Wanna build a worm farm

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by itistimenow, Jan 15, 2012.

  1. itistimenow

    itistimenow Junior Member

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    I want to build a worm farm to improve the soil in the vege garden. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how to do this most effectively.
    Cheers for your help :)
     
  2. backyardfarmer

    backyardfarmer Junior Member

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  3. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Firstly you will probably never have enough finished material from your farm so build in some capacity . You could start with a bathtub on legs these are popular put it in a shady spot , cover it with shadecloth or bags or carpet ,or build something similiar , you can harvest the worm juice dilute it and use it to feed your plants as well as the castings . You will need a supply of feed for your worms , manure , straw , grass clippings , kitchen scraps , cardboard the list goes on , so availability of feed will determine how large a farm you have . I have almost unlimited feed supply so i use a cut off rainwater tank with no bottom and im always raiding it i really need three or four rings i use heaps on my strawberries , down side for my system is i lose the juice however it feeds citrus trees so im happy with that . Also if i go away and it dries out a bit the worms drift down and plenty survive .
     
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  4. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Senior Member

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    https://lifeboat.co.nz/diy-worm-farm/
    Get a bath tub
    If you have wood and skills and saw go for this, if you don't get some bricks and prop it up
    Go to a tip, ask a plumber friend or go to a demolition yard and grab some plumbing
    If your plumbing skills and scrounging skills aren't flash, doesn't matter put a bucket under it to catch the drips.
     
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  5. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Why don't you ask Brian? Maybe in this thread. Or read this thread for more info about worm farming.

    He recommends horse manure as bedding. Any container with a large surface area to house them.

    My system is a bath on bricks, 4L ice cream under the drain hole, a couple of towels on top and horse manure/shredded paper as bedding very much like Grasshopper suggested.
     
  6. mluthi69

    mluthi69 Junior Member

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    I've had a worm farm and they're great and interesting but it went to a friend when we went travelling. Now that we're settled again we have started a new veggie garden I decided not to bother with compost or worm farm. And this is what we do: All garden beds are heavily mulched approximately 5-10cm thick cane mulch. Whenever we have a full scrap container (we store it in the fridge) we go out, move a bit of the mulch to the side and pour the contents of the container on the soil then cover up again. The composting is happening right there around the plants. All the critters that are attracted by the goodies frolic, multiply and die and improve the soil where we want it. No fuss. It's actually amazing how quickly the food disappears (no, it's not rats). The plants are doing very well. Really - it's ongoing sheet composting. I am sure we could garden like this forever and the soil would just get better and better.. :)
     
  7. briansworms

    briansworms Junior Member

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    How did I miss this thread? This is right up my alley.

    First thing forget about all the stuff said about stackable worm farms and the Worm Juice that comes out. What comes out is called Leachate and can be full of anerobic bacteria which can kill your worms and your plants Check out https://briansworms.com/info-blank/stackable-worm-farms/ and [https://briansworms.com/info-blank/feeding-your-worms/fattening/[/URL]

    All you need is one or two $15 60 lt black tubs without lids from Bunnings.. You dont need taps but I do fit them to the farms I sell because people expect them. Next get some aged horse manure ( I put it through a garden shredder) and wet it. (Cow manure is the best stuff to use) Put it in the tub at about 50 mm thick. Put in your worms from Brians Worms of course and cover with a damp sheet of newspaper. Then some old carpet or felt underlay.

    Just keep an eye on the temperature in case the manure heats up. If so remove the covers and dig out the centre of the tub so it is a hole in the middle basically. This will help it stay cool. When the temperature is cool again after about 1 week add a little more damp manure. The idea of the manure is to provide bedding for the worms to live and breed, also as a source of food. After about a week start feeding your worms. Litlle bits at first till the population builds up. When you see little grape seed looking things in your bedding you are on the right track These are worm cocoons (eggs)

    Now the whole reason for worm farms apart from eating your food scraps and getting more worms is getting the castings out and fertilizing your gardens. Let your farm grow for a couple of months. More bedding, more food, more worms all = more castings. After this time get a sieve (1/4') about $6 from Bunnings Garden section. Put a few handfuls of material from your worm farm and sieve it into a wheel barrow or similar. Seive the whole farm, then put all the worms and bigger bits of material back in your farm and add more bedding.

    With the castings you now have in your wheel barrow you can put aside for a month and re sieve to get any worms that have hatched or just use it around your garden. It is a slow release fertilizer. The hatching worms will further enhance your soil. Sieve your farm once a month or every couple of months depending on how much castings you need. A couple of 60 lt tubs will produce a lot of castings in a very short time if you keep the bedding up to the worms.

    I have a bath tub set up but am now winding it down as I no longer need it as I now use the seive method.

    Feeding your worms please have a look at my website. One hint though is to freeze your scraps, especially potato peels then feed to the worms. To put them on steriods feed fresh wet cow manure. Only small amounts to avoid heating up. Fresh horse manure is also good but check first the animals haven't recently bee wormed.

    Worm Tea is a brew made from worm castings and mollasses. It is full of beneficial bacteria that your plants need to grow healthy and disease resistant. Please check my web site for instuctions on how to make it.

    Happy Worm Farming
     
  8. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Pics, Brian? Where are the pics?

    Show me the setup, show me the sieve, please.
     
  9. briansworms

    briansworms Junior Member

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    I thought I put a link to the harvester I want to build, sorry. I have attached a picture. It is made of 20"bicycle wheels and 1/8" and 1/4" screen. The fine screen is first which removes the castings and the second sceen removes bigger particles and the cocoons. The worms drop out the end along with the bigger pieces of material. The video gives you a better idea.

    https://wormharvesterplans.com/video/ :)

    The hand sieve I use is just a small round one I picked up from Bunnings for about $6. Pictures of my breeding beds are on my website along with the small farms I sell.

    Brian:):)
     

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  10. briansworms

    briansworms Junior Member

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    To further enhance your garden spread some Coprha around your plants and water it. Layers mash is also good. The worms will come up and feed on it over the entire garden and not just in small areas.

    Coprha is ground coconut shell and is fed to horses. You will find it at any produce store for arounf $15 for a 20 kg bag
     
  11. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Really... molasses? The worms don't mind the sulfur?
     
  12. labradel

    labradel Junior Member

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    worm are the best they will eat any thing that was ounce alive and almost anything can be used to house them providing that there is a drain in the bottom theirn product are the only fertilizer that is used at my place
     
  13. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    I think Brian's recipe has you add the molasses to the worm leachate after you collect it. I do add a little sprinkle of molasses to my worm farm sometimes when I'm putting in new food.
     
  14. briansworms

    briansworms Junior Member

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    Sorry I meant to say un sulphered mollasses.

    What I do is get a bucket of un chorinated water and add 2 tble spoons of Un Sulphered Mollasses and 1 tble spoon of seaweed or kelp liquid fertilizer. Mix in a bucket, then add about 500grams of worm castings suspended in a cloth bag or similar. You then need an aquarium pump to arerate it. Leave it breww for 48 hours then use it. It has to be used within a couple of days.

    Every couple of days just add more mollasses and seaweed fertilizer at the same rate.

    Don't use leachate as it can be harmful to your plants.

    Brian
     

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