The types of earthworms you can buy can be referred to any of the following names:
- Eisenia foetida
- Eisenia fetida
- Red wriggler
- Red wiggler
- Red worm
- Brandling worm
- Bandling worm
- Tiger worm
- Manure worm
- Composter
- Striped worm
- Red hybrids
- Angler worms
We will use red wriggler or simply “reds” interchangeably. But if you want to get all technical about it, here it goes;
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Clitellata
Order: Haplotaxida
Family: Lumbricidae
Genus: Eisenia
Species: fetida, andrei, and/or roseas etc. and may include Perionyx excavatus aka blue worms or called Alabama jumpers to some, they have a purplish sheen, high appetite and endurance and not very creepy, Dendrobaena venetas, and the occasional Lumbricus rubellus and Lumbricus terrestris aka the”night-crawler” makes a great fishing bait due to it’s larger size.
If you need a specific species in it’s purity contact your provider before ordering otherwise the population may vary in it’s diversity. The theory about mono-cropping problems on plant farms is the model base used in culturing worms at Worm Farm. Having a variety or worms should lead to a variety of nutrient levels consumed and subsequently produced. Some of the worms will be more efficient than another on various aspects such as moisture levels, temperature, etc.
More details about it later… Just be rest assured that your worm order will contain detritivorous earthworms, live, healthy, and happy!
Lasagna Garden aka Compost Cake, Sheet Mulching, or Vermi-Lasagna Beds
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In case you don’t already know this is a system of no-till and no-dig gardening that can fix or improve your soil. Nature is genius in it’s design, so by emulating it in our approach to gardening, we can easily build healthy soil that will help create a healthy environment for plant life to grow. It is a fun way to witness thriving life in your garden. This works especially well for growing edibles because the worms will aerate and deposit fresh fertilizer for you so you don’t have to use store bought chemicals. If you have a green thumb only because you buy into those chemicals or you don’t have a green thumb at all, give this method a try. Plan out the area in which you’d like to start a new garden. This even works right on top of pre- existing lawn or lifeless dry areas of soil that can use some help.
Basically you will be composting right on spot by building layers like in a lasagna dish, over time it heats up and cooks down into a nutrient rich soil and will be ready to support your plants. Alternate each layer with either greens or browns. Start the first layer by laying brown corrugated pieces of cardboard. It’s a good way to recycle boxes and makes for a great alternative to buying expensive weed barrier. If you are turning an area of lawn into a flower or vegetable garden then you don’t need to remove the grass, just make it easy for your self and start right on top of the grass, it’ll die off and become a nitrogen source. The next layer should be a green layer such as grass clippings and leaves. Then do another layer of browns such as coir or peat moss. The next layer should be the worms, they will want to burrow and hide in these layers and it becomes their source of food which will help speed the decomposition, properly aerates the soil, and leaves important nutrients from their vermicastings into areas roots can easily absorb. Another layer can be your kitchen food scraps or animal (not cat or dog) manure. Include anything that would normally go in a compost pile. Top it off with a good layer of mulch and water your lasagna/cake regularly, you don’t want it drying out. Rain water is usually best. In fact after each layer is placed, water it with a good soaking.
Red Wriggler Fishing
Some people prefer fishing with the reds over night crawlers. They are smaller worms and can stay alive under water on the hook longer. The red wrigglers (aka reds) are able to survive the rough activity of being on a hook, tossed in water, and not drown, making them great fishing bait. Typically, fish prefer live bait because this is what is found in nature. When it rains worms and bugs get washed into rivers and lakes making it a favorite for fish creating successful catches for Anglers.
Use Red Wrigglers as bait in ponds, rivers, and lakes. Types of fish that love them are: Perch, Rainbow, Brooke, and Brown Trout, large and small mouth Bass, walleye, muskie, and sunfish. Your particular needs for fishing worms can be customized to meet your needs or just simply use our check out in the store. Worms as Chicken or exotic pet Feed Do your chickens deserve a special treat? If you own a backyard flock you may have noticed how well your hens have kept all plant and bug matter in control around your house. They love to forage for live snacks but your garden may be depleted. Replenish your pet’s need for natural, live, healthy protein with red wriggler worms.
Every few days throw out some worms for your hens and on those days you will end up with more eggs than chickens! Other exotic pets like turtles, lizards, and rodents also crave live natural feed, so we offer feeder cups of worms here. Or raise the worms your self, we can help you get started, more information to the website is coming soon!
Worm Bin Composting of Food Waste
Also known as vermicomposting, can be done in a plastic storage tub as seen pictured here. It’s an example of a set up ready for worms to be added. The bedding is a brick of coco coir and food waste was placed on one side for the worms to feed from. This sort of set up is a great way to occasionally monitor their powerful activity of changing their environment. Give them food scraps and they transform it by digestion and turning it by constantly wiggling through it in to what people call “black gold” a soil amendment that is literally full of life. On the other hand if seeing a whole squirm of worms is not your cup of tea, no worries! Since they are photo-phobic they are efficient at hiding underneath the bedding so it is possible to keep them out in the garage or say under the kitchen sink and as long as the environment is maintained properly you may only need to check on them a couple times a month.
We can sell you a bin like this already started with worms living in it, all you would need to do is start feeding them your self! Or make your own and purchase the worms when you’re ready. Another wonderful option is to buy a Worm Factory, they are ready to ship to you from our online store at any time you order. It is a well designed system that makes the whole worm world a lot easier to operate.
Black Soldier Fly Bin for grub composting; The Biopod ™ Plus
Want to grow your own living feed with nothing more than kitchen and food scraps? Or maybe your goal is just to lower your impact on the planet, have a new hobby, or to add a new system to your self reliant lifestyle. The latest technology in grub composting is the BioPod™ Plus, we can hook you up with a starter pack, order today! Managing a Biopod™ is a food or manure waste recycling system that utilizes the black soldier fly. It is harmless, beneficial, they don’t bite, sting, create a nuisance, or transmit disease, and they even inhibit the presence of the common filth fly or house fly.
Buy The Biopod Plus
A trifecta of end products:The larvae of the BSF are the self harvesting end product that can be used as a high protein dietary supplement for birds, fish, chickens, pigs, amphibians, reptiles, and more. Plus they can be used as fishing bait too! The grub castings can also be a compost amendment for garden soil, you may even use your red worms to help process it. The grub’s leachate also contains many trace elements and beneficial bacteria to add to the garden for plant fertilizer.
