How to Raise Earthworms

Earthworm’s most valuable attribute is their ability to transform organic material into a highly nutritious substance called “castings.” Controlling this process by vermicomposting will give you a way to get rid of organic waste, not to mention provide you with a constant supply of organic fertilizer.^{[1]XResearch source} Of course, if you’re raising earthworms for fishing bait, the vermicomposting process is also the best way to simply generate a continuous supply of earthworms.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Choosing a Type of Worm to Raise

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1
Choose a type of worm based on purpose and climate. Determine your priorities regarding what you hope to achieve by raising worms. While many types of worms can be used for different purposes - such as both composting and fishing bait - choose a specific type based on the main reason you’re raising worms. Furthermore, the climate in which you live is an important factor if you intend to raise worms outdoors.
- Plan to sustain an environment that is moist and dark. If climate allows, outdoors compost is the easiest and best form of a worm system.
- Know that you can also raise worms indoors if you live in a cold climate or do not have space outside.
2
Raise red wigglers if your main priority is vermicomposting. All earthworms eat organic matter and excrete high quality soil, red wigglers are simply the best choice for your home vermicomposting setup. In part, their favorability has to do with compatibility - they prefer temperatures between 55 °F (13 °C) and 77 °F (25 °C), which is the temperature range humans also tend to prefer. In fact, in established vermicomposting beds, they can survive temperatures as low as 40 °F (4 °C) and as high as 100 °F (38 °C). Buy red wigglers online or from a local bait shop, as these worms are different from the nightcrawlers that live in your backyard.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Plan to keep red wigglers in proportion to the amount of organic waste you produce. As a benchmark, one pound of red wigglers will eat a half a pound of food waste per day.
- Since red wigglers depend on a richer, denser feeding medium - such as organic waste - they will not leave an outdoor compost pile by burrowing into the standard soil below.
- Red wigglers will grow to 3 inches (7.6 cm) to 4 inches (10.2 cm) inches, and can be used in either indoor or outdoor vermicomposting. They also reproduce very quickly. One worm can produce as many as 99 offspring in 11 weeks.
- Red wigglers also make a great food item for chickens, pet turtles, lizards, and aquarium fish.
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3
Raise European nightcrawlers for the best worm fishing bait. The European nightcrawler is a larger type of earthworm, known predominantly for thick skin, a longer lifespan on your fishing hook, and it’s ability to tolerate salt water. In no uncertain terms, it has been argued to be the best bait worm there is. European nightcrawlers can also tolerate temperatures as low as 40 °F (4 °C), but they do better in bedding temperatures between 68 °F (20 °C) and 80 °F (27 °C).
- They will grow up to five inches long, and roughly 4x the thickness of a red wiggler.
- European nightcrawlers can also be used either indoors or outdoors.
4
Raise African nightcrawlers in warm climates. If you live in a warmer climate, such as the Southern U.S., African nightcrawlers may be ideal. This large tropical earthworm can tolerate higher temperatures, preferring bedding temperature from 70 °F (21 °C) to 90 °F (32 °C). It will not survive drops beneath 45 °F (7 °C) however.
- The largest of the earthworms mentioned in this article, the African nightcrawler will produce a large amount of waste and breeds rapidly. They can also be used as fishing bait.
- African nightcrawlers can be used in indoors or outdoors vermicomposting.
5
Raise Alabama jumpers to add to your yard or garden. If you’re looking for a type of worm to add directly to your yard or garden, Alabama jumpers are prized for their ability to survive in many different types of soil. Further, they are especially capable and willing to burrow to ground that is problematic for other earthworm species. They do require, however, the addition of organic matter to the soil if you want their population to expand.
- Before adding Alabama jumpers to your yard or garden, have leaves, hay, manure, decaying plants, or another type of organic waste tilled into the topsoil.
- Moisten the soil with a hose or watering can, and add the worms right before the sun sets, distributing them evenly and covering them lightly with the moistened soil. If organic material is available, their numbers will rapidly increase.
6
Maintain an earthworm colony's size. An earthworm population can actually double in size within 60 to 90 days, since earthworms are hermaphroditic and have quick gestation periods. Accordingly, an established earthworm colony will replenish its own population as long as you don't take too many out. If you wish to remove worms to feed other pets or to improve your luck at the fishing hole, feel free to do so, but only take out the amount you need each time.^{[3]XResearch source}
- If you're only taking out a few worms at a time from a healthy colony, you do not need to make any additional effort to maintain the colony's size.
- Optimal conditions are required for particularly rapid population growth. Aside from maintaining as close to ideal temperatures within the bedding, you'll likely need to add additional food as the population increases.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Building or Buying a Vermicomposting Setup

