The Materials To Make A Worm Farm - Easy And Cheap

With all the advantages involved with having a worm farm, you may be considering starting your own. Worm farms are easy to build. The materials to make a worm farm are not expensive, and are readily available. Below we've listed the main ingredients for a viable vermicomposting operation.

Firstly, you will need a container of some sort. A large variety of enclosures have been used for this purpose. Some people state that you can use plastic, wooden, or metal containers, while others have cautioned that metal containers can leach contaminants into the compost, creating problems both in the worm environment and in the finished product. To be on the safe side you may wish to avoid metal containers. A very popular choice, probably due to their ubiquity, is a clear plastic storage bin. You will need to drill holes for drainage into whichever type of container you decide to use. There also are a number of pre-manufactured container solutions. These sometimes entail use of multiple containers which are rotated in order to separate the worm castings from the worms.

Also, you need bedding. The most common materials used for bedding are newspaper and corrugated cardboard. Sawdust is also sometimes used. If using newspaper or cardboard, tear the material into one to two inch strips and moisten it well. Some people will also use partially decomposed compost, grass clippings or straw.

Of course, you will need foodstuffs of some sort for your worms. Just about any sort of organic waste matter that is not derived from animal sources will work fine. Think things such as tea bags, cardboard egg cartons, vegetable peelings, etc. Animal sourced waste is not desirable because it may either become a contaminant in the finished product or attract pests during the processing period.

Naturally, you will need some worms. The species of worm most often recommended for vermiculture is called Eisenia foetida or more commonly, red wigglers. While you could just forage through the dirt in your garden looking for earthworms, the worms hanging out there may not be suited to production in captivity. The red wigglers, also known as red worms, have been shown to do quite well when used in worm farms. They reproduce well, can handle wide temperature variations and confined spaces, and, most important for our purposes, will process large amounts of waste materials.

Finally, you will need some sort of cover for the container. Materials usually recommended are newspaper, plastic, or burlap. So there you go - now you know every one of the materials you need to make a worm farm. Get to work :-)

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