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Who would ever think that a bunch of kitchen leftover and garbage could turn out to be something productive and useful- this is where the wonder of worm farms comes in.

Surprisingly, worm farms are a great way of turning leftover kitchen scraps into rich yet affordable and highly-potent organic fertilizer.

This is especially true if you happen to live in a small apartment where you can create your own worm farm right smack in your balcony, porch or small yard, since all that is needed is a cool and well shaded spot.

If you think that making a worm farm is difficult, think again, all you need are your daily kitchen scraps and leftovers and polystyrene boxes, better yet, even used broccoli boxes from vegetable and fruit shops.

Start off by choosing a nice spot for worms to live and make sure that the spot is not too hot nor too cold.

If you happen to use polystyrene boxes, you will need at least two with one needing a lid. If a lid is not available, one can make a simple piece using a breathable yet sturdy box boards or cement-bonded thin plywood-like sheets.

Since these polystyrene boxes do not have holes in them, you will need to make about 20-30 small holes the size of a 50-cent coin in the bottom of one box.

Then place the lid on the box with the holes and place this on top of the one without the holes, since placing one top of the other will maximize limited space.

The bottom box will also catch the liquid or urine produced by the worms, which is called the worm tea and is also a good alternative to liquid fertilizers.

In the box with the holes, place about 2 inches of bedding made from compost, which is a mixture of shredded paper, box cartons and withered leaves.

The more authentic information about Worm Farming you know, the more likely people are to consider you a Worm Farming expert. Read on for even more Worm Farming facts that you can share.

The compost bedding should be around 2 to 3 inches deep and you can add in around 1,000-1,200 worms per box.

You can find hundreds of worm growers all over America who cultures and sell worms for farming, you may look them up using the Yellow Pages or searching on the Internet, especially if you hope to find one within your locality or one that is close to where you are.

Worms used for worm farms are ideally called compost worms and are not the same as the the common earthworm that can be found anywhere.

Ideal ones that can be used for worm farms are the red wrigglers and tiger worms.

You may need to cover the bedding with a layer of newspaper, old torn carpets or any material that will keep the worm bedding dark and moist.

Once the worms start burrowing into the bedding, in about two to three days, you can start adding small amounts of kitchen scraps and leftovers like fruit peelings except from acidic fruits like oranges and citruses, vegetables, used tea leaves and ground coffee, but make sure to shred it into small tiny pieces for quick consumption and easy digestion.

Avoid oil-based foods and dairy products, since these are also acidic for worms.

Make it a point not to resume feeding after the previous feeding batch is totally or almost 95% consumed.

Adequate and balanced feeding allow worms to produce manure or a by-product which is a rich, soil-like substance called “castings” or “vermicompost” which is one of the best fertilizers that ensure productive and healthy vegetation.

To harvest castings from the worm farm bed, you can move the castings by gathering them to one side of the tray and add new food to the other side to allow the worms to forage on the new food source, which will allow you to scrape off the castings from the other side.

The liquid that collects at the bottom of the box is worm urine mixed and is also called the ‘worm tea’ and can be used as liquid fertilizer once diluted with water.

Nowadays, it would be best to make the most out of everything, including what could be recycled and redone ? that is the wonder of worm farms.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Current info about Worm Farming is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Worm Farming info available.

Did you know that nature has its own natural garbage disposal system? Not only that, this system is so efficient, that it turns garbage into useful nutrients that the earth can reuse. This natural garbage disposal system is called the worm. Yes, the lowly worm consumes our garbage and puts it back into the earth in the form of soil enriching nutrients. Before we get into starting a worm farm business, let’s discuss a bit about how worms actually help the earth.

With the millions of tons of garbage that people produce every minute, it’s no wonder that our lowly worms are having trouble keeping up with us. But there is a way to help out the worms and mother earth. That way is called vermiculture.

Vermiculture is the technical term for growing worms. Many people practice vermiculture because it’s a great way to turn organic wastes into fertile compost. This compost is used by gardeners as it creates noticeable results in the growth of plants and vegetables. Some gardeners choose to buy the worms themselves, which is yet another commodity that can be used to start a business.

