Will share some info for all the new likes ________________________________________ Worm Farming in Australia Starting out There are a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing the type of worm farm you want to set up. If you are the handy type you may want to build your own creation, I love this idea so many wonderful worm farms are made out of recycled material. If you don’t mind spending the money perhaps you will opt for purchasing a complete worm farm system (which may come with bin, bedding ).Worms will come separate as they are best posted or purchased fresh from the commercial farm. This is one huge advantage Eco Valley Worms has over on sellers, having our own working commercial farm we harvest and post the same day. The worms are packaged in worm cast which is already bioactive and the perfect bedding for your worms For anyone interested in simply trying out vermicomposting (worm farming) I would suggest purchasing a worm farm or recycling an old bath tub or tub of some sort and create your own farm, and no less than 500 grams (2000 worms approx) 250 grams (1000 worms approx) this really isn’t enough to start out 500grams is the minimum you require. 250 grams per person is the industry standard, remembering your worms will only eat their weight in food per day. Mature worms are best they will breed as soon as you settle them into your farm, and munch through more food. You can however start with a farm in your garden a worm tray or worm tower 250 gram is plenty to start a few of these just treat them like a small worm farm and keep bedding moist The worms will work in and out and breed and lay capsules, so long as you keep feeding like a worm farm you will have wonderful activity in your garden and lots of great bacteria from the castings. Email me for free DIY instructions for your worm tower or tray [email protected] Eco Valley worms have a blend of worms African Night Crawlers (Eudrilus Eugeniae) my worm of choice (the best bait worm and composter in our blend, Reds (Eisenia Fetida Andrei) (commonly known as red wrigglers these are also ok for bait) Tigers (Eisena Fetida ) (which are good ok composters but not suitable for fishing) and Blues(Perionyx Excavates) (they are ok composters but are slower breeders.) You will find that your climate and organic conditions will determine which is best in your farm and they will thrive. Red worms (and earth worms in general) are very sensitive to direct light – it can lead to considerable stress and even death if they unable to escape from it. So this is why a worm blanket made of some natural fibre is important it keeps your farm insulated and dark. Keep the blanket moist and this means your farm is moist enough. As far as depth goes, you don’t need to worry too much about exact dimensions but you definitely do want to put more emphasis on the surface area – this allows for greater oxygenation of the bin and also allows the worms to spread out more. In other words, a larger worm farm will allow more worms and cast to be created. If you wish to grow fishing worms out you need more surface area to allow them to grow larger. This is a huge benefit for growing out the bed run African Night Crawlers to ready to hook size. You may even have a special fattening farm. This is how we fatten our ready to hook bait worms. The diet is also important for the fattening farm we feed chicken pallets in a worm farm/ tub only dampen a handful or so and make sure the pallets or protein is all eaten before feeding again The reason for this is the pallets can make your farm anaerobic (simply sour or smelly)All worm farms should smell organic/earthy not smelly If you find this has happened aerate well and sprinkle soil over the farm this helps the worms grind the food. Another important thing to mention is aeration. If you are using a homemade type farm it’s not a bad idea to drill some holes in the lid and along the sides prior to adding your bedding/worms etc. This allows for more air flow in and out of the farm. If you have your farm sitting on some sort of tray you may even desire to drill a few holes in the bottom of the farm– a great way to ensure farm contents don’t get too waterlogged. Catch the juice your garden will love it. ________________________________________ Bedding Your worm bedding is very important for a healthy worm Farm Composting worms not only need food, but also some sort of habitat to live in – bedding materials need to provide a home base for the worms to live and breed. Ideal worm living conditions can be created initially by adding lots of bedding material garden soil or worm cast with a small amount of waste material. Shredded paper, coco fibre, (likely some water to ensure adequate moisture). Damp not wet conditions. People often refer to the ideal composting moisture content as being similar to that of a wrung-out sponge. Higher moisture levels do tend to work better for worm composting, but this is definitely a good guideline to start with (especially when using a water-tight bin). Some ideal materials for bedding include shredded cardboard (my favourite), shredded newspaper, and aged