I started raising red worms over 10 years ago to save money on fertilizer, pesticides, potting soil, and to reduce waste. What started out as an experiment has benefitted my plants, soil, and family. We have raised European Nightcrawlers, Red Worms, African Nightcrawlers over the years. Our favorite and best performer for our environment (temp and soil) are by far and away, Texas Jumpers (some call them AL jumpers).
We enjoy raising worms and turning food scraps into nutrient-dense castings (worm manure) to enhance soil and make compost tea for gardens, plants, lawns, and pasture. Texas Jumpers provides worm farming tips, healthy worms, and can set you up with your own worm farm. Texas Jumpers has farms in San Antonio and Livingston, Texas.
Our shoebox-sized, ready made Starter Farm provides everything you need: an established bin with bedding, food, & worms, to produce nutrient-rich castings for your plants and soil, and a thriving, breeding brood of Texas raised worms, nature’s best composter. Our whole family has enjoyed worm farming, and we hope yours will too.
Texas Jumpers 
Dude, I had know idea that you are an enterprise level red worm company!!!
Kyle, I am excited about my new ranching enterprise. Currently I have two pastures that my herds,Red Worms and European Night Crawlers, are grazing on. I plan to open up many more pastures within the next year. What else can reproduce as fast as the red worm herd. I can not wait until I get my first calf crop from the herd. Expanding from 200 head to 1000,or even 2000,head in less than 6 months, and doing it all on table scraps….WOW. what kind of feed ratio is that? Then look out….population explosion goes into effect after the first 6 months..lol Thanks Kyle. Enjoyed you r presentation. Perhaps a few hand outs at your next meeting would help with information on the red worm topic. Thanks again…looking forward to visiting on line from time to time…e-mail amarek@gvec.net
Alan,
Thanks for the feedback. Keep me posted on your progress.
Kyle
Got up this morning with fire ants in a new bed. Lucky it had no worms in it. Is there any way to get rid of them without harming the worms?
Dave,
Diatomaceous Earth kept dry and powdery will stick to the ants and create tiny cuts that will dry them out and kill them. This will not hurt the worms. Also, urine if it doesn’t gross you out is a good fire ant killer.
Will DE also kill red and brown mites that are taking over my 4 worm bins without injuring my red wigglers? Also I have my bins out in my detatched garage and I have screen as I am using to cover my bins with clothes pins attatching the screen all around the bins, I’ve noticed the past few days when I’ve gone to check or feed the worms that there are tunnels that go pretty far down in their bedding and I’ve noticed their population has obviously reduced dramitically, so my question is what is the most likely culprit getting into and eating my worms? Is it rats or mice? If so what can I do to get rid of them or keep them from getting into my bin’s? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me! ,
Yes, DE will help. It will not harm the worms, but may not eliminate your mite problem. Mites are tough to deal with and can completely wipe out a bin. It seems to happen when the pH gets off a bit. For some reason mites seem to affect red worms much more than jumpers? Even when things are the same (food, temp, bin size)? Yes, rats are nasty and will eat worms. Snap traps baited with peanut butter have worked for me.
Kyle,
I’m a photographer by trade, but I also maintain a deck garden and support farm-to-table initiatives and other bio-natural and recycle/reuse methodologies. I’m also an outdoor/hiking enthusiast preparing to begin a venture to raise awareness about my art and natural living. So, a friend recommended I start a worm-farm in my home.
Pardon my ignorance, but I’m still learning about all this. I know some worms can be parasitic. Is there any risk of red worms or others mentioned here being potentially harmful to dogs, cats, or humans?
Hello there. thank you for your good information. my friend and i want to start producing vermicompost and protein via raising red worms, i really like to initiate it because chemical products and chemical fertilizers are killing people here in iran(persia). i need good information about producing protien in that way(we have learnt about vermicompost) and i dont know where to start from (the government doesnt care/help for these useful and safe things).
Please answer me. Thank you
The first place to start is with a compost pile. This will be your food source for the worms. Compost your veg scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, leaf litter, etc… Avoid meat eating animal manure, proteins, and dairy.
Hello! We have a 2 compost bins and would like to buy some Red Wigglers but we just saw what my husband said, was a Texas blind snake. They were a little bigger than an earth worm. Can we still put Red Wigglers in the bin? Or would they get eaten? Btw, we are also in SA.
Adding worms to an active compost pile may not be a good idea. If a compost pile is active it will be too hot for the worms. I use the partially broken down compost from my compost pile to feed my worms in their bins.
Adding worms to an active compost pile may not be a good idea. If a compost pile is active it will be too hot for the worms. I use the partially broken down compost from my compost pile to feed my worms in their bins.
For the past two years, I have had a compost bin with worms in my classroom. My students make fun of me because I think worms are so cool! I have just received a Worm Factory 360 for my home and now need worms. Is there a way for me to purchase and pick them up in the San Antonio area?
P.s. Also the proud parent of two daughters from China ❤️
Great to hear! You bet just give us a call or shoot us an email and come on by.
Thanks,
Kyle
I am new to Texas and am trying out a raised garden bed (about 3 feet off the ground) so all the dirt is purchased and I have no worms! What is the best type of worm to get for a garden and how many should I get? The bed is 4’X8′ and 2′ deep.
I was wondering where you were located in Houston. I would like to purchase some worm castings for my garden beds.
Regards,
Bill Nolfe
Do you do tours or have pics of what your farm looks like? I have seen small backyard worm farms but I want to see what a large scale one looks like? Where are you located?
I live north of humble , North of Houston. Where is your farm here so that I may go there to buy some worms and castings. Thank you !!!!!
I would love to start a farm at my school. What type of worm would you recommend for San Antonio with a bunch of elementary and middle school students around to “help out”?
For Texas outdoor beds I believe the Texas Jumper is your best bet.
Kyle,
I just set up a Worm Factory 360 and bought a lb. of night crawlers from you. After a week or so, it has molded through. It appears to have been started on the bottom layer of newspaper but it is covering everything. I am going to sift out the worms and start a new tray, but before I do…. What did I do wrong?
I wet the bottom sheets of paper, lightly wet the coconut husk and mixed in a couple of cups of potting mix I had open, I added the worms and covered with 2 sheets of damp newspaper.
I fed a mixture of cooking oats and cornmeal at first, then changed over to a mix of coffee grounds, eggshell and a bag of coleslaw mix (chopped cabbage) that I ran dry thru the blender.
Everyday I added a little water to the top paper if it was dry.
The mold might be mites. Mold is not a problem, but mite’s eggs’ look like a spider web mold and will kill your worms. A mite infestation will break out when you overfeed oats and cornmeal. If the worms can’t finish a grain in 12 hours or so you will have mites. Mites like an acidic ph and they like it wet. A fresh start with new bedding and no oats or cornmeal for awhile might be best.
Kyle
Hello,
We’re a nursery in Oregon and we’re trying to make 400 gallons of compost tea. Do you have any recommendations for size of air-pump and air-stone(s) we would need to properly aerate that much liquid?
Thank you for any help or advice.
I bought a pond aerator that was rated at 1500 gallons. I use that to brew 500 gallons.
Hello,
I’m in houston, and I wonder if the shipment for the red worms is regular now considering the high temperature
We are still shipping, but there may be a delay until there is a safe window. Also, in the hotter times of the year we will hold for pickup that way the worms aren’t sitting outside.
I need earthworms for my mulched garden and raised beds.
Can you help?
Unfortunately, we are experiencing 100 plus degree temps and it is too hot to ship right now. I am in the San Antonio area and can be available for pick up if you are near by.