Roger Drew Westminster ... Midwestern Red Grower
Welcome to the wonderful world of worms!!
ROGER DREW WESTMINSTER - MIDWESTERN RED GROWER
Part Two:
Earthworms and your soil:
Earthworms are nature's recyclers in your garden.They
are responsible for converting organic material into
natural fertilizer.... worm castings.
Worms drag decaying organic material into their holes
underground, where they eat the softer matter.Worms
recycle large amounts of decaying material as they
consume roughly the equivalent of their own body
weight, in humus and soil, each day.
In doing so, they produce castings, from which plants
can readily extract essential elements for their growth.
Worms farms and compost heaps:
Worms used in worm farms or compost heaps are usually
Western Red or Tiger worms, or a combination of both.
These worms are used specifically in domestic and
commercial worm farms, because they breed quickly and
consume large amounts of recyclable material.
This also makes them ideal for producing vermicast or
"cold compost".
Worms may be bred to produce compost, fish food or bait,
liquid fertilizer or simply to add worms to your garden.
Producing worms for your garden requires some special
considerations and we will deal with them later.
Producing worm castings (vermicast).
Worm castings may be produced from either commercial or
domestic worm farms.
Position the worm beds to avoid frosts, direct sunlight
or heavy rain, as extremes in any of these factors will
decrease production.
To start a small farm in your backyard, begin with a
layer of bedding material, consisting of aged animal
manure, shredded newspaper or cardboard or aged compost.
Saturate the bedding with water and allow the excess to
drain off for a day, until it is moist, but not soggy.
Add, at least 1,000 worms and the material that is
supplied with them, to your newly prepared bedding.
After the worms have squirmed into the bedding material,
place a old blanket or plywood cover over the bed to
keep off excess water and sun. Be sure that air can
circulate through or under the cover too.
Once the worms have settled into their new surroundings
(about one week), they will start to eat and produce
castings. Do not overfeed your worms. Add only enough
food that they can consume in a few days - you will
soon become adept at estimating this quantity of food.
Castings may be taken from the beds, once all the food
and original bedding has been consumed and converted to
castings. This process can intially take between 3 to 6
months, dependant upon the number of worms used and the
size of the beds, climatic conditions, etc.
Feeding your worms:
Feed your worms chopped food scraps, shredded newspaper
and cardboard, lawn clippings, old chipboard, aged
animal manures, in fact almost any organic matter.
Paper and cardboard should be shredded and soaked in
water overnight.
Lawn clippings, green leaves and fresh manure may be
added in small quantities only. If you have any of
these materials in abundance, then throw them onto
your compost heap. Allow them to go through the
composting process for about a month, before adding
the decaying material to your worm farm.
If overfeeding occurs, then your worm farm may begin to
smell. If that happens, cover the offending material with
castings or a light covering of soil and reduce the amount
of food.
As the worms go to work on recycling the waste, they will
quickly increase in number and so will their demand for
more food.
If the bed becomes too dry, pour a little water on it to
maintain the bed in a moist condition. Test the bed water
content by squeezing a handful of bedding material. Only a
couple of drops of moisture should be evident when the
material is squeezed firmly.
Worms breed faster than rabbits.!!
Earthworms have both male and female sex organs and can
mate every 8 to 12 days. Egg capsules are produced after
mating that look like tiny lemons.
Eggs take about 5 weeks to hatch and upt to 20 young worms
may emerge from each capsule, though probably an average
of 5 hatchlings is more realistic.
Of the worms hatched from each capsule only 2 or 3 will
survive to maturity in 9 to 12 months.
When handling worms and bedding use your hands or a garden
fork - worms hate spades and shovels.!!
So, it is easy to see how a few worms can multiply very
quickly, producing valuable plant food and tilling the
soil, while we sleep.
Adding worms to your garden....
Adding to your soil, castings that contain worm egg
capsules will achieve the best results, as the worms
willhatch and adapt to your garden conditions better
than mature worms.
It is important to provide organic mulch and moisture
to your garden, so the worms will survive and carry
on with their important recycling work.
Remember good mulch and water in equals good plant
food out.
If you wish to add mature worms direct to your garden,
try this alternative method. Dig a hole in a shaded
area and place some waste vegetables in the hole.Add
worms and cover them with soil.
Spread a generous covering of compost or mulch over
the area and soak it, just once, with water.
In time, with light subsequent watering, the worms
will consume the scraps and spread out in the garden
seeking more food.
As they spread, they will multiply and enhance the
soil in your garden.
Like any valuable resource, your worms will return
you greater rewards, with correct management. That
means, YOU WILL supply adequate food and water and
YOU WILL NOT kill your worms by using spades and
shovels in your garden.
By adding worms to your garden, you will:
a. Reduce your waste going to the landfill tip.
b. Convert your organic waste into usable plant food.
c. Save the money that you would normally spend on
fertilizer.
Your garden will also benefit directly by:
a. Being supplied with non-burning plant food.
b. Having the soil aerated by your burrowing worms.
c. Improving the water retention properties in your soil.
All round, the gardener, using worms to assist with soil
management in the garden, is the winner. Even when the
gardener is asleep.!!
You can easily make better compost for your garden,
recycle organic waste, feed your pets or aquarium fish
with live food or even catch a fish for your supper...
......BREED WORMS.!!
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