Tag Archives: red worms for sale in texas

Compost “Sweet” Tea

1 Oct

I started brewing a batch yesterday afternoon of actively aerated red worm compost tea (red worm castings, unsulphured molasses, and rain water).

I have collected about 15-20 gallons of rain water to use over the last month or so.  Rain water, well water,  or water from other natural sources are the best choices to be used in your compost tea.  Tap water should be left out in the sun for a day or so to eliminate Chlorine. Next, I harvested some castings from my worms.  I use a mesh laundry bag for my tea bag.  Compost can be added to the water or steeped with a bag.  The tea bag eliminates the need to strain before putting in your sprayer.

Aeration- I’ve got a pond aerator pumping into the brew to supply plenty of O2 supporting beneficial microbial growth.

To make is “sweet” compost tea, I’ve added some unsulphured molasses to feed the beneficial bacteria.

This batch will be ready this afternoon.  I’ll put the finished product into a pump sprayer and apply to my plants.  It’s that easy to add beneficial microbes and add “life” to plants and soil.  Compost tea applications will reduce water consumption by plants, and add balance back to your yard and plants.  Beneficial microbes (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and nematodes) can eliminate the need to aerate your lawn, the use of pesticides, and commercial fertilizer.

I will need about 5 gallons or a third for my use, and will be glad to share the rest.  I’ll be giving a gallon away with any worm purchase this weekend.  First come first serve.

Fish, Chicken, and Red Wigglers

15 Sep

The main attraction for red worms is composting.  Red worms are also popular as bait for fishing, and as food for your pets.  Yes, feeding your cichlids (aquarium fish), bearded dragons, and other reptiles can benefit from your red wigglers.  They are prolific and can save pet lovers frequent trips to the pet store to buy food for pets.

A red worm farm is a natural choice to compliment your chicken farm.  Worms will flourish with the chicken litter and everyone knows chicken love to eat worms. Feed prices are going through the roof, and supplementing red worms in your egg layers’ diet can benefit your birds and pocket.

Red worm reproduction.

8 Sep

A happy and healthy worm bin produces lots and lots of worms.  Red worms can reproduce quickly laying an egg sac or cocoon every 7-8 days.  Each egg sac can produce 3-20 hatchlings who reach sexual maturity in two months with a lifespan of up to 15 years!  A healthy red worm population can double in a hurry.

Keeping a happy worm bin means the right amount of food (not overfeeding).  The right amount of moisture– moist but not wet (wrung out sponge).  The right temperature, and the right pH.  If your bin is too acidic add some crushed egg shells to balance.

Raising red worms is a fun and easy way to recycle, compost food waste.  With a little practice and seeing how your worms respond, you will be raising lots of red worms in no time.

Compost tea results

16 Aug

I had mentioned in my previous post that positive indicator for my compost tea application was to rid a section of our hay patch of ants.  The spot of concern has been infested for a few years with “town ants” or Texas leaf cutter ants.  Town ant hills were sprinkled throughout a 20 yard X 20 yard area.  The operative word being “were” because two weeks later the ant hills are vacant.

Beneficial microbes in compost tea are parasites to ants, fire ants, fleas, ticks, and chiggers.  I had had success in my lawn in getting rid of some of these pests with compost tea, but never on this scale.  This alone is encouragement enough for us to continue compost tea applications, and we’re looking forward to the next batch.

Why are all my worms at the top of the bin?

10 Aug

I had someone ask the other day about why there worms were lined up at the top of their bin?

Worms should be dispersed throughout your bin when conditions are right.  So chances are there might be an issue with your bin if you see this.  Red worms like it moist, but don’t drown them.  If the bin is outdoors make sure the soil is well draining, and that rain will not collect.  Temperature is the other big factor in my experience.  See The right temperature for worms for more info.

For an in depth look at the 3 rights of worm farming check out this link.

10 minute Red Worm Setup

28 Jul

We had some local customers ask me to come help set up their worm bed.  I delivered the worms and helped them set up their own worm bed in about 10 minutes.  We found a nice spot in one of their flower beds, grabbed a plastic pot, some post hole diggers, and went to work.  I dug a hole large enough to bury the pot, placed the pot inside with the bottom cut out, put the worms in with bedding and food, and placed the lid on top.  This took about ten minutes and now Dave and Patty have their own TexasWormFarm.com worm bed.

Can I keep my worms indoors?

24 Jul

Bins are fine indoors, and the starter “shoe box” size is great for under the sink.  It’s odorless, bugless, and great for putting your table scraps right in.  I keep some in large rubbermaid tubs in a bathtub that is rarely used hidden by the shower curtain. As long as my wife doesn’t see, the little fellas are welcome inside.  Shhhh! don’t tell my wife.

To keep them “bug free”  or at least to keep the fruit flies away simply drape an old sheet over your bins.  This won’t restrict airflow, and will keep the fruit flies out.

If you are feeding properly, not overfeeding, it will smell like sweet earth or at least be contained in your bin.  Overfeeding can be remedied by simply taking some food out, or adding shredded cardboard or paper products.

500 gallon Worm Compost Tea Party

18 Jul

Brewing a 5 gallon batch of compost tea is no trouble.  In a couple of weeks I will kick it up a notch and be brewing up 500 gallons at a time.

We purchased a 500 gallon spray rig from Rozell Sprayer Manufacturing Co. in Tyler, TX this Spring.  In order to add beneficial microbes to our hay fields and pasture, I’m going to replace the water soluble fertilizer with compost tea.  I don’t have enough compost to spread over 100+ acres, so compost tea is the solution.

I just ordered my aquascape 4-stone pond aerator today, and this is what I will use to aerate my tea to ensure it stays aerobic.  Most of the beneficial bacteria are aerobic and will need plenty of O2.  To keep the ratio of finished compost to water the same as a 5 gallon brew (1 lb. -1.5 lbs. per 5 gallon)  I am going to need 100 -150 lbs. of compost and some larger mesh bags.   I am planning on using onion sacks for my tea bags.

Stay tuned for more information on TexasRedWorms.com “Big Time- 500 gallon Worm Compost Tea Party”

DIY outdoor worm farm

17 Jul

A shady flower bed in well drained soil is a terrific place for a submerged bucket or flower pot bin to make your very own worm bed or pit.  Take a bucket or flower pot and and dig a hole deep enough for at least 1/2 to be underground.  Turn your pot or bucket upside down and cut a hole in the top to feed worms and harvest castings.  Your red wigglers will be able to stay cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter.

This bin was started a year ago and has been outstanding.  This bed made it through one of the coldest Texas Winters I can remember with temperatures hitting the mid teens on a couple of occasions.  I pulled the stone covering the top in early Spring, and was pleasantly surprised to see tons of baby red worms going to work.

Your flower bed will benefit from the castings deposited by your worms, and the leachate or run off will provide nitrogen rich nutrients as well.   The cover helps to protect worms from the elements, and helps keep the bin from drying out.  Send pictures of your worm bins, and share your ideas harrellindustries@gmail.com

Used coffee grounds for compost and worm food.

16 Jul

Along with our families food waste, horse and cow manure, I have been adding a fair amount of used coffee grounds to my compost piles and red worm beds.  For the past several weeks I have been stopping off at some local coffee shops for their used coffee grounds.  Concerned about the acidity level of the used coffee grounds I did a little research, and found out that the acid is water soluble and mostly removed in the brewing process.  What is left is close to neutral on the pH scale and a great source of Nitrogen for your plants, compost, or worms.

For more information on how to use coffee grounds for compost and fertilizer check out Ground to Ground.