You can start your own business growing worms right in your backyard. It is very easy and inexpensive, and takes very little time to maintain. With the right contacts, it is possible to make sizeable profits selling worms and compost, particularly these days when the demand for organically grown food is increasing. Here are the basic things that you will need:

Good worms

For your business to be successful you should have the best type of worms. Gardeners and fishermen (who also buy worms for fishing), like to buy quality worms such as tiger worms and red worms. You should try to get these types of worms, and you will be able to find them in any worm nursery.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Worm Farming experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Worm Farming.

Soil

Any decent soil will do, and you can just collect some from your backyard. You don’t need to buy expensive soil from the market to grow quality worms.

Containers

Worm farmers use vessels such as apple crates, plastic containers, or glass jars. Pretty much anything will work fine as long as it is waterproof.

Once you have your materials, simply line the containers with paper, place the soil in the containers, moisten the soil with fresh water, and then place your worms in the soil with some scraps of food. The only maintenance that you will need to do is regularly moisten the soil by spraying water, and occasionally feed your worms with table scraps.

Not only is having a worm farming business cheap and easy to maintain, it makes your household a lot more efficient. You can use your food wastes to feed your worms, and in turn your worms will create fertile compost that will fertilize your garden and vegetable patches. You can then also sell some worms and compost to gardeners, or give them away to your neighbors and friends.

If you are looking for a hobby or sideline business to make some extra cash, building a worm farm is definitely something worth looking into. The low overhead costs, and virtually no maintenance makes it an ideal business for people who don’t have time to nurture a bigger home business.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Maybe you want to try something different, something unique to your area, or just something to gross out your neighbors! Worm farming is educational, beneficial to nature, and has a lot of potential in the market if you know how to push your product.

An earthworm can lay 900 eggs a year. That’s a lot of eggs. They can produce CO2. That’s a positive thing. Their digestive system helps neutralize acidic soil or soil with a high alkaline level. That’s a gardener’s friend. Worms are a source of food for other animals. A natural food that is safe and healthy. So, how can you go wrong with a good worm farm?!

An interesting and strange thing to know about worm farming is that many years ago Cleopatra declared earthworms to be sacred, gods of fertility. A little old earthworm was protected and cherished, death to the person who caused harm to the earthworm.

America is not so kind to the lowly earthworm. Usually it is forgotten, ignored, or used for bait or gardening purposes. Some other cultures use it for food, which could be considered sacred to a starving person!

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Worm Farming now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

A healthy thing you need to know about worm farming is that if you want to lower your cholesterol level, go eat worms. Seriously, earthworms can reduce your cholesterol level because they contain Omega 3 oil. You are probably saying that you’d rather have a high cholesterol level. But what else are you putting in your system on a daily basis? To a vegetarian, meat eaters are the sick people. To the meat eater, only eating vegetables can seem crazy. So, who’s to say eating worms is wrong, especially considering the health benefits. They’re good protein, less fattening, cheap to produce and cost a lot less than steak! If you prefer a sophisticated term for this oddity, its scientific term is entomophagy.

Worm farming is usually done for reasons other than eating, of course. Those worms in the bait shop or in the pet store have to come from somewhere. Now you know where they came from. Worm farms do have their risks, of course, as does any business. Making money with them is not necessarily easy. You have to know your worms, know your market, and know how to manage your money.

Feeding your worms doesn’t cost much for a small worm farm. They eat dirt, decayed leaves, animal manure, living organisms found in the soil, vegetables and fruits, non-glossy paper products, grains, grass clippings, and wood pieces. Just make sure that whatever you feed them has no residues of any type of poisons.

You can start a worm farm in a simple container with some dirt, holes for air and drainage, moisture, and food scraps. Large containers will need some sort of sifting tray for when you are ready to harvest your worm crop. You may want to capture the drainage to use for tea for your plants. Once you see how the process works on a small scale, you can decide whether or not it’s something you would want to become further involved with as a substantial business.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Red worms, red wigglers, or manure worms are said to be best for composting. They’re also known as fishing worms. You can find them in leaf litter, manure piles, and bait shops.

The ability to produce fast makes these worms appealing for worm farmers and fishermen.

You can start your red fishing-worm farm in a small, cheap plastic container such as a margarine dish or cool whip container. Start with a small collection, say….under a dozen, just to get a feel for the journey ahead and decide if you want to invest further. Add at least one big spoonful of dirt or compost, some thin strips of notebook paper or newspaper (not glossy), a cup of water (you want moisture, not soggy contents), fine sand or crumbled eggshells, and a little cereal or fruit. (The worms aren’t as partial to citrus fruits because of the acid content.)

