Spring is here and the worms are hungry.  Cocoons, and baby worms are appearing by the minute.  Here are a couple of pics from this week’s castings harvest.

“Bro thanks a million!!! Very excited about my worms.  Almost turned around and bought more! LOL. Here are some pix.

Very excited about my Garden.”

Thanks for sharing!

Upcoming events include an April 16th appearance in San Antonio with Green Spaces Alliance.  Stay tuned for more details.

In production since last week this TexasRedWorm Flow Through 2 has been a work in progress for several years.  I have been looking at examples of flow through bins homemade and commercially available for some time.  This latest design is the latest version predated by several prototypes.   This latest evolution has been a success thus far.   I ended up purchasing the metal racks from Costco for about $137.  Easy to assemble and very sturdy, these were a great buy at a good price.  I spent about $70 on hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, washers, 20′ of .25″ cable, and cable clamps).  Key to a long lasting box built around the metal rack, were cypress 2×6′s from TexasDozer.com cut from my dad’s saw mill.  Cypress will not rot and in it’s natural state (no chemicals used to preserve the wood)  and will not leach out anything harmful to the worms or castings.

The cutting diamond bar was fabricated out of scrap and square tubing for the guides.  This will be pulled with winches mounted to both sides of the rack to cut and harvest castings from the bin.

Two mason tubs purchased at Lowe’s for around $13 each rest on the bottom rack just below the flow through bin to catch castings.  The bottom of the bin was lined with newspaper and worms and compost were added.  We will let the worms go to work for several weeks feeding compost as needed.  Over the next few weeks the newspaper will break down and the bin will be ready to harvest.  For the initial harvest, remove by hand the newspaper from under the screen.  Use the winch from one side to move the cutting bar across the bottom of the bin one time.

My Jumpers love this time of year and can be at their peak performance.  Cooler temperatures and added moisture stimulate hatching of eggs and adults feeding and breeding in top layers of compost that at other times of the year maybe too hot or dry.

Earthworms have a couple of jobs, and depending on your goals you will need to decide what worm is best for you.  Earthworms feed on decaying organic matter and produce castings.  Worm castings (worm poop) is nitrogen rich, pH balanced, humous that is ready to be absorbed by plants roots immediately.  Earthworms are the intestines of the soil and are top soil producers.  Beyond soil production, their other job is to tunnel through the ground aerating and mixing the soil as they work.  Earthworms are also the “plow of the soil”  mixing layers of earth while they eat, tunnel, and deposit their castings. These tunnels allow oxygen and water to reach roots of plants and break up compacted soil for greater root penetration and growth.

Red Worms (eisenia foteida) If your goal is composting and worm casting production, this prolific producer is your worm.  Well suited for bin raising, not a candidate for adding directly to soil.

European Nightcrawler (eisenia hortensis)  Larger worm that is an excellent for composting and fishing. Well suited for bin raising, not a candidate for adding directly to soil.

Alabama Jumper (amynthas corticis)  Large worm that is a powerful aerator.  Strong worm that is ideal for adding to garden or soil and can burrow deep in hard packed soil.  These worms are deep divers and do a great job of mixing layers of the soil, can be bin raised but are better suited for the soil.

122 Madison
San Antonio, TX 78204
(210) 223-9800

Vermicomposting is the natural process by which red worms process waste and convert it into an efficient natural fertilizer.  In this program, Kyle Harrell of Texas Red Worms will show participants how they can take kitchen waste to create a wonderful fertilizer that will enrich their garden soils and plants, all with the help of worms!  All paid participants will receive a sample of Villa Finale’s compost and a few red worms to get them started at home.  Comfortable dress is recommended.  Space is limited – please call Villa Finale Visitor Services to make your reservation.

For more information on Kyle’s work, visit www.Texasredworms.com

$15.00 members
$25.00 non-members

A few weeks ago I had noticed a few brown patches from my neighbors yards creeping close to mine.  Within a few days affected areas were well into my grass.  Upon further inspection of the pattern and damage it appeared to be the dreaded chinch bug.  The little critters love dry conditions and love to eat away at the healthy roots of grass.  I quickly brewed up some worm tea and made a liberal application to my yard.  Within a couple of days, my neighbor and I noticed a difference and are happy to see the grass is on it’s way to recovering.

Worm tea is an all natural inexpensive way to beat back garden and lawn pests, and has saved me loads of money and headaches.  The beneficial micro organisms in your actively aerated tea will add life back to the soil and are predacious to many pests attacking lawns and vegetables.