would work well. Just a question of costs .

By: Bryce G. Carswell

Bryce G. Carswell — Sun, 24 May 2020 21:53:50 +0000

Has anyone used ground up lentil beans for a worm chow? I mixed them with rolled oats and blended to a semi fine flour. I plan on adding some partially composted horse bedding/manure and mixing with a spoonful of molasses. What do you think?

By: Bentley

Bentley — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 13:43:46 +0000

Hi Blinp
Great question. Surface area is really important since it helps with air flow. Deep bins with little surface area (eg garbage cans) tend not to work nearly as well as something like a big Rubbermaid bin that’s 12-18″ deep. With plenty of air holes, nearly anything can work – you just need to find the right balance (too much air can lead to drying out, which is also not ideal). Hope this helps

By: blinp

blinp — Sat, 23 Mar 2019 21:10:11 +0000

whats better, a small but wide container or a wide and deep one? is depth or with more important for worms?

By: Amol

Amol — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:02:35 +0000

We have a cow farm with 40 cows and getting around 500kgs of cow dung daily. We are planning to start vermicomposting using cow dung. Could you please guide us since we are new into this field.
Thanks
Amol

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 12:18:34 +0000

I wanted to clarify in my previous post. The worms I am currently working the breeding bins with are ENCs. I don’t have enough adult Reds or ANCs to work with, but as soon as I do I will be using the same set up with them as well.

By: Aubrey

Aubrey — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 11:51:39 +0000

I have been reading this site for months and after some experimenting of my own, mostly thanks to suggestions from this site, I finally have a system. I have what I call a “home bin” which is a 29 gallon RubberMaid bin, and I have “breeding bins” which are 10 gallons. I put the adults in the breeding bin (the ones with the band near their heads), about 1.25 lbs per bin. For water content, I over water, I don’t have drain holes in the bottom, but I have found that by slightly over watering and having water pool on the bottom, it creates several layers of different moisture levels, then the worms choose which level they want to be on. Also I only do this when I first put them in the bin, I have air holes around the top which seems to be enough, and I keep the lid on. I never have to mess with the water level, and I use worm chow and just put it on the top of the bedding, when it’s gone, I add more. I sort these bins once a week, or two depending on how much has turned to compost. I put the adults in a new bin, the “bedding” in another bin, screen the bedding with 1/4 inch screen, then set a new bin for the next sorting session. With the compost which still has a ton of bedding at this point, I screen it with 1/8 inch screen. Then I pick out as many cocoons as I can and put them in the “home bin” to hatch, that bin is gone through once every 2 months or so depending on population, and maybe start another breeding bin if I have enough adults. The worms in the breeding bin are HUGE, at least 6 inches long sometimes a little longer and almost as thick as my pinky. I’ve only been doing this for a month, so I can’t wait to see if they keep growing. Every time I look they are bigger. Their cocoon production is pretty decent too, at least 50 cocoons each sorting. I have to say, I got the breeding bin idea from Bentley, and it was a great idea! Thanks so much for this site and all of the advise Bentley, you and all of the people who read and comment on your site are great and have really helped me.

By: Tana

Tana — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 02:51:34 +0000

Hi, I am thinking on making a small compost bin/worm farm in my own backyard. We have a plastic container about 1 1/2 – 2 feet tall, with a wide open top. We own a horse who produces TONS of manure, and have lots of scraps none of our animals enjoy.

Would horse manure and scraps be enough to successfully produce a cycling farm? I’d cull out every now and then larger worms through feeding them to my chickens and fishing with them in order to keep the population at a correct size, and would water the bin every day or so depending on need and would probably change to fresh manure on a weekly/bi-weekly bases, depending on the need.