I'm not sure where to post this, but. . .

[labrat]

For all of you folks that are testing the waters with red wiggler (Eisenia foetida) worms, I have found a supplier for Purina Earthworm Chow®. I can hear it now; why would someone pay for a food supply when worms will be eating scrap foods anyway? Well, just in case the nutrient balance is off this will supplement their diet and, just as any other livestock, insure nutritional balance; an important aspect of livestock longevity. I do not have a price yet; the feed mill orders on Thursdays and I will get prices and sizes then. If interested, I will forward the sizes, prices and contact info then.

[labrat]

I just got a call from the mill; a 50# bag is $13.35. It will be in on Monday and I will pick it up then; again if anyone is interested, let me know.

[Kathy]

I am a big fan of the Purina Chows. Over the years I've raised some unique animals and Purina has been a godsend when raising something with unusual or very specific nutritional needs.

Tell us more about your worm farm and what all is involved in getting started.

[labrat]

Actually, it’s not quite a worm farm yet; I’ve had my one-pound of worms for about three months and the first batch of castings looks like black gold, it’s so rich; hard to describe. Obviously, I am still learning what to incorporate in the feed; I’ve found that unlike regular compost, do not include eggshells, or grape stems. Banana peels have completely vanished and I do have to pick out the mango pits, but they are completely stripped; other than those few items everything seems to be going quite well. I started separating out the castings from the worms last night and unless the worms migrate to the new supply of food, I will end up having to do it by hand; another reason I am inquiring into the worm chow, hopefully, it will draw the critters to it and I can avoid the manual separation. I have a good supply of compost tea, which I will use on my plants; this is not true compost tea, where I saturate aged compost in water and wait for the nutrients to diffuse into the liquid; no this is the liquid from the decomposing scraps before the worms devour the produce. I missed the 6th Annual Earthworm Farming Workshop that was held June 1-2, 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina, which would have given me more insight into the process. I was well aware of it; I just let it completely slip my mind. So I am hoping to find another in the near future. Other than that; if I can get this down to a science, I am looking forward to growing the project where I can make a little money in the process.

[Deleted]

Labrat, that's pretty cool. I've kept red wigglers for about 8 years now. Mostly just in one of those stackable compost bins, but I've also kept them (on a small scale) in modified rubbermaid bins.

Let us know what you think of the chow. I'm seriously thinking of expanding my own worm project, mostly to build up my own supply of compost for my planned raised beds, and I don't produce enough scraps to keep them fed.

What's wrong with egg shells? Whenever I cook an egg-heavy meal, I rinse, dry (in the oven) and grind (in an old coffee grinder) the shells. I then mix these in with coffee grounds and scraps, and feed to the worms. I heard that, like fine freshwater sand, it helps them digest food (they need sand to do this) and second, it helps balance the PH in coffee-ground heavy compost.

During the summer, I'll mix up a wet slop for the worms--banana peels saved in the freezer, veggie/fruit scraps, coffee grounds, etc--and add a bit of water, and throw in the blender. Soak some stale bread or bread heels in this and plop in the top bin. Brings them up to the top fast! Those that lollygag in the lower bins are sorted by my chickens, on a big old tarp.

[labrat]

lupine said:

Labrat, that's pretty cool.

What's wrong with egg shells? Whenever I cook an egg-heavy meal, I rinse, dry (in the oven) and grind (in an old coffee grinder) the shells. I then mix these in with coffee grounds and scraps, and feed to the worms. I heard that, like fine freshwater sand, it helps them digest food (they need sand to do this) and second, it helps balance the PH in coffee-ground heavy compost.

My problem is that I don't grind yet, I just put everything in the bin, just as I would a regular compost bin. I do need to find one though and because I'm a tightwad, I refuse to pay retail and those I find online or my friends find at yard sales, people are still asking antique prices. Thirty dollars is the low end.