Texas Jumpers

DIY Worm Chow

Worms will eat just about anything they can fit into their tiny mouth, and are the ultimate composter, humus maker, and soil conditioner. The primary feedstock I feed my worms is composted horse and cow manure, yard clippings-leaves, and table scraps (minus dairy and grease). Between feedings I sprinkle my own version of Worm Chow over the top of the bin. This simple recipe is great for fattening up your worms for a fishing trip or just adding some diversity to their diet and your castings. Use for your Alabama Jumpers, Red Worms, European Nightcrawlers, or African Nightcrawlers.

TexasRedWorms.com Worm Chow is:

1 part corn meal

1 part ground up oatmeal

add crushed egg shells for minerals and flavor

Tags: buy red worms, european nightcrawlers, feeding your worms, houston red worms, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm farming, red worm farming tips, red worms, red worms for sale in houston, red worms for sale in texas, san antonio red worms, texas red worms, vermicomposting, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Alabama Jumpers, European Nightcrawlers, Red Worms, RedWorm Farming Tips

Worms and Environmental Science

7 Oct

Yesterday TexasRedWorms made a visit to Mrs. Mein-Johnson’s Environmental Science class at MacArthur High School in San Antonio. We introduced European Nightcrawlers and Red Worms into a couple of raised beds. Mrs. Mein- Johnson’s class has recently been studying soil samples in their soil lab. Students have also been tending their Fall gardens in planter boxes behind the baseball field. True to San Antonio the pepper crop is yielding some nice results.

They will be monitoring the benefits of introducing worms to their gardens and I look forward to seeing their results.

Tags: add beneficial microbes to your soil, buy red worms, european nightcrawlers, red wigglers, red worms, red worms for sale in texas, san antonio red worms, texas red worms, vermicomposting, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Red Worms, TexasRedWorms workshops

Nightcrawlers vs. Red Worms: Summer Performance

12 Aug

I have spent the last couple of weekends harvesting castings from my red worm bins and european nightcrawler bins. I had tried to hold out until after Labor Day, when it’s only 95 outside. The heat can add stress to harvesting castings for you and the worms. Exposed worms can dry out and die quickly.

Loaded down with finished worm castings I was left with little choice. The girls pitched in and really helped speed things. My harvester that was built last winter, really came in handy. We were able to crank through 100+ pounds in no time. The girls picked worms stuck in the harvester screen. On a side note: Use cooking spray on the wire mesh to help keep the worms from sticking.

In picking egg capsules and smaller worms from two separate harvest runs (red worms/ european nightcrawlers), I was surprised at the performance of the nightcrawlers. The cocoon or egg capsule production has definitely slowed down for the red worms compared to other times of the year. Compared to the red worms, the nightcrawlers had about triple the amount of eggs. That’s right, from what I have seen this Summer, the European Nightcrawlers have outperformed red wigglers in reproduction.

This past Winter and Summer have been the most extreme temperatures I have seen since beginning worm farming. The good news is that with a little planning and preparation worms can flourish in just about any part of the country.

Tags: buy red worms, composting, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, houston red worms, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm farming tips, red worms, red worms for sale in houston, san antonio red worms, texas red worms, vermicomposting, vermiculture, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 2 Comments
Categories European Nightcrawlers, Red Worm Reproduction, Red Worms, RedWorm Farming Tips, Worm Castings

Francisco’s Worm Farm

5 Aug

Francisco was kind enough to share these pics of his double tub worm bin. Francisco got started a few months ago and is doing great. His double bin construction technique allows for excess moisture to drain into the bottom catch tub (worm leachate). His bedding base is comprised of finely shredded newspaper mixed w/ food waste. As a mulch layer, he keeps a few sheets of wet newspaper on top of the bin. Francisco also shared some of his homemade worm chow that my worms loved. It was gone the next morning.

Thanks for sharing your ideas and pictures.