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1
Make a simple compost pile. Truth be told, you don’t even need a container or any sort to maintain a vibrant vermicomposting setup. If you have a fully shaded spot in your yard, rake your leaves and grass to this area and add any other organic waste, such as kitchen scraps. Water the pile every other day for a week or two, and add a few hundred red wigglers. Use a pitchfork to turn the pile once a week.
- An additional benefit of a basic compost pile is the increased likelihood that you’ll attract native earthworms to your compost as well.
- Monitor the moisture level of the pile. Make sure it stays moist, but not actually wet, as a pile that is too wet will get too warm for the worms to survive.
Build a simple wood frame outdoor to maximize the space you have and to keep costs low. Build your bin as wide and as long as you want, and in whatever shape works best. You can use chicken wiring for walls attached to wooden posts, or use boards for walls as well as supports. The important criteria is that the bin is 8 inches (20.3 cm) to 12 inches (30.5 cm) inches deep, as this is the depth required for the worms to move around and feed.^{[4]XResearch source}
3
Build your own indoor vermicomposting container. You can use a plastic storage container to build a bin for use in your garage, shed, or even in your home. Essentially, all you need to do is drill 8 to 12 holes that are a ¼ inch in diameter on the bottom and sides of a roughly 18 gallon (68.1 L) gallon plastic storage bin . These holes allow for aeration and excess water drainage. If the bedding consistently stays sopping wet, you can add more holes later.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Start with about 3 pounds of red wigglers, and know that they will reproduce until there are about 9 pounds of worms in the bin!
- Build a shallow collection tray beneath the bin to collect the natural “tea” that drips from the bin, which makes an especially good fertilizer for your houseplants.
- Be sure to keep plastic bins in a relatively cool location, out of direct sunlight. If you live in a hot climate, know that you may not be able to leave a plastic worm bin outdoors year round. Further, keep indoor bins loosely covered to keep light out.
- Do not use a clear bin, as the sunlight will stress your worms and keep them burrowing towards the center of the bin.
You can also simply purchase a manufactured worm bin system. The Can-O-Worms is an especially reliable and simple container you can buy at home improvement stores or online. Structures such as these - usually simply multi-tiered plastic trays stacked together. These bins benefit from portability and are the easiest way to start raising worms indoors.

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Supplying Bedding for Your Worms

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1
Maintain a bedding material in contained vermicomposting bins. Your worms require a bedding material that will help maintain moisture and aeration within the bin. For indoor bins, the best options include shredded paper, coconut husks, and peat moss. Outdoor bins should use leaves, grass, straw, or hay. You’ll need about a pound of bedding per square foot of bin space. Moisten the bedding before adding, and fluff the bed weekly.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Fluff or turn an small bin’s bed by digging to the bottom and bringing the bedding to the surface. Your goal is exposing the contents of the bin to the air, as oxygen facilitates decomposition. Turning the bin also allows your worms to move more easily.
2
Use shredded paper for indoor bins. Newspaper is best, and can easily be shred by hand. Keep strips two to three fingers wide. Moisten newspaper with water from a spray bottle to prevent making the water overly soggy.
- Believe it or not, worms can survive on newspaper alone - though they stay very small. However, if you don’t produce many kitchen scraps, newspaper will keep your worms fed.
While peat and sorghum moss have long been go-to vermicomposting bedding material, they are not produced in environmentally conscious ways and can lead to harmful acidity in your bin. Using leaves and grass from your yard is not only environmentally friendly but an affordable way to provide bedding to outdoor worm bins. You do not need to shred leaves.^{[7]XResearch source}
4
Be careful if you’re using manure as bedding. For outdoor vermicomposting, manure is a potentially cheap option. Manure, in fact, is essentially earthworms’ ideal natural habitat. Particularly if you have access to rabbit manure, use it as bedding to provide lots of beneficial microorganisms and nutrients that will greatly excite your worms.
- If using cow or horse manure, there are two important factors you need to be aware of. First, you must allow these types of manure to compost separately for two months. Further, you must be certain the animals were not fed de-worming drugs, as their manure will be fatal to your earthworms.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Feeding Your Worms

