I’m not trying to convince anyone to grow worms in their basement but if you grow flowers or veggies, whether in the ground or in pots, and if you’d prefer a bit more organic “fertilizer”, please watch this video.
Vince found this video and shared it with me. This lady shows how easy they are to grow in your basement. There’s not much expense to getting started. They do not smell. I think it’s a great lesson for kids or grandkids.
As far as feeding the worms, 1,000 red wigglers only need about 4 ounces of food scraps per day. When you figure that can be coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, fruit peelings (not citrus). It doesn’t take much trimmings from broccoli or brussels sprouts, along with a bit of leftover pasta or oatmeal to create 4 ounces.
I read that 2,000 red wigglers will produce 7 pounds of castings in one month. We’re starting with 1,000 pounds so, in theory, we should get 3.5 pounds of castings per month. I’ve read different numbers but one place said each worm can reproduce up to 7 babies per week. Another site said your healthy worm population can double every four to six months. So, we will have to be aware to some degree of how quickly our population is multiplying so we give them enough food. Too much food and too little food is not good so we’ll have to pay attention to how much of their food is being consumed to know what is right.
I think it’s all interesting and can’t wait to get started.
Paula Nordt says
When I taught Elementary School level reading, one of the students’ favorite books was “How to Eat Fried Worms”. We always set up an aquarium for the worms and covered the sides with black paper. Feeding the worms fascinated the kids and once a week we would peel back the paper and look at all the tunnels!