Tags: buy red worms, composting worms for sale, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, houston red worms, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm bin, red worm farming, red worm farming tips, red worms, red worms for sale in houston, red worms for sale in texas, san antonio red worms, texas red worms, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 6 Comments
Categories RedWorm Farming Tips, Success Stories

Protecting your worms from the Summer heat.

5 Aug

This Summer has been brutal, and can be very stressful to your worm bins and beds. Redworms perform best in temperature ranging from 40 F – 80 F., and keeping them moist is essential to their survival in these less than ideal conditions. Don’t drown your worms, but error on the side of wet in this blistering heat.

I posted earlier, how to keep worm bins cool by adding frozen water bottles. This works great, but w/ temps hitting 100 in the shade this week, I began having to use more and more ice bottles. I was running out of freezer spa, and was able to convince my wife to let me bring my smaller bins indoors.

My larger worm bins kept in full shade, have faired well. Size of the bin is a big factor. Larger bins or containers will naturally have more volume to allow for greater insulation and protection from extreme temperatures. Smaller bins will “feel the heat” and not have as much buffer or room for protection. I keep old rugs on top of the bedding that are sprayed down daily to keep moist and cool. Add a few more inches of mulch to in ground worm beds and keep as moist as possible in these tough conditions. The mulch added to worm beds or flower beds will add organic matter, protection, and an additional moisture barrier.

Tags: buy red worms, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, houston red worms, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm bin, red worm farming, red worm farming tips, red worms for sale in houston, red worms for sale in texas, texas red worms, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Red Worms, RedWorm Farming Tips

RedWorm Composting: Thanks for your participation this past weekend.

25 Jul

Thank you to all who came out to the San Antonio Botanical Garden this weekend. I have included some links and attachments to dig a little deeper into some of the topics we covered on Saturday.
Worm Handout pdf

Links:

• Care of worms– what to do when you get your worms.

• Harnessing the Earthworm – by Thomas J. Barrett

• Adding worms to your raised bed

• In ground bin

•Harvesting Worm Castings- My harvester

• Compost Tea

Thanks again to all who participated and to Sasha Kodet and the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Let me know if you have any questions, or if I can give you some feedback on your set up.

KyleHarrell@hotmail.com
210-310-5046
http://www.TexasRedWorms.com

Tags: add beneficial microbes to your soil, buy red worms, composting, diy worm bin, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, houston red worms, make your own compost tea, make your own worm bed, organic fertilizer, organic gardening, organic pest control, outdoor worm pit, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm bin, red worm farming tips, red worms for sale in houston, red worms for sale in texas, reduce your waste, san antonio red worms, save money with red worm farming, texas red worms, vermicompost, vermicomposting, vermiculture, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories RedWorm Farming Tips, TexasRedWorms workshops

Composting with Red Worms 10:00am this Saturday at the San Antonio Botanical Garden

20 Jul

Join TexasRedWorms.com at the San Antonio Botanical Garden this Saturday, July 23 at 10:00 am. We will be teaching how to set up your own red worm composting bin, and how to compost with worms. Learn how to turn your kitchen waste into rich worm castings that will condition the soil, and fertilize your plants naturally.

Composting with Red Worms

10 am—noon. Start turning your waste into rich worm castings for your garden and plants. Red Worm composting from
TexasRedWorms.com will show you how to make your own worm bed and bin, how to feed, care for, and harvest your own steady supply of worm castings. Limit 30 participants. Fee: $20. To register, please contact Sasha Kodet at 210.207.3270 or sasha.kodet@sanantonio.gov.

Tags: add beneficial microbes to your soil, buy red worms, compost, composting, diy worm bin, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, make your own worm bed, organic fertilizer, organic gardening, outdoor worm pit, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm bin, red worm farming, red worm farming tips, red worms, red worms for sale in texas, reduce your waste, san antonio red worms, texas red worms, vermicompost, vermicomposting, vermiculture, worm bin composting, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories RedWorm Farming Tips, TexasRedWorms workshops

Benefits of Worm Castings

20 Jul

Benefits of Worms and their castings have long been known, and here is one example from Thomas J. Barrett”s Harnessing The Earthworm.

