Written by Matthew on July 26th, 2011
We have had great success with shipping and packaging our worms. This year we have shipped out more than a thousand pounds of worms with only a couple of packages having problems. We did have an issue with worms trying to crawl out of the seams of the bags but we have solved that with new types of bags.
We harvest our worms ahead of time so that they have time to cool before shipping. After the worms have spent some time in air-conditioning and have cooled off we remove all material or substrate from the worms and try and get them “Clean as spaghetti” (Thanks for that saying go to Mr. Jack Brantley) before weighing them. This ensures that our customer is getting a solid pound of worms shipped to them.
The worms can not survive for long though without being in a substrate, aka bedding, so after weighing them we immediately add either peat moss or coconut coir to them and mix them up with it. Mixing them ensures that they are no clumps of worms that would soon run out of oxygen and die. The substrate is a little dryer than the worms would normally prefer, but this has no long term effect upon the worms and helps keep them alive in shipping. If we were to add them back to the bedding or to really wet substrate they would likely perish during shipping. If a worm farmer claims to add his worms back to the original bedding before shipping, be careful as they cannot take heat very well in such a situation.
The weighed out worms and substrate now go into a breathable fabric bag which is heat sealed so that no worms can escape. Boxes are ready and the bottom of the box is filled with a compostable and insulating packing fill. We use a special fiber made from recycled cardboard boxes that we make here on site at Worms Etc. This material has really helped us in preventing the loss of worms during shipping. It keeps the worms cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter. Also it helps retain moisture preventing the worms from drying out and also keeps the shipping box sturdy during transit. This along with the heat sealed bags now makes our shipping very safe for the worms.
Included in the box of worms is an instructional sheet that will help you get started composting. An invoice and our business card also hitch a ride in the box.
Posted in Profesional Worm Farming, Uncategorized | No Responses »
Written by Matthew on July 25th, 2011
I always thought that red wigglers would drown if the substrate or bedding was really wet, but I have found that this is not necessarily the case. Although they certainly can drown in too much moisture the level of water which they can handle is very high. While checking on my beds I found a certain spot that the sprinklers were watering much more than the rest of the beds and when I checked to see if how the worms were in this spot they were just hundreds of them bunched up. They were also some of the largest worms I had seen. This spot was so wet that the substrate was almost like pudding or a very wet mud. The thing is that they don’t lay may eggs when it is this wet and that it is impossible to harvest them from such wet bedding.
The thing here I guess is to know that if you want some really big wigglers for fishing, don’t be afraid to wet them down. Just be sure that you have good drainage, because the standing water can cause problems.
Posted in Uncategorized, Worm farm basics, Worm farm science | No Responses »
Written by Matthew on May 15th, 2011
There was a slight delay in order after the passing of my mom. We are now caught up and are shipping on our normal schedule.
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Written by Matthew on May 10th, 2011
After struggling with multiple sclerosis for more than twenty years my dear mom has passed away today. There is no doubt in our minds that she is with the Lord Jesus Christ. Sickness and lameness no longer has a hold on her and she has a new body. She was an amazing person and will be greatly missed.
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Written by Matthew on April 20th, 2011
Well once again I have gotten busy and neglected to update the worm blog for a while. Tends to happen in the spring when everything is wide open.
This spring it seems that most worm farmers are low on red worm stock. Not that they are out of worms, it just takes a lot longer to harvest the worms when they are not as thick in the beds. My theory is that the weird weather we had during the fall prevented egg capsule production. Worms need temperatures around the 70 degree Fahrenheit mark to lay eggs. We went straight from summer to winter it seemed like and so did not get the eggs that we needed to have in order to have plenty of worms for spring. One thing that will help out in the long run is that worms tend to reproduce faster when they are stocked less densely.
Now though with spring weather here the worms are laying down eggs at a rapid pace. They are sure to be plenty of good worms for the summer and fall.
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Written by Matthew on February 9th, 2011
By popular request here is an index that will help you find answers to any worm bin problems you are having.
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Written by Matthew on February 7th, 2011
I thought it would be interesting to read another authors view on composting with worms so here is a link to an article by Leigh Barns. It is a brief review of worm composting.
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Written by Matthew on February 4th, 2011
Greenhouse Nearly Finished
Well the greenhouse is dried in and almost complete. Just need end walls on it, but I don’t see much point in adding them until next winter since spring is just around the corner and they will not be needed when its warm.
Worm Bed Construction
Also I have got started on building the frame for a worm bed in it. It should be good to add worms to by the middle of next week.
The other day when shipping out worms I run across this giant worm.
I think I am going to call him wormzilla.
He weighs out at 6.5 grams! The average size is about 1.5 grams and the next largest worm I have seen to this one was about 2.2 grams, so he is a giant. Hopefully I can get him to reproduce some more giant worms, but I am unsure if this is a phenotype or a genotype (nature vs nurture) caused giant.
Wormzilla
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Written by Matthew on January 25th, 2011
The Can-O-Worms composting system is a well made stack-able tray worm composter. It is made out of sturdy thick black plastic and all the pieces fit together well. It comes with a very complete and informative set of instructions. Can O Worms Instructions The lid is extremely tight fitting and worms are very unlikely to escape. The Base is well designed and includes a tap to drain off any excess liquids.
The manufacturer did a great job thinking the system out. They included everything you need to vermicompost with the Can-O-Worms except the worms. They send you knowledge, bedding, the bin and even thought to have the packaging double as a temporary cover for the tray holes on the first level.
As I have often stated, worms do not need a mansion to live in, however if you are serious about vermicomposting and want a high quality composter system for your worms to produce lots of high quality vermicompost, then this is the system for you.
Buy your Can-O-Worms composter here
Posted in Gardening and worms, reduce organic waste; Recycling, Uncategorized, Worm farm basics | No Responses »
Written by Matthew on January 22nd, 2011
Greenhouse Construction Underway
One of the major reasons I got into worm farming is my passion for farming and in particular my love for gardening. For many years now I have kept a garden and enjoy gardening very much. I will admit to my slackness in removing weeds in the past, but fortunately I have learned techniques that prevent weeds from even growing in the first place. I never imagined that I would be able to sell enough worms to make a living and started the worm farm thinking that composting would be my number one profit maker. However because of increased environmental awareness, composting worm sales are really strong. I guess that it would be possible to only sell worms and be quite successful. However that is not my end aim and my passion for growing plants dictates that I develop a line of products that will help everyone grow the best plants possible at their own homes.
As posted on the website I am building a large greenhouse like shelter that will be used to grow worms in, but I am going to set aside a fair sized portion of the building for research into growing plants, fruits, and vegetables. The end aim of this research will be to produce the best line of potting soils and soil amendments available anywhere. These products will all use worm castings and revolve around worm castings’ ability to bolster plant growth and health.
While we already sell castings online and some potting soil, I am really excited about selling on a large scale. Its a great product and our continuous research is sure to make it better.
Posted in Gardening and worms, reduce organic waste; Recycling, Worm farm science | 2 Responses »
