When considering buying worms, many people are extremely nervous about buying from out of the area. I completely understand this concern. Over the years, I have received worms packed in raw manure (Gross), Worms shipped without breathable bags, Worms shipped in paper bags, that have busted open, and Worms shipped in boxes that had all sides completely sealed, cutting off any possibility of oxygen getting into the box.

We could probably have fun with a forum titled, “Stupid Shipping Methods”!

Each of these cases resulted in major worm losses. Was it the distance, or was it the shipper? Obviously, it was the shipper, through his own lack of knowledge, that caused the problems above.

Buy Worms from The Worm Dude, and you are guaranteed the best shipping in the business. We have a special moisture resistant packing method that allows the worms to survive weeks, not days. This is why The Worm Dude is one of the only worm shippers that will ship to Canada. Most worm farmers will not attempt International Shipping because they know their worms will not make the trip.

If you live in the USA, you are even more fortunate! Your worms will normally arrive anywhere in the US within two days (rarely, three days)! A two day trip for the worms is like a 20 minute Limo ride for you or I.

Buy with confidence from WWW.TheWormDude.Com.

There is a common misperception that Red Wigglers die when temperatures exceed 90 degrees.

This is completely FALSE. I cannot support this claim with scientific evidence (Yet), but I can support it by REALITY.

When we discuss heat, what we are really talking about is ambient air temperature. When it is 100 degrees Farenheit in my garage (Where I maintain my worm stock), it is probably 20 degrees cooler in the worms bedding (Experiments to come)!

I live in South San Jose, where we tend to get some temperature extremes, often exceeding 105 in the summer. I have never lost worms due to high temps in my garage, and I maintain between 100-200 pounds of worms year around.

Now, if I take this same scenario, and bring a pan of worms outside, even in partial shade, the worms will die quickly. Why? The heating of the bin quickly starts to raise the internal temperatures of the bedding. Again, at this point, I cannot support this scientifically, but, when a pan of worms gets warm to the touch, bad things happen inside…..starting with the distinct smell of dying worms!

The moral of the story: Don’t leave worms in partial shade. Full shade ONLY. This is even more important when receiving shipped worms.

Shipped worms can generate heat in the core of the ball due to the worms being in close proximity (The worms themselves are cold blooded). If any of the worms in that core break down, the nitrogen released heats up. More heat is generated over time as the worms die in the center core, releasing additional nitrogen until eventually all that is left is a ball of goo.

Although ambient air temps may seem pleasant, worms left on a porch that is ALMOST completely shaded will perish into a ball of goo.

Almost isn’t good enough when playing with worms!

The Worm Dude just went Hollywood…er, well, maybe not..but I uploaded my first You Tube Video! That was fun!

I don’t live in Texas, but EVERYTHING grows BIG in my backyard. Besides the plants, fruits, and vegetables growing large because of all the worm castings I use, I have HUGE worms!

These worms are big like nightcrawlers, but unlike most gigantic nightcrawlers, these are top feeders, breed like crazy, and are faster than any worm I have EVER seen before.

They look similar to African Nightcrawlers (I used to raise them), but they have a thicker skin than an African Nightcrawler. Maybe some African Nightcrawlers mated with some Euro’s, giving me this crazy big, crazy fast variation.

Or…maybe I have the secret weapon for growing these worms??? You see, I raise tortoises. They poop like horses. Their poop is strictly processed grass. The worms love the stuff! I compost it, and feed it to my plants. That’s where these Giant Worms congregate!!!

My goal is to be able to raise these worms in captivity. People are constantly looking for a worm that can go in their garden (We recommend not dumping Red Wigglers in the garden…unless you are willing to keep it moist at all times, and loaded with plenty of organic material at all times).

If I can get these crawlers to reproduce, I’m gonna have a great product to sell…and be the only person selling worms exclusively for your soil!

Stay tuned!

In keeping with the story of what worm castings can do for you, I wanted to introduce my friend John. John is 94 years YOUNG, but acts like he is 49! I first met John when he called me wanting to order a batch of worms. You see, John has been gardening for many, many, many, many, years…and he knows the value of compost and castings. I thought it was cool that a 94 year young man wants to play with worms, so I took a trip to Johns house.

I now consider John and his wife of 70 years, Mary, friends of mine. I just wanted to take pictures of Johns yard, but John is so proud of his garden (Rightfully so!), that I had to fight him off. Every time I turned around, John wanted to give me produce from his garden. What a great couple! Here are some Pics of John, Mary, and their HEALTHY garden

I almost forgot. At 94 Years Young, John just learned how to surf the net! Pretty Cool huh!

When I grow a plant, I GROW a plant!

Check this out. I planted a zuccini seed a few weeks ago. Look at it go! At this rate, I will need a larger yard before long. YEP…Castings again!

If you have never heard of Goji, this is a plant worth checking out. Research shows this berry producing plant to provide berries (similar tasting to cranberries) containing the most antioxidants of ANY fruit! With Goji berries selling for $30 per pound….that is cool.

But…I digress. The point of my story was that the first picture shows this plant about 6 weeks ago. The second picture..today.

HOW?

CASTINGS!

LIKE MAGIC ON YOUR PLANTS!

Basketball Sized Pumpkin...Casting Grown!

Here is a pic of one of the pumpkins in my yard grown by ACCIDENT! Did you ever hear of ripe pumpkins in July? It’s only because everything grows so quickly in castings, the pumpkin couldn’t help but ripen. Pie anyone?

SHOW ME YOUR GOODIES!!!

If you have bought castings and/or worm tea from me this past year, take a garden pic and send in…you may win a free 10 pound bag of the Worm Dude’s World Famous Castings (Try saying that fast 10 times)! From now until September 1, I will be collecting pictures of customers gardens that have used my castings and/or tea.

Funny story…I happen to raise Box Turtles. Box Turtles happen to love worms. I dump a bucket of worms in castings to feed the box turtles and before I know it….GIANT PUMPKIN PLANT!

Apparently there was a pumpkin seed inside the castings. All I know is that as of July 22, I have basketball sized pumpkins already completely orange. That’s nuts…whoever heard of pumpkins becoming ripe in JULY? Normally, pumpkins ripen in September/October. These things grew so quickly, that the pumpkins had no choice but to ripen!

Typical Red Wiggler next to a SUPERSIZED EURO!

Eisenia Fetida(Red Wigglers) are cool worms. They swarm food and turn it into wonderful castings. Eisenia Hortensis (European Nightcrawlers), are even cooler! They do everything that Red Wigglers do, but they don’t run like a typical crawler (NOTE: Any worm will run if conditions are not right). Another benefit…you can get them as BIG AS SLUGS!

Dr. Atkins was right…carbs will make you fat. I got these Euros so fat, they start looking translucent instead of pink! How did I do it? I happened to pick up a big box of variety pack oatmeal at Costco. In the variety pack, there are some packs of unflavored oatmeal (Yuck)! I said to myself, I’ll bet the worms will eat this stuff…so I threw them on top of the Euro bedding (Careful, grains can heat up if mixed in)…the next morning…all gone. I tried it again…same results. After about a week, I had a bin full of worms that looked like slugs!

Fishing anyone?