- 1). Locate a bucket, or drawer, to keep your worms in. Size isn't all that important, but make sure it is something that can be closed, or you'll attract bugs looking for an easy meal.
- 2). Poke a few small holes in the top of the lid so that your worm habitat gets a steady supply of oxygen.
- 3). Fill the worm habitat with Canadian peat moss, sawdust, dirt or shredded paper products (cardboard, newspaper, scrap paper). Feel free to mix and match any of these to create the earthworm bedding. You'll get different responses-- depending on who you ask--when trying to get a feel for which material is best.
- 4). Mix your chosen bedding with about 25 to 50 percent manure. You can find this at any garden shop.
- 5). Add water so that the mixture remains moist, but not soggy. You don't want to drown the red wigglers, but they do need moisture to survive.
- 6). Poke a few small holes in the bottom so that excess moisture can drain. This keeps you from drowning your worms.
- 7). Set the mixture aside for about two weeks. If you add the worms now, you are likely to kill them due to the heat produced by the bedding and manure mixture.
- 8). Add the worms and allow them to work their way deep into the bedding. Worms can be found online, in bait shops, or in the back of fishing magazines (via mail order). You should start with no more than 1 to 2 lbs. of worms until you get the hang of it. Remember, red wigglers breed very quickly, so you'll have quite a few worms in very little time.
- 9). Feed your worms regularly. Each worm can eat its body weight each day. Yard clippings, vegetable waste (stems, stalks, leaves, etc.), eggshells, coffee grounds and paper all make good worm food. Don't leave anything in the worm bin that won't be eaten in a day or two or it'll take on a sour smell, make the soil acidic, and could kill your worms.
- 10
Divide the worms every three months or the worms will quickly outgrow their habitat. Adding a second worm habitat, selling some, releasing them, or giving them to friends is an easy fix. Red wigglers will (at least) double their population size every three months with the conditions described in steps 1-7.
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