Raise Fishing Worms and Potting Soil in the Same Bin

God's Warrior · Raise Fishing Worms and Potting Soil in the Same Bin

Raise Fishing Worms and Potting Soil in the Same Bin

Don't you love it when you can accomplish two things at once? If anyone in your household likes to fish and you pot a new plant now and again have you considered raising your own fishing worms? This is a good project for this summer. The idea has been around for several years What a superior product the soil becomes! This really inspires me to begin.

An old article says to use a 2 feet by 3 container, at least 1 foot deep. Adding 3 to 4 inches of shredded newspaper (never the full color pages) is the first step. Dry grass can also be used instead of newspaper. Then comes a trip to the local bait shop for red wigglers. No other worm will do. Moisten the paper slightly, but don't soak it. Then add the worms. But the article doesn't say how many worms to start with. I guess you just have to try it and see and then you can tell us here at TGP. The worm bed needs to be covered, but not airtight. The next day organic material from the kitchen or table can be added to the bin. Never put meat or bones into the worm bin. The natural castings will eventually form in the bottom of the worm bin and make rich potting soil for home use. The article says, ...and you can start this project in the smallest of spaces, even under your kitchen sink!"

Elena
YUCK!!!! YOU can do it under the sink. I think I will keep mine outside.

Aloe
I've heard that those worm bins do not smell and it is no problem keeping them in the house.

My parents had a spare refrigerator in the cellar. It's purpose was for keeping garden surplus and if the upstairs refrigerator just was too full. My dad also kept in there a bucket of nightcrawlers. It had a lid on in and never smelled like anything. My dad kept the worms in torn up newspaper and sawdust and he fed them cornmeal. I was absolutely rabid about going fishing when I was a teenager.

Elena
You aren't the first one to tell me that they don't smell. I need to keep my fisherman husband from reading this thread or he will have bins of worms all over the house.

Carol7
We have two compost piles. One is for compost that has been turned after six months and the other is for new scraps, grass clippings and etc. There have been many times when my DH was going fishing and he just went to the compost pile to get his worms. We don't add any worms to the compost. Somehow they just make it there on their own.

Did the article say why it should be covered? Is it to reduce the smell if you are using kitchen scraps and keeping the container indoors? I remember reading somewhere that someone had purchased a large quantity of worms for an outdoor compost pile and the majority of them made the great escape!

Elena
That was the entire article. I figure it is to keep down the smell and also insects such as fruit flies. If anyone had a problem with roaches or ants, it wouldn't help that situation a bit if it were uncovered.

Aloe
We bought red worms for the compost pile. They have always stayed put. We have some other kind of earthworms in the soil, but they do not go into the compost pile. They want to live in the soil, not decaying plant matter. Maybe the worms that made the great escape in Carol's story were the wrong kind.

Carol7
Could be. I have no clue of what type of worms they were, just when a decent rain came they were all over the yard instead of where they should be.

Horseshoe
Bins are often kept covered to exclude light. Worms tend to work the uppermost area of the scraps (light makes them retreat deeper).

I use an old chest freezer for my worm bin...cheap and excellent!! (Drill a few holes in the bottom for excess water drainage, a few holes around the top/side walls, and you're all set!)

Carol7
Shoe, that's a big container to keep worms in. Is yours what they call a Hilton Hotel for worms??? Surprised

Horseshoe
Hah! Well, to me it is! I get teased about how I take such good care of my little worm pets!

This is a somewhat small freezer; inside space is only about two ft X 3 ft...perfect size for a worm bed!

Elena
I think that is an excellent idea. I would have never thought of doing such a neat thing. That is what I would call that a wonderful recycling idea.

Carol7
Shoe, how many worms do you have or could have in the "hotel"?

Elena
A "passel of em", I bet!

Horseshoe
Hmmm...that's a tough question!
Would take me a while to go count them!

I know I started out with about a half a five gallon bucket of compost that was really loaded down with worms. Recently, another worm raiser gave me a mess of his worms, couple pounds or so. There is supposed to average 600-700 worms per pound (full size worms). "Breeders" (smaller worms) would range as much as 2000 or more per pound.

If ya'll are really interested in more info and a super good book check this one out sometime. (I got mine used on Amazon.com).
http://davesgarden.com/gbw/c/230/

Carol7
Shoe, thanks for the info. I guess what I was trying to ask was how many can live in a cubic foot and it sounds like quite alot. I was thinking about this as a Christmas gift idea for my DH.