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of Worm Farming, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

You’ll have to punch holes in the sides and the lid, at least a dozen in each. There must be oxygen flow and drainage. Worms can’t survive without oxygen. And you may have noticed that they rise to the top of the ground after a hard rain.

Your worms will eat many things that you would normally throw away. Almost any food scrap will do, but there are some that are discouraged. Meat scraps, citrus scraps, garlic, onion, and hot peppers or really spicy foods are not good choices. You should be careful about exposing your worms to pesticide residues used on food or contained in manures. Although the fishermen’s friend will eat cardboard because it’s a wood product, make sure the cardboard is not contaminated with any poisonous residues. You have to feed them at least three times a week. Bury the food under the bedding for the best results.

You can check out bait shops to get an idea of how much to price your worms if you plan to sell them. You don’t want to be too high or too low compared to other worms sold in the area for fishing bait. You can, of course, just grow them for your own fishing excursions. Also, consider the area where you live. If you live in a small area, there may not be enough market for a large worm farm to earn enough profit unless you sell over the internet or ship to other places. You want to make sure you don’t invest too much too soon.

If you live near a lake, you may do very well with your worm farm business. People do like convenience. Even avid fishermen can run out of bait or forget to buy it, although they may not like to readily admit it! There are plenty of people who prefer to use natural bait, too. Of course, this means customers will be knocking on your door on weekends and after normal work hours. So, you may do better to post your office away from your living area and make sure your hours are compatible, but not overwhelming for you. Post them plainly and large enough for those early rising fishermen/women to readily see them.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Creating your own worm farm is a good way of recycling wastes from your home. This is also a good source of organic fertilizer for your plants, especially if you have vegetables and fruits. Aside from these, worm farms also offer financial opportunities. You can either sell the humus or worm castings to organic gardeners or sell the worms themselves.

There are opportunities in worm farming or vermiculture. How do you start your own worm farm?

? Prepare a container made of wood or plastic. The measurements are not that important. If you worm farm is inside a room, make sure that it does not have any leak for the water to rush our. Worms are more comfortable with dark places. So if you are using a clear container, you can wrap newspapers around it to make it darker. Also make sure that you have a location which is far from vibration. Worms are sensitive to vibrating movements.

? Of course, you would need worms. Use Red Worms or also called manure worms.

? For the bedding, you can use newspapers. Shred it, then make sure it is moist, do not make it too wet. Then add some garden soil and some egg shells. Crush them prior to putting inside the container. Put water in the container, enough to make the bedding moist. Too much water inside the container may drown them. So make sure that the moisture is just enough to make them breathe.

When feeding your worms there are several things you need to consider:

a.) You can feed them fruit and vegetable scraps and leftovers which starch concentration like pasta and bread.

b.) Avoid feeding your worms with food with high acid content like coffee, oranges and tea bags. When unavoidable, balance it with egg shells.

The best time to learn about Worm Farming is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Worm Farming experience while it’s still free.

c.) When feeding worms with egg shells, make sure that it is cooked. If it is from boiled eggs then it would be okay. But if not, then just put them in a cup of hot water and put it inside the microwave oven where it would cook.

d.) Avoid feeding your worms with poultry and meat products. These kinds of food can create a certain smell that would attract insects to the bed.

e.) Aldo avoid dairy products and chips, they can also create a problem by attracting worm eaters and other insects.

? Keep the worms in room or farm temperature of 40 degrees F and 85 degrees F. So, do not let the farm to stand in sunlight for too long.

? There would be a time that you will be seeing cocoons with baby worms in your farm. You can add egg shells in the farm, since these shells have calcium that helps red worms in reproducing.

? Upon noticing that the bed cannot be identified anymore, then you would have to harvest. You can harvest the worm, you can also harvest the castings. It is up to you. But it is clear, that you would have to harvest. Worms cannot survive in their own waste.

? Do not put plastic bags, bottle caps, rubber bands, sponges, aluminum foil, glass in the farm bin. This would make your worm farm look like a trash can.

? Never let your feline companions use the worm bin for their litter. Ammonia will kill your worms and the odor is intolerable. Make sure that your worm farm is duly protected against feline abuse.

