Growing worms is easy. Get a box, toss in paper and food, enjoy the worms. There’s a bit more to it but it’s not rocket science or brain surgery. That is, until you want to harvest the Black Gold vermicompost. After a couple of months of mixing cardboard, carrot tops, eggshells, napkins, coffee grounds, and […]
Bleached and Colored Paper
A customer asked about the dangers of white office paper and colored/shiny sheets in worm bins. Those are mostly obsolete concerns.Bleaching paper pulp was a source of Dioxin a persistent carcinogen. It’s a byproduct of reacting chlorines and lignin. This information came out in the 1980s when science was finally catching up to the amazing […]
Don’t Shred Food Containers
My worms eat any and all of my cardboard. They love Amazon boxes (tape and all). They enjoy egg cartons, and cereal boxes, and all kinds of shiny packaging. They gobble up greasy pizza boxes. But let’s talk about to-go containers. We get a lot more of those since covid. My worms eat those, but […]
Why Did the Worm Cross the Road?
Not the answer you are expecting. Lucky folks have seen mobs of worms on the sidewalk after it rains. It’s crazy how many worms are all over the parking lots and in the street. The classic explanation is that rain flooded their worm hole and they had to crawl out to avoid drowning. I argue […]
Rescue your bin. Add more of this ingredient:
I get frantic calls from some worm customers. After six to twelve months their worms aren’t good. This is a surprise because the herd had been doing so well. Now they are thin, not moving much, and not multiplying. It takes a couple of questions to get to the root of this problem. They have […]
What is a worm blanket?
A worm blanket covers the worm bed. Usually, it lays directly on the bed. There may or may not be a lid above the blanket, topping and closing the bin . A worm blankets are many different things. It can be inorganic like a plastic or can be organic material such as cloth, paper, jute, […]
Flies!
Hi Dan, Nice to hear from you. Lots of worm growers suffer from flies and complain to the various Facebook groups. They get a load of chemical cures that I don’t agree with, such as diatomaceous earth or mosquito dunks. Freezing the food is suggested to kill fly eggs and you are reminded to bury […]
Rats Are Worm Murderers
I get asked often if my red wigglers can go safely into a raised bed garden or an outside compost pile. I have always explained that these are compost worms and not Earthworms. They don’t dig like earthworms do. Earthworms dig a hole (called a burrow) and anchor their tail deep underground. Earthworms pull leaves […]
Stacking Worm Bins Improved
The Stacking Worm Systems Improved There are worm growing trays built to stack. The trays are perforated on the bottom with the understanding that you can put new trays over finishing trays and the worms will migrate upwards to follow the food. For examples: Worm Factory, Vermihut, Can of Worms…lots more including DIY. When I […]