best worms to raise?

[Dwaynesworld]

I am thinking of raising my own worms, Problem I have is I dont know to raise. My garage temp goes from a low of 45 to a high of 82, thats a big difference. What would be best worm to raise?

Thanks
Dwayne

[Tracker123]

The best worms are the European Nightcrawlers, that's what I raise. Start a bed with 50 % water saturated peat moss and 50 % cow manure. Feed the worms Purina worm chow (yes, there is such a thing) found at feed stores. They can order it for you. They have survived temps outside from 30 °F to 100+ °F. Here's a link where I got mine:
http://www.hallswormery.com/

- Randy

[cricket george]

I raise red wigglers in an old 15 cu ft freezer outdoors under a shed. I feed them kitchen waste such as coffee grounds, vegetable waste, banana peels, etc. RW go nuts over cantalope and watermelon. In the winter I put in a clamp on lamp with a 60 watt bulb for warmth and a 1X4 to maintain some ventilation and let gases escape from the composting. The RW will reproduce all winter if the temp stays around 60+ degs. I start a bed with moist peat moss and cow manure. Each year I change out some of the bedding and put it under my vegetable plants in the garden. BOY do they ever grow in that rich compost. WOW!! Keep your bedding moist and the RW will reproduce like crazy providing you more trout and bluegill bait than you will know what to do with. I am not familiar with the purina worm chow that tracker mentioned. Some people use corn meal and apparently do fine. Using waste from the kitchen helps reduce the landfill additions and provides all the worm food you need. It also gives the kids a lesson in recycling. Hope this helps.

[Dwaynesworld]

Thanks Guys,rw it is. Sounds like they will work out for me. I am going to use a plastic bin, to raise them in. How many dozen should I start with? Once again Thanks...DD

[cricket george]

DD - Depending on the size of the bin. I would say 10 or 12 dozen. I would suggest you put the bin in the basement or the garage corner. You may not need a 60 or 75 watt bulb depending on how warm it is where you place it. I placed a 75 watt bulb in the lamp today because Okla City has been real cold. The freezer insulates the worms in the winter and the summer. In the summer I have to watch out for brown recluse spiders living in the freezer. The worms will be actively breeding during the winter if you keep the bedding moist and around 70 to 75 degs. The worms will start laying their egg capsules within a week or so.By May you should have well over 1,000 worms if you start with 120 now. It will not take long before the composting gets in your blood and you will move up in size for your bed. You can supply all of your fishing buddies with RW within 1 year if you use the freezer 3/4 full of bedding. Remember the worms LOVE high sugar content fruit such as watermelon, cantalope, and peaches. I have sold enough RW the first year to more than pay for my initial start. Go luck

[gone_fishing]

I started a worm bin last summer. I use european nightcrawlers. I feed mine table scraps as well. A handfull of agriculture lime every once in a while too. For bedding I used shreaded paper and peat moss. I also used a mixture of shreaded paper, peat moss, and leaves in the fall. I also threw in a handfull of garden dirt. Main thing I think is not to overfeed them and feed them on the surface don't bury it.

[sayre315]

I've been raising my red winglers for a couple of weeks just in a little one cu foot cool that i fixed up (its not too big but i dont have very many worms). i can't figure out why i keep seeing mold in the dirt and paper.

[Tracker123]

You are seeing mold from the uneaten food. I feed mine only once every 2-3 days. Feed them only what thay can eat.

[sayre315]

alright, sounds good. is the mold harmful to the worms?

[Tracker123]

The mold is harmful to the bedding for your worms - will effect the pH, thus harmful to the worms.