Worm Farming Business

Have you ever heard of growing worms as a business? Worm farming business, which was earlier limited to a small domain, has now developed into a full-fledged one. Initially, this business was mainly based on the supply to the anglers (people who fish with hooks), who used these worms as bait to catch fish. It was a seasonal business as fishing was mainly done during the months of June, July, August and September. But, now things have changed, as a more eco-friendly business emerged out of the earlier one. This worm farming business is more concentrated on growing worms for the purpose of selling vermicompost, which is a mixture of harvested vermicasts and decomposed vegetable and food waste and bedding materials (usually soil). Started as a small scale business at homes to cater the individual needs of compost, now commercial worm farming is a widespread business in large-scale.

How to Start a Worm Farming Business?

If you are not experienced in worm farming or worm composting, then you have to go through the details regarding growing worms. Once you obtain the necessary information, you can think of starting the business. It is always better to go for small investments, during the initial stages. Once you catch up with the business, you may expand your network. Start with collecting the worm farming supplies, needed for a worm composting system. To get started, you need two large plastic containers, soil and a few good worms. The following are some guidelines regarding the setting up of a worm farming business.

• The most important part of worm farming supplies is the right earthworms, which are particularly demanded by the anglers. The most commonly used ones are red worms or tiger worms. You can buy some from local nurseries or fishing supply store. You can order these worms online too. But, make sure that your worm bins are ready, as you obtain the earthworms.
• Worm farming supplies include the worm bins too. You can make your own worm farming bins out of large, sturdy plastic containers. Punch some holes on the base of both the containers. Take care to punch from inside, so that there is no flaring in the inside portion. Such flaring inside the containers can cause harm to the worms. These holes are necessary for drainage, as water retention is not good for the worms as well as the composting process. The holes should not be too big. Punching holes with an ice pick will be perfect.
• The next step is the making of worm bin, that means setting up the perfect atmosphere for earthworm farming. If the plastic containers have lids, keep them below the containers to prevent water leakage. Then, add shredded newspaper and peat moss to the container. The shredded newspaper should be soaked previously and must be wet before adding to the container, so that the worms can easily chew the soft paper. Make sure that you are using only newsprint and not the papers of glossy magazines.
• As your bin is ready with the bottom layer, now you have to add three to four pockets of organic material. You can use any organic material like food scraps, wood shavings, manure, cardboard, newspaper, etc. But, refrain from adding meat, bones and onions. Food scraps should be cut into one inch pieces before adding.
• In case of wood shavings, use the waste of raw wood and not those from the painted or varnished ones. If you want to add manure, never use cat or dog manure, but you can feed the worms with small quantities of manure from rabbit or horse. Cardboard boxes also should be fed in shredded and soaked form only.
• Now, your worm bin is ready and you can add the worms. Make sure that you are following the instructions from the worm dealer. The next step is to cover the opening (top portion) of the container with a cotton cloth. Fasten the cloth to the rim of the container and water it gently to ensure that the worms are in a moist environment. You should keep the worm bin moist as dryness will affect the worms negatively. Water daily as per the humidity levels at your place.
• Another important factor is maintaining the temperature levels. These worms like the temperature that rangers between 55 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Too much cold can make them freeze and extreme heat can kill them. It is always better to keep the bin, where there is less vibration.
• Now, you can leave the worms to do their work. Make sure that the bin is in a sheltered place, where there is no direct sunlight or frost. The moist, dark atmosphere of the worm bin is ideal for their feeding and breeding. You can harvest the vermicompost, if there is no or few uneaten scrap items are left in the worm bin. Even though, there are many methods to harvest the compost, small scale ones can be done manually and try to separate as many worms and the small yellow-shaped eggs or cocoons from the compost. Return the worms and cocoons to the worm bin and you can sell the vermicompost.

You have to find buyers for the vermicompost and worms. Once you are settled with the business, you can invest more and reap more profits. Setting up a worm farm is one of the easiest task as the worm farming supplies are also readily available. You can set up one in your backyard or garage and start your worm farming business.