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1
Place food scraps on one side of a bin or pile. You want to avoid evenly distributing scraps throughout the vermicomposting setup. Ideally, dig halfway down on one side or in a corner and cover the food scraps - the worms will go to the food over the course of a week. Once the food has mostly been consumed, repeat the process in a different area of the bin.
- Since worms feed on the surface, you can also place the food on the top of the pile. They will come up to eat it.
- To aid your worms, chop up your kitchen scraps. Vegetables and fruits are perfect food scraps. Though raw veggies will take a while to breakdown, boiling them will make the process go even quicker.
- Aside from a list of dangerous materials included in a different step in this article, your worms will eat almost anything you do - including coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, pasta, and bread.
2
Feed your earthworms only as much as they can eat. The most common mistake in raising earthworms is overfeeding. Further, forget numerical assessments of what they can or can’t handle - use your fist. Seriously, make a fist, and add an amount of food that is equal in size to your fist. After a week, check to see if there is any food left or if it is all gone. If it’s all gone, add more next time around. If there’s a still some left, add a bit less once it’s gone and check back again in a week.
- Avoid feeding your worms too many kitchen scraps. The breakdown of food items will lead to heat in your bin. If your worms seem to be trying to escape - they probably are. One reason they may be doing this is that the bin is too hot.
- You can remove decomposing food to cool a bin down. Further, if the bin begins to stink, this indicates you’re putting more food in than the worms can handle, and that you should remove some food scraps and feed them less the next time around.
3
Feed worms intended for use as bait more food. If you’re raising nightcrawlers for use as fishing bait, you’ll want to fatten them up intentionally. Kitchen scraps alone may not be sufficient to do so. Manure bedding is best for literal worm growth, in addition to a grain-based diet.
- You can even purchase food for worms from a local pet store. Alternatively, rabbit food or chicken laying mash will also fatten up your worms.
4
Avoid feeding your earthworms anything dangerous. Certain common kitchen scraps should not be included in the materials you feed your earthworms, both for your sake and theirs. For instance, meat products will lead to an offensive odor and will attract undesired pests to your compost. Further, worms cannot process bones. Avoid the following items as well:
- Junk food. Do not feed your worms fast food or salty snack foods. Salty foods can be soaked overnight and fed to your worms, but dispose of the salty water elsewhere.
- Pet excrement. Dog and cat food may be detrimental to your worms health, and may even contain toxins that are dangerous to you as well.
- Freshly cut grass. The early stages of decomposition of yard waste will create dangerously high temperatures in your compost. Allow yard waste to decompose elsewhere for a few weeks before adding it to your compost.
- Alcohol. Keep all alcohol out of your compost, as it is extremely toxic to earthworms.
- Too much citrus. While the occasional orange peel is fine, too much citrus can be toxic to earthworms.
- Pressure treated wood. Wood that has been treated with chemicals also poses a danger to your worms - and to you. Keep it out of your compost.

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Question
Do I need to keep a light on at night over the bed so that the worms do not crawl out?
Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.
Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Expert Answer
No. Give your worms a natural night/day cycle by turning off lights at night.
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Question
What type of worm is ideal for aquarium fish?
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Fish of all kinds go crazy for bloodworms (which are not technically worms, but larvae - your best bet in any case).
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Can I put worms in house plants and feed them corn meal?
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Worms are decomposers, so they eat soil and they need the right nutrients to live there. They will not live if you put them in house plants, because they would be lacking the right nutrients.
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