In a full-column article entitled “Earthworms in Role of

Great Benefactors of the Human Race,” Mr. W. A. Anderson,

Editor of the South Pasadena Review, reported a number of

growth experiments by the author.* One of the experiments reported

on was this: We planted three boxes of lawn grass (poa

trivialis}. One box of good native soil as control; one box of

identical soil, but with earthworms added ; one box of pure earth worm

castings. After germination and sixty days’ growth, the

grass was harvested and the results carefully compared. All

boxes produced good crops of grass. The box of native soil, with

earthworms added, yielded 271 percent more than the control box

without worms. The box of earthworm castings yielded 463 percent

more than the control box without earthworms.

Tags: earthworm castings, Harnessing the Earthworm

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Worm Castings

Help your worms beat the heat.

11 Jul

We have had a high number of 100+ degree days this Summer in Texas. When temperatures get into the 90s worms get stressed.

One way to avoid overheating and losing worms is to keep them indoors. Avoid overfeeding and smell will not be an issue. Overfeeding can also attract fruit flies. Eliminating fruit flies is as easy as covering your bin with cheese cloth, or other breathable fabric.

Find a full shade location if your worms are outside. Add ample bedding and keep moist. 80%- 90% moisture is recommended, and in hotter temps lean towards more moisture to keep worms cool. Keep lids cracked to increase airflow. A closed bin can bake even in the shade with high temperatures. Garage kept worms still need to be monitored in the heat.

Another trick I’ve employed is freezing plastic bottles full of water and adding them to bins on hot afternoons. My worms have been appreciative in these “dog days” of summer.

Tags: buy red worms, eisenia foetida, european nightcrawlers, houston red worms, outdoor worm pit, raising red worms, red wigglers, red worm farming, red worms, red worms for sale in houston, red worms for sale in texas, san antonio red worms, temperature guide for red worms, texas red worms, vermicomposting, vermiculture, worm bin composting, worm composting tips, worms for sale, worms for sale in texas

Comments 1 Comment
Categories RedWorm Farming Tips

TexasRedWorms.com in China

23 Jun

Sorry for the delay on returning phone calls, we are in Beijing adopting our second daughter. I have access to email, and will do my best to reply quickly KyleHarrell@hotmail.com . For more on our adventure PlansforHope.blogspot.com

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Uncategorized

← Older Entries

Newer Entries →

Featured Posts

Rainbow Gardens “OPENING UP MY OWN CAN OF WORMS.”

Thanks to Lisa, Laura, and Rainbow Gardens. Check out “Opening up my own can of worms”.
TexasRedWorms on display at the Houston Zoo

This week we provided Texas Jumpers and set up bins at the Houston Zoo. There is no shortage of worm food and the kids visiting will soon get to see some Texas Red Worms “Texas Jumpers” up close. With the Houston heat, we decided Texas Jumpers would be the best choice for their location and […]
Coons in my worm bed

For a several days I had noticed my rugs pulled back and could tell some critter was rooting around in my worm beds. To figure out just what we were dealing with, my daughter and I set up our game cam to catch the rascal in the act. It was not a huge surprise after […]
Good ‘ol Days

Oh the good ‘ol days when a couple of dimes would get you something. Unfortunately we can’t give you this deal, but we’ve got some great Jumpers, Euros, and Red worms available for your fishing trip or enhancing your soil. Thanks to Uncle Corky and Sheryl for sending this great picture they found.
DIY Raised Worm Bed.

Here’s another example of a raised bed for worms. It’s next to the house and gets full shade. It’s next to a spicket for easy access to water and/or drip irrigation. I used some landscaping blocks to construct the borders and filled it with compost. After adding a Tx Jumper Starter, I cut a piece […]

Search

Composting with Red Worms

Categories

Featured Posts