Hi Jerry!

My first harvest is complete, and I have a few questions.
I noticed that I had more paper at the bottom of the container than I thought I would find. Am I supposed to be “fluffing” while we’re processing paper?

Because this is my first harvest, I was diligently trying to separate casting from worms.
I noticed quite a few eggs, and I suspect a baby worm or two passed my inspection and ended up in the casting pile. Do I need to screen this before I add it to my plants? I’d hate to try to feed my tomatoes, and then have the worms go to town on the root system.

Thanks again for your patience!

I had a blast harvesting this morning!

-The worm apprentice (Karin)

Hi Karin,

First off, let me congratulate you on your first harvest! I love hearing that my customers “Had a blast”!

If you have some paper on the bottom not yet broken down, no big deal….just use it for additional bedding as you start the process again!

Regarding the worm eggs you saw in your castings.  Unless you pick them out (GREAT project for keeping  children entertained)! they will end up in the casting pile.  If you screen them, you will have additional worms.  If you don’t, they will end up as part of the “Circle of Life”, as Redworms will not surive well in your soil.  No need to be concerned about your plants roots….Redworms are bacteria feeders (Mush Eaters), and will not harm living plant roots.  Because worms are like ants in their ability to reproduce, please don’t drive yourself crazy trying to save every single one.  That’s an impossible task. 

Be happy knowing that you now have some of the best soil amendment known to man….and you may still have time to get another harvest in before the weather gets cold!

Here are some of the more frequently asked questions I receive.  I’m featuring them for the benefit of all.

Hey wormdude,

I have been doing research on starting a worm farm for my home/garden. I am concerned however about the Texas heat and that the worm bins will become too hot and kill them off.

My other concern is if I bring them inside will it smell?

-Jennifer S.

Hi Jennifer,

Two very common questions.  Both easily avoidable.

WORM BINS AND HIGH TEMPS:

Worms can tolerate pretty high AMBIENT temperatures. This is because their bedding
stays much cooler than the ambient temperatures, PROVIDING the outside of the
worm bin does not get warm to the touch.  If it does, you have a “Frying Pan” situation, and your worms will cook. 

I’ve had worms in my bins with 108 degree temps.  The worms were fine.  I haven’t tested the max ambient temperatures that worms can take, but 108 is pretty warm.  The bottom line, keep the worms in total shade.  Avoid exposing them to high DIRECT temps.

WORM BINS AND SMELL:
Worm bins do not smell if set up correctly.  A couple of things will cause a worm bin to smell.

1.  Bedding is not fluffed up, just soaked and thrown in the bin. If oxygen
cannot penetrate through the bedding, you will have anaerobic bacteria
growing.  That is why a gym bag stinks…no air flow.

2.  Overwatering of bedding, creating mud.  Again, oxygen cannot penetrate
mud, creating an anaerobic environment.  This is easy to prevent by not
overwatering your worms, and when you do need to water, only using a mist
bottle.

3.  Overfeeding of your worms creating a sewer.  The amount of scraps that
your worms can process is directly related to the worm mass that you have in
your bin.  If you start with a pound of worms, that is about
the maximum amount of scraps you want to begin with.  Excess scraps can be
dealt with in various ways, but you do not want to use your worm bin as a
holding area for excess scraps.

Every stink problem can be traced back to overfeeding and/or overwatering of
your worms.  If your bin is set up correctly, this is a non issue.