Breeding garden worms

[Oldbloke]

So, what's the secret. Worms for fishing are hard to come by where I live. I've had a couple of goes at this now but they always disappear or die. The latest way is:

20 ltr bucket
Under water tank
Hessian on top.
Mix of soil and garden compost
Fed with a mix of bran, whole meal flour and corn flakes.

After 3 weeks only 2 left of the 12 or so healthy hard won garden worms.

What's the secret?

Not interested in breeding tiger/compost worms. Please don't post just what you have seen on the www. Only if you have had experience yourself.

[on_one_wheel]

My mother had a worm farm, she discovered that heat is a big killer.

I know that worms like moisture content to be just right too.

[bigpete]

You may possibly be over feeding them

[Oldbloke]

My mother had a worm farm, she discovered that heat is a big killer.

I know that worms like moisture content to be just right too.

Don't think I'm over feeding or over heating them Pete. But moisture might be an issue.

Any one know about that?

[JDM9691]

Reviving an old thread I know, but have some experience here if anyone still needs the answers!

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For a few years now we've had garden worms living and thriving in captivity. They're kept in an old styrafoam vegetable box, which has a few holes cut in the bottom for drainage, with some fly mesh and cloth over the holes to keep the dirt in. Probably 1/3 full of dirt. The lid has a good sealed fit except for a couple 20c size holes in the top for air, and some fly screen stapled over them to keep the insects out. The foam insulates and helps keep the temp stable. It sits on another foam box, which collects the liquid that falls through. Every so often I lift the top box off and put the liquid in a drum to use on the garden later.

These are just garden worms. We didn't have chooks for a while, so this was a way of getting rid of some kitchen scraps. Every few days they get given something, but they don't need a lot, and are happy to live on a few bannana skins a week. Put the scraps on the dirt surface, and cover with some newspaper or egg cartons for more insulation (and light protection), then give it all a sprinkle with the watering can and put the lid back on. Eventually they eat the newspaper as well, so keep replacing that, as they don't like coming to the surface to feed if there is heaps of light.

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Pretty easy to look after. I keep the box in the shade under the verhanda - no problem getting through 45C summers. Just keep them fed (once or twice a week is fine), keep the soil damp, and keep them covered. I was told not to feed them citrus scraps as they're not keen on acidic stuff, but they eat most things.
My son did try these for fishing, but being so thin, they're a bit of a mission to put on a hook. I'm sure you could find a fatter breed somewhere if needed.

[9.3x64]

My father always had a worm patch growing up. It always had heaps of healthy worms just below the surface.
It was in a very shaded area that hardly got any sun, right underneath a large choko vine and large mulberry tree. There was always vegetation dropping down on it of some sort.
I always remember he kept the soil extremely moist. He would have the garden hose on it for hours.
He used to also throw vegetable scraps and peelings etc on it.

[Wapiti]

If you don't want to go to any trouble, you can just head off to your local big-chain hardware store and buy a worm farm. As I did.
I actually got the bug cos I had to feed a Tawney, and good old DJ from this site helped me out with it.

These "worm farms" I looked at were Aussie made and come with a starter kit with the medium the worms live in, weed/light mats and great instructions. You can also buy a box of African Crawler night worms to get the thing going immediately.
And the juice that comes from the drain into a bucket you put under it grows your vege garden like you wouldn't believe. You dilute this juice to the colour of weak tea, and this goes a long way. I got some great Mandarin, Navel orange and Lime crop to thank from this liquid fertiliser.
Don't be worried about moisture, there's great instructions and basically what I do, is:
1. make sure the worm farm is in the shade, dead easy. Anywhere where there isn't any sun, any time. They breed easier this way, and do not overheat.
2. check it once a week by opening the lid and feeling that the mix is moist at the top. If it is, (because the world sucks - gravity) the bottom is too. Yes you can buy a special $30 moisture probe for it there too, but you can tell if something is wet or not? Some people would buy anything, or worry about anything. Or listen to anything.
3. use a watering can with rain water if possible to lightly water it again to keep it nicely moist. Moist, not wet.
4. add crushed eggshells or fine bird coral grit to the top along with the scraps, worms need calcium.
5. If you can try and not be a lazy bastard, to make the worms fatter faster, grate up the vege scraps to make them finer so they break down quicker.
6. Google what not to throw in to the worm farm, many normal household scraps are not good for them. Piss easy.

I'm a very busy bugger, my own fault really, and if something is a prick to do it really sucks. But the worm farm is so easy with the right bits and good advice, you will love the food and the bait you get for your other past-times.