straw, coco fibre. Worms seem to absolutely love rotting leaves, so definitely put them in your farm. The downside of using leaves (aside from seasonality) is the fact that they don’t really absorb much water – this is why my ideal bedding will consist of a mix of soil or wormcast and paper, coco fibre isn’t great on its own and comes in most manufactured worm farms as bedding. I would suggest mixing it with soil or wormcast paper/dampened card board. A bed you think worms would like to live in then feed on the next layer so the worms can move in and out of the bedding. The worms also like to breed in the bedding layer or soil the soil temp is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. If you have composted before you will realise that organic waste while composting heats up a lot I suggest to only feed a side of your farm at a time so the worms can move in and out of the food/organic waste. This is where the worms will be in the cooler months but if it warms up to much the worms will try to escape. This is why you MUST have the bedding layer of soil or wormcast. ________________________________________ Usually people set up their own worm farm at home so they can compost their food scraps and leftovers. Unfortunately not all waste materials are suitable, so we should talk a little about what should and should not be added to a worm farm. YES • Vegetable & fruit waste (citrus fruit should be added in moderation when using smaller bins) • Starchy materials – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes – all in moderation (beginners may want to avoid these altogether initially) • Aged animal manures (careful with rabbit and poultry – need lots of bedding to balance) • Shredded newspaper, used paper towels (common sense applies here), cardboard (great idea to add these carbon rich materials at the same time you add any wet food waste) • Egg shells (best if ground up and in moderation) • Coffee grounds • Tea bags • Fresh horse and cow manure ( not too much 1 pad great for fattening night crawlers ) • Worms will eat anything that once was living NO Meat is eaten by worms but if you add it can attract flies. • Non biodegradable materials The non biodegradables won’t get eaten they won’t harm the farm. Oils/grease • Harsh chemicals I would suggest if you add meat or animal waste put some soil over to cover the waste, the worms will then take care of the waste and turn it to cast. These are fairly basic guidelines and of course there are exceptions under certain circumstances. Something I alluded to in the previous section was the fact that letting your waste material sit for a period of time is better than adding it right away. Often people assume that the worms feed directly on the waste materials themselves. In a sense they do, but more specifically they are slurping up the microbial soup that forms on rotting materials. If you throw in a bunch of fresh carrot peelings the worms won’t be able to start processing the material until sufficient microbial colonization has occurred________________________________________ One of the common misconceptions amongst vermicomposting beginners is that any earthworm can be used for worm composting. Most of your garden worms were of the “anecic” type – that is to say they were soil dwelling worms that create burrows and tend to lead a somewhat solitary existence (they need their space). The worms ideally suited for composting on the other hand are referred to as “epigeic”. This group tends to live in rich organic material, and are adapted to crowding and warmer temperatures. So it’s not difficult to see why epigeic worms would do much better in a worm farm in Australian conditions than their soil dwelling cousins. By far, the most common variety of composting worm is Eisenia fetida – also known as the red worm or red wiggler. This worm in my opinion is the second best for composting or worm farming. My worm of choice is the African night crawler as it is larger, breeds faster and handles the land down under conditions amazingly well. I think a mix of worms is great as they handle the different conditions throughout the year one is generally breeding Don’t waste your waste recycle Remember that your weather and conditions will be different so you will need to farm uniquely for your situation. The benefits to the environment are huge so thanks for recycling your organic waste and improving the soil in your garden. With the wonderful worm cast and juices from natures little wonders I have started a Facebook page and have written some info in the notes section from my experience as a worm farmer so like us on Facebook there is a link on the website ecovalleyworms.au Facebook If you have any questions please email [email protected] Find us on face book. The worm tower and worm tray DIY instructions can also be found in the notes section on our face book page. Also some info on fishing worms can be found Recycle and do your part in looking after an improving the environment for generations to come
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 01:12:59 +0000
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