How to Set Up Vermiculture in the Yard or Cellar

Remember that worms ARE living beings, and consequently perform all 4 basic functions of life itself, namely: they eat, digest, secrete and excrete.In this sense, it is best to start with a handful of worms and then increase the number depending on your needs and what you want to do with them.You can quickly expand your project and follow the guidelines in this and other articles to make a good profit.

Decide what you want to use to create your vermiculture bins, and determine whether they will be able to last, as well as whether the climate and where you live will aid the durability and efficiency of the bins you intend to use. Pretty much anything can be used to make good vermiculture bins.Wood and clay pots with thin holes in the bottom and sides can rot, but they are perfect as vermiculture bins.Terracotta pots also absorb water, so remember to add a little if you plan to use them for this purpose.It would be best to avoid earthenware, as it may contain lead.You can use plastic tubs, like those you can find on a construction site, or if you live near an apartment being renovated, or, whether you live on the upper floors of a building or on the ground floor, plastic buckets of 10 or 20 liters will be fine.Remember to create some holes in the bottom to let the water out, and some also in the rest of the bin for ventilation, especially on the sides.In any case, make sure they do not contain potentially dangerous chemicals, insecticides or paints.Lacquers, solvents, turpentine, drywall and their filler, and most cleaning chemicals are caustic and cause worm death.*It is also best not to use glass as it may break easily.

Prepare your substrate;any organic material will do. If you have a paper shredder you are already halfway there.Newspapers, uncoated magazines, paper bags, padding or paper packaging are fine once shredded into small pieces.The glossy pages of some magazines should be avoided, as they may contain toxic inks.If you absolutely must use this type of paper, tear and shred the pages, then immerse them in BOILING water and leave them to soak for some time, let the water drain and then repeat the process with hot water until the ink stains are no longer visible in the water.Repeating this 4 or 5 times should be enough.Make sure you soak them in COLD water for at least 5 to 6 hours before using them to form the substrate.Coated paper may be destroyed when using hot water.In this case, use it ONLY to make compost.Their use is fine in this case, but is not recommended for bins.However, if the coated paper is not destroyed, then you can use it in the bins.

Add a mix of shredded wet paper, clay, silt and sand, untreated wood sawdust, peat moss or pieces of bark, and, if desired, add to your clean, sterilized and dry bins some wet dry grass, hay , or soaked rye, whether you made them with a 5-gallon bucket, wooden bins or plastic tubs. You could also add potting soil, but DO NOT use potting soil that also contains plant fertilizer.In fact, your worms would definitely die as this type of soil contains many acidic products.If you use weed, make sure it has been dried in the sun.Adding a few tufts of cut green grass to the substrate can help provide the worms with fresh food.Next, you can mix the grass tufts into the substrate.

Use a mason's trowel to mix and add whatever forms of substrate you want to use. The trowel, or similar tool, works better than a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, but don't use it to dig for your worms.Use your hands and gloves.Add a couple of full trowels or at least 300 g of pulverized limestone to the substrate.Mix everything well, passing the trowel along the edges of the tub, or, if you are using flat plastic or wooden bins, mix as best you can, and then pour the contents into another bin and start mixing from the bottom again.Make sure the substrate is very moist but not soaked with water:the worms could drown.You can add more limestone to the substrate if you wish.Be generous with the limestone powder.Wooden bins absorb a lot of water due to their porous nature.

Add the worms. The type of worm is your choice, there are some that can grow quickly and reproduce often.Dendrobaena veneta, or Eisenia hortensis, appears to be the most common type.The Canadian earthworm must be kept at a temperature between 5 and 10 °C.These little earthworms are delicate and sensitive to heat.Eisenia fetida is an excellent bait for fishing and reproduces quickly.These worms are best for composting, but can also be used in bins.They are sold by weight and are easy to hold.Make sure they are really Eisenia fetida earthworms, as some sellers tend to pass off other types of worms as these.If they seem too small for the hook, then they are not good for fishing.

• Eudrilus eugeniae are a great choice, but they reproduce more slowly than others.They can withstand moderately high temperatures, but are sensitive to cold.These worms are suitable if your vermiculture is located in the cellar or in an enclosed area where the temperature does not drop below freezing.At temperatures below 5°C they become inactive and do not reproduce.Regardless of the species you choose, worms do not survive exposure to the sun or high temperatures for long.Keep them in the dark and in a relatively cool place.

Feed them often and watch them grow! You can buy ready-made foods available on the market, or you can prepare food for your worms yourself by creating a mixture of manure, coffee grounds, tea bags, food scraps (except meat or bones), and oat flour , plain wheat or corn;If it contains other ingredients such as salt or baking soda, wash it well using a coffee or paper filter before adding it to the food.The water will dissolve the baking soda and salt and eliminate them.The resulting flour can be made neutral by adding a little powdered limestone.Be generous with the limestone, as it is calcium carbonate and helps reduce acidity in the soil, and acids are not good for worms.Furthermore, limestone provides large quantities of calcium to the substrate, which is essential for the reproduction of worms.Furthermore, if possible, it is better to use rainwater to wet the substrate.

• Tap water contains chlorine and for this reason it must be left to settle for about a day in order to eliminate it.While not the best choice for your worms' substrate, in an emergency, if the bin is too dry, you can use a small amount of lightly chlorinated tap water, but the less you use the better.
• Alternatively, you can go to a farm or feed and seed store and see if they have feed for layers, cattle or horses that is not enriched and does not contain salt.Some feed, called mash, is fine, but is generally sold in 20kg bags!That's a lot of food IF you don't plan on feeding the worms in the winter too!You can moisten a handful of these foods and feed a mix once a week to your worms, adding some of the above ingredients, following a specific time.Also remember to spread the food on top of the substrate.Do not mix it with substrate, straw or potting soil.Remember to FEED THEM OFTEN if you don't intend to use them for composting.

Make sure your bins have adequate ventilation. If you use plastic tubs, create holes in the bottom to allow excess moisture to escape and thus prevent the bin from deteriorating.Worms can die if bins are too wet.Collect the water leaking from the bin in a tray which can be used as fertilizer, but remember that these are organic liquids that contain high levels of nitrogen.Sometimes, bins can attract other insects.

Beware of parasites. There are some pests that should NOT enter bins;some of these are even dangerous for humans.

• Millipedes and centipedes are dangerous to humans.Centipedes can release a strong acid, and some are capable of bursting when caught, releasing the acid onto the skin of their captor.Centipedes have powerful pincers that can inflict painful bites on hands and fingers.Being very careful, remove these parasites with pliers.Centipedes also pose a threat to your worms, but remember that both pests are carnivorous and will therefore kill and eat your worms in no time.
• Slugs and snails may also find their way into your bins, but a simple copper wire wrapped around the edge of the container can be enough to keep them out.If you find one in the bin, remove it immediately.
• Ants, cockroaches, mold and fungi are nothing new to those who raise worms.Use cockroach and ant traps and poison, but keep everything well away from bins.