As your knowledge about Worm Farming continues to grow, you will begin to see how Worm Farming fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Worm Farming. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Worm Farming.

When many of us think of worms, we think of the few pink earthworms that hang out in the garden, strolling through the soil and showing their faces after a heavy rain. We don’t often stop to think about the history involved in these legless creatures. Some people even put these guys to work for profit and natural soil care through a process known as worm farming.

So how long have worms really been around? To take a look at the history of worm farming, we have to go way back before the age of man. Worms have been around almost since the beginning of time. Even in the age of the dinosaurs, earthworms worked hard breaking down excrement and waste. Their job was to produce a substance more useful to the soil. In turn, the level of fertility of the soil would remain high promoting a better rate of growth.

From 51 and 30 B.C., the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII realized the importance the worms played in the fertilization of the Nile. The export of worms from Egypt was then banned and became a crime punishable by death. For this reason, the Nile has been reported to contain the most fertile soil in the world even today.

Many years later, Charles Darwin published “The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Actions of Worms with Observations on their Habits” in 1881. He mentions here that the plough was one of the best inventions made by man. It changed the lives of farmers everywhere.

The worm however, has been doing the same job long before man although later they were once regarded as a pest. It was thought that worms destroyed plant life, chewing through the roots of crops. In reality, the worms plough through the Earth carrying water and air beneath the soil aerating and fertilizing it. Darwin continued to study earthworms, their habits and their benefits to man for over forty years. He even went so far as to label these crawlers as one of the most important creatures on earth.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

During the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s chemistry was discovered and Darwin’s studies were cast aside. Worm farming as a natural method for ploughing was ignored. Instead, man-made products were used for the job for a quicker more efficient way of producing a larger yield of growth.

Chemists produced fertilizers that increased the growth of crops. These fertilizers also damaged the soil, requiring even more fertilizers to continue to produce this increased growth yield. Other chemicals such as pest sprays and poisons have caused the decrease in the population of earthworms in the soil, thereby causing a fall in the fertility of the soil.

Because of the availability and ease of use, fertilizers and pesticides have been primarily used in crops across the world. However, some farmers began to culture their own worms on a smaller scale. Worm farming, or vermiculture, is the use of earthworms to aerate soil and change organic matter into compost. It only became a commercial process in the 1970s.

Worm farmers experience fluctuations in production and revenue depending on market requirements and demand. While commercial worm farmers still exist and function efficiently, many individuals have begun to establish their own methods of farming worms. This has been made easier through readily available worm farming supplies and equipment to encourage a more natural way of producing well fertilized soil and for composting waste.

The views about worms and how they effect the environment have changed dramatically over the years. Whether they’re held sacred or regarded as nasty slimy critters, worms have proved to be hardy and beneficial enough to last this long; they’re probably going to hang around for many years to come.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

For the beginner, worm farming can either seem like a simple adventure or something totally foreign to them. Some people have never been brave enough to hold a worm, not to mention making a whole farm of them! So, let’s explore some interesting odds and ends about worm farming.

Compost worms and earthworms are not the same. Earthworms loosen the soil. Compost worms eat the mulch layer of soil. Grub worms are not really worms at all. They’re larvae from the June bugs that are pests to people in the southern parts of the United States. Catalpa worms are not really worms either. They’re caterpillars from a moth species that are known to infest the Catalpa tree. Red worms are popular as fishing bait. Tomato horn worms sound like little monsters, but they’re actually edible worms. Witchetty grub worms are served in restaurants as barbecued appetizers in Australia. Palm grubs are prepared by frying in hot pepper and salt. (Kinda makes you want to ask what the new dish is before you eat in a strange place, huh?) If you soak an earthworm overnight, it will purge the soil from them.

Odds are that the end result of many dishes served in other countries could be quite tasty. But most worm farming in America is done for other purposes. New word of the day is vermicomposting! It sounds really smart and sophisticated, but it only means composting with worms. Worms are great little workers for your compost bin and can enrich the end result. This means you have better luck with that green thumb you’ve been trying so hard to encourage!

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Worm Farming, keep reading.

You can build a worm bin out of wood, plastic, concrete, an old bucket, or an old bathtub. If you really want an odd bin, create one out of an old toilet! You just knew you were saving it for something, didn’t you? The only problem with having strange bins is that you need to create a drain. You can’t let your worm dirt get too soggy. They rise to the top of the ground after a rain for a reason, you know.

