Worm Farming

[jlbash1]

Hi everyone.

Does anyone out there do worm farming on any level? I've been hearing a bit about some people in my area starting up small part time ventures doing this type of thing. I've done some reading and think I get the basics on what it takes to start things up, but who buys enogh of the worms or generated compost to make it worth while? I'm interested in this to make a little extra $$ on the side. I don't have time to do this 40 hrs./week, strictly a weekends after work type thing.

So if anyone can shed some light on the subject it would be a help.

(I posted this over on Countrybynet.com also, but figured I'd stick it here too just in case.)

Thanks in advance.
Jarrod

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I peeked into this possibility back when I had rabbits and decided not to get into it. Not that you shouldn't, but the first thing I would do, were I you, is check with local small grocers and bait shops and see if you can set up a dsiplay in thier store. Otherwise you have to rely on stop-by sales and that can get time consuming and aggravating.

 

[herbenus]

I knew a guy did it for a while. Don't think he made much money. It was always funny to see someone bring his banana peels home from work. But even if you don't make money, look at the good compost you'll have. And you could make your own hamburger too.

I'd search internet. Might be some club or something (for the farming, not the hamburger).

 

[chrisjbell]

I'm looking in to small farming activities, and this one comes up occasionally. Some people make a bit of money, usually by selling the worms as bait, I'm told. But it is mostly useful to support other farming activities by generating organic matter and introducing the worms into your soil to improve it. So I don't think I'll do it for the $$$, but growing worms is pretty easy (if not especially pretty /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). Just takes a box and compost...Chris

 

[Dozernut]

I guess we are blessed. In the spring of the year and into early summer we have a yard full of Night Crawlers. Sure is handy and cheap fish bait. When the kids were younger we would go foraging after dark It was a grand adventure and we had a lot of fun. Night Crawlers sure are speed demons, who would ever think of worms as being fast like that, the Cheetas of the worm world. When we were kids, my brother and I would catch and raise worms for sale. We jokingly refered to it as worm ranching. We made a little pocket money, but used more for bait than we sold.
The night crawlers are in big demand at the bait shops in our area and gardeners love the compost.

 

[Bird]

When I was a kid on the farm in Oklahoma, we'd just go out around the barn, turn over an old piece of lumber or sheet metal, then turn over a shovel full of dirt at a time, and gather up the worms that were in the soft dirt. I'd heard of getting night crawlers at night, but had never seen it done until I was in my mid-30s, visiting my wife's family in West Virginia and her brother and I rounded up plenty of night crawlers just as you said, just in the grass and flower beds around the house there in town. I understand it works best if you've either had a good rain that day or watered the lawn real well. Like you said, it's amazing how fast they are, and how well anchored they can be if a third or so of the worm gets into its burrow before you get a good hold. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif