About now you are probably saying to yourself, "Raising redworms! Is this a joke? You've got to be kidding?" Actually, it is no joke! Let me tell you about my vermicomposting odyssey...
My husband and I moved several years ago to a property that needed a lot of TLC. The ground was literally rock hard and had only a sparse weed covering for a lawn. Nothing grew except some weeds. Being an avid gardener, I thought I could do something with the lawn. For two years, I struggled. The lawn improved a little but not to where I thought it should be. Only very hardy plants (weeds) could penetrate the soil. Something had to give!! I wanted a nice, lush, green lawn with a humus rich soil where fertilizer applications wouldn't be necessary - like we had at our old home.
I started surfing the web to see what was out there to help me with my lawn. I came across vermicomposting using the lowly redworm commonly known as the manure worm. I read that worms could create a consistent, biologically active plant supplement called castings.
After several months of researching vermicomposting, I took the dive! I ordered a pound of redworms from Bob Ingram at Trinity Ranch to try my hand at worm composting. As it turned out, Bob was just as interested in making sure my redworm endeavors worked as much I was. He insisted I have my little plastic worm bin set up several weeks before my worms arrived. I kept my redworms indoors and fed them kitchen scraps. Every time I fed my redworm friends, all I could smell was a fresh outdoorsy scent. No foul odors. The best things I found from vermicomposting was I liked it and I could use vermicomposting on a larger scale to help my lawn.
The only large, consistent food source for worms I had was dog poop and leaves. This presented a serious problem because of the possibility of dangerous pathogens. Once again, I searched the web for possible solutions to dog waste treatment. I came up with the a home vermicomposting system utilizing dog poop that I feel is quite suitable for my lawn needs. It is a combination of thermal composting dog wastes then adding it to my outside worm composting bin. As for my garden, I have two indoor vermicomposting bins that will provide enough castings to do the job.
The many unanticipated benefits have made worm wrangling quite a money and time saver! First, we have reduced our garbage by over half. That means we only take out the garbage half as much. For people who have to pay per bag for their garbage, this is a money saver. Not only is there less garbage but the bags are lighter and there is almost no odor. No odor means that critters aren't as likely to rip into your garbage. The heavy, wet, stinky stuff that would have been put in the trash now goes to the redworms. Cardboard boxes, newspaper and even junk mail are now shredded and given to the worms for bedding. Just think of all that personal stuff that you don't want anyone to find. Well, after the worms work their magic, the personal papers are totally transformed into nothing but fertilizer.
I no longer need to buy fertilizer of any kind. I just mix a little bit of castings into the top inch or so of soil in all my houseplants. Outside, I sprinkle and gently rake castings into the soil around my shrubbery and flowers. I also sprinkle castings on my lawn. That is it. It is not a major production just money and time saving with fabulous results.
The unique thing about vermicomposting is it can fit into almost any situation. They can be an indoor worm bin or worm composting bin outside. The worm bin can be a small 10-gallon plastic tote, a wooden box (some have even used furniture), made of cinderblocks, and even just a pile of debris. The sky is the limit! You can even buy a specially made bin for worms.
If you are interested in starting a mini worm farm, I suggest you begin by logging onto the Worm Digest forum, Worms.com forum, Happy D Ranch forum and the vermicomposting forum. You will meet many people who will be happy to answer your questions and guide you in the right direction. That is where I met Bob Ingram at Trinity Ranch, I have met several more people who have openly and honestly helped me. There is Dr. Dave Jones at Foundations In Christ Ministries, Amy Weishuhn worm photographer extraordinaire and Kanti Somani at Worms.com. All have been quite patient with me and that is no small feat!
While you are searching the web for worms, please remember one thing. Start small and find out if you like it. The legitimate professionals will tell you there is a steep learning curve! Usually a pound of worms is a good start. There are a few hard sell, to good to be true companies out there that want you to buy into their vermiculture business opportunities. They make it look very simple and easy and want you to buy their contract. If you really want to go into the vermicomposting or vermiculture business, you don't need to spend your hard earned money to buy into vermiculture business opportunities, just buy a pound of worms first and see if you like it! Besides, the vermiculture business is a another can of worms. Just ask any legitimate independent vermiculture business person!
The only large, consistent food source for worms I had was dog poop and leaves. This presented a serious problem because of the possibility of dangerous pathogens. Once again, I searched the web for possible solutions to dog waste treatment. I came up with the a home vermicomposting system utilizing dog poop that I feel is quite suitable for my lawn needs. It is a combination of thermal composting dog wastes then adding it to my outside worm composting bin. As for my garden, I have two indoor vermicomposting bins that will provide enough castings to do the job. 