Drainage creates another benefit of your worm farm called worm tea. No, you don’t drink it. That would be far too odd and might end with a sick stomach. You don’t serve it to your worms either. Although it does create a cute picture to imagine them sitting at a tiny table, holding their tiny little tea cups and wearing tiny little straw floppy hats!

Did you know you can feed your worms vacuum cleaner dust? Although you may want to ensure that you didn’t just fog the house for bugs before you vacuumed.

Worm farming can be as expensive or as low-cost as you choose to make it. How much does it cost to start a worm farm? Well, that’s up to you. How fancy you think you need it? How large do you want to make it? What type of worms do you want to start with? How much space will you have for new growth? How much money do you have available for the adventure? What type of advertising do you want to do if it is a business venture? Whatever your choices are, odds are that you’ll end up learning something valuable!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Worm Farming? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Worm Farming.

When starting a business venture, we often ask ourselves how to we benefit from it? How do our prospective customers benefit from it? So in this case, the same thing applies for worm farming. What are the advantages of worm farming?

Worm farming or vermicultivating is a way of producing healthy, organic compost goof for the soil and any kind of gardening. With this kind of business, you do not need a big amount to start and operate it. There are numerous worm farm stores where you can get your basic supplies. Worms reproduce quickly, so if you have 2000 worm in the beginning of your business, it would reach as much as 8000 after 6 months.

Aside from small overhead expenses needed, consumers also get to use organic soil for their plants and gardens. While, fishermen can also get their bait from you. Worms cam also be used as pet food. There are numerous advantages of organic farming.

With organic farming consumers:

? Get better nutritional value from the food they eat. Organic food has more vitamins and minerals compared to fruits and vegetables grown using chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Organic fruits and vegetables are free from chemical contamination specially from those with harmful effects like pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides.

? Have lower risk factors of diseases associated to chemical exposure.

? Eat better tasting food. Organically grown food tastes much better than those which are conventionally grown. The taste of fruits and vegetables are related to its sugar content, and the sugar content can be derived from the kind of nutrition the plant gets.

? Store food longer. Organic fruits and vegetables have higher cellular structure compared to those plants grown with current methods. Thus, organically grown fruits and vegetables can be stored longer and less vulnerable to rotting.

For those who plant fruits and vegetables, organic farming is a better option since:

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Worm Farming. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

? Plants raised in organic soil is more resistant to diseases and pests.

? Using it is less expensive than agriculture chemicals.

? Plants organically grown are more resistant to drought.

? There are a part of the market who are willing to pay premium prices for organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Aside from these consumer and grower benefits, organic farming is also environmentally friendly. Worm farms use most of your kitchen wastes. Worm farming and other kinds of organic farming produce lower greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, these kind of farming methods are climate friendly.

The use of soluble fertilizers has different detrimental effects to our ecology. Once fertilizer is poured to the crops, much of the fertilizer are washed off the soil and gets into the water. Most of the times, it would seep into groundwater making it contaminated and unfitted for human consumption.

For fresh bodies of water, evidences of contamination are showing with the abundance and overgrowth of algae. Algae interferes with the system of coral reefs and sea plants. It blocks the sunlight, causing the sea plants and corals to die.

How does this affect us? In a lake in Florida, USA where a major pesticide spill happened, researchers and wildlife specialists discovered alligators with distorted sex organ development and function. There are also studies that showed the link of reproductive problems like reduced sperm count and breast cancer to chemical farming.

Worm farming and other forms of organic farming have numerous benefits. It just like you have the both of best worlds, you get to help environmentally and you get to earn.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

When you think about Worm Farming, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Worm Farming are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

There are many different types of worms that are both good for you and bad for you. You must first know the difference before you choose which you invest in for your worm farming adventure. Worms such as tapeworms, ringworms, and pin worms are not good investments for worm farming. The types people raise to sell and use are those they can sell for fishing bait, food for birds and reptiles, or those used to help benefit the soil and their by-products.

Worms have no exoskeletons and are not created the same inside as humans and other animals. A worm has one brain and five hearts. Earthworms breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. They can’t control their own body temperatures and can’t maintain a body temperature. When they’re in captivity, they must depend on you to help them survive in the right temperature.

