Worm Composting

[Keith]

We have a compost but I was watching a documentary on Tea the other day and the importer was advocating worm composting to Chinese farmers. Is worm composting different then composting, do you have to limit what you add to it, how do you get all the worms to get started, around here they are far and few when you dig.

[jeepcache]

you should be able to get some night crawlers from your local bait shop. i think you can order them too...

[creeksiderods]

Did this for a wile, real good stuff!!!!! Most of us call them manure worms and they compost most anything but need help in HOT areas, The castings are great for "All plants" what ever you grow, the compost is just as good in gardens "Night Crawlers" are not the same worms, google it will help a ton and worth it...
Roy

[Keith]

Where did you get them in bulk? Bastrop is real close.

[RiponredTJ]

We've been composting for years. I throw a container or two of worms into the heap every year. Seems to help a lot, We get some pretty rich compost out of our heap.

It's gotten to the point where almost everytime I lift a spadefull of earth in the garden there's worms crawling around in the earth.

I just get them at a local bait shop.

[creeksiderods]

You can mail order them cant remember where I got them but a quick look and found Texas Red Worm ( texasredworms.com ) there are about 1,000 per pound "adults" not "bed run" bed run is all deferent sizes but are cheaper. I looked @ TRW and the prices were 25. for a pound of bedrun with castings kinda high but at the bait store 24@$3.00 you can try Rabbit hill farm and "google" this time of year is good not to hot
Good books to read; Worms eat my garbage by Marry Appelhof and any thing on Vermiculture; Peter Bogdanov has some good ones. hope this helps, Roy

[Cap'n Crunch Killa]

I have tried composting in the past. I used a compost bin I bought from the city. It was just a rectangle piece of plastic that rolled over onto itself and was conected with bolts and wingnuts. It had holes all in it to help with ventilation. I got earth worms in mine without doing anything and I had great compost. If you just build a bin that holds your compost in and doesn't have a floor you will get all the worms you will need. No need to pay for them.
This is exactly what I had and I had tons of worms in it.
The Concord Compost Bin

EDIT: I just looked at the price. I did not pay nearly that much for mine. Check graigslist to see if anyone has one. If all else you can get your worms from this compost bin to use elsewhere.

EDIT II: When I was a kid in East Texas we would just leave a board or tin on the ground for about a month. When we picked it up there would be tons of worms under it.

[creeksiderods]

Worms help brake down the compost faster and their castings (poop) is real good for plants