Some people grow worm farms for their own personal adventure. Kids use them for pets. Gardeners encourage their growth to gain healthy crops or flower gardens. They create excellent natural compost and fertilizers! Some people eat worms, although it isn’t something that is a big hit in the United States.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Worm Farming is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Worm Farming.

Composting is encouraged to help the environment and to keep the waste down that is hauled to landfills daily. Worm farming is one small way to help. Small ways add up to big benefits when enough people join together in their efforts. If you have complaints about the environment, if you’ve thrown away food scraps, newspapers, sticks and grass clippings or leaves, if you want to be involved in a positive way to help then worm farming may be just the right adventure for you to take!

Earthworms, red worms, catalpa worms, and grub worms all make good fishing worms. If you want a variety of worms, though, you need to know that not all worms are raised the same. Not all worms make good bin partners because of the different temperature requirements.

Not all vegetables or food scraps make good food for your worms either. Strong foods like onion, garlic, and hot peppers are not as readily welcomed. If the worms don’t want to eat them, they’ll eat everything else first. That leaves a smell to your worm bin, which can ruin your new adventure really fast! It’s not like your own mom making you eat all your vegetables when you were little. These are not children and shouldn’t be tortured to endure foods they don’t want. If you feed an animal something that isn’t good for it or that it doesn’t like the taste of, it can starve itself to death and will just end up resenting you or trying to escape to get to the better food source. Meat products are not a good idea for your worms either since they can contain diseases, poisons from the animal’s system created by the medicines you must give your pet, and also a bad smell when decomposing.

Check out what the other worm farmers are doing. Their prices, shipping methods, growing bins, advertisements may all come in handy for helping you plan your own adventure in worm farming.

Sometimes it’s tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I’m positive you’ll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Worm farming is an excellent way to naturally compost waste without adding to the already full landfills. Vermicompost is produced as a result, providing a nutrient rich substance that greatly benefits gardens, crops and house plants. The worms kept in worm farms demand little to remain healthy, voracious eaters. Understanding the anatomy of these worms proves useful in understanding their needs.

A worm’s body is made up of 70-95 percent water. Worms therefore require a very moist environment that should be mimicked in the worm farm. When worms die, they often shrivel up and go unnoticed as the water content is lost at this point.

These are cold blooded animals. Temperature should be maintained between 72 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit to assist the regulation of their body temperatures. Worm farms should be placed in a location that allows for this constant temperature, or bins that are insulated should be purchased.

One focus of worm farming is to have worms that will reproduce easily. Worms are hermaphrodites, meaning they possess both male and female sex organs. Worm farmers must realize that although they are hermaphrodites, they cannot self-fertilize. A single worm cannot reproduce alone. A colony of many worms will result in larger numbers being produced.

Worms used in worm farms are covered in a slimy mucus coating. This coating serves many purposes. The mucus helps the worms retain water. As their bodies are made up of a high percentage of water, an important step when worm farming is to be sure to provide adequate moisture levels in the bin. The worm will be able to hold in the required moisture level through this mucus coating.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Worm Farming. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

The worm’s mucus coating is also a protector. As the worm borrows into soil and bedding, the mucus provides a slick coat protecting it from harmful substances that may reside there.

The anatomy of the mouth of the worm is regarded as unique. In the worm, the mouth is called the Peristonium. Worms do not have teeth. Instead they have this mouth organ that is used for prying. Worm farmers should be aware that worms will be able to better compost food items that have been cut down into smaller pieces. Soaked paper and cardboard products will be more easily pried apart than hard, non-soaked pieces.

Established worm farmers and those new to the hobby are often surprised to learn the life span of the worms that are commonly used in worm farming. The common lifespan of these worms is typically between 4 and 8 years. It has been reported that some worms have been known to live over 15 years.

These are long lived creatures whose lives are most often cut short by accidents. The myth that worms can be cut in half and therefore produce two worms is false. Worm farmers should always be careful when searching for worms, replacing bedding or removing vermicompost. Sharp or hard tools are likely to injure a worm or even cause death.

If provided a good diet, proper living conditions and a safe environment, worms can live long healthy lives. Healthy worms produce healthy compost that can be put to good use. Understanding the basics of the anatomy of these worms will aide in the understanding of how unique they are and how to address their needs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO