Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Easily Convert Manure To Fertilizer


News alert:  You may be sitting on a pot of gold...black gold, that is.  If you have a horse or two, or three, you probably think you have a manure disposal problem.  But what you actually have is a fertilizer bonanza.

Using Earthworms To Quickly Make Fertilizer


Everybody probably knows about compost piles and manure piles.  Pile it all up, and wait. And wait. Composting takes time and who's got the patience?

Those fields need fertilizing. Now.  Whether you  use it for grazing or hay cutting,  that grass is not going to grow all by itself.  Commercial fertilizers are expensive, especially if it's organic.  I mean really expensive.

Meanwhile, you're spending a fortune feeding your horses expensive grains and legumes.  And it's all going out the other end.  The good news is, this expensive feeding-to-supplement-grazing produces some awfully rich manure.  Trouble is, in order to benefit your grass, it needs to be broken down by microbes and other poop eaters.

Among the most prolific poop eaters are earthworms  In fact, if you simply pile up your manure, some very opportunistic earthworms will just show up.  Hence their name, "manure worms"  These are wild worms, not in any behavioral sort of way, but "occurring in the wild" earthworms that convert steaming piles of poop into beautiful, rich "castings".  "Castings?" you ask.  That's another word for worm poop.

So, what, I've got another pile of poop?  Well no, not exactly.  Worm poop or worm castings are much more readily available for your grass's roots to uptake than fresh horse poop.

Horses are notoriously bad at digesting all the roughage they consume.  If you examine it closely, and I know you have, horse manure contains an awful lot of hay and bits of grain that just got wasted by your horse.  (Another reason horses are so costly. Sigh..)

Not to worry.  You can recoup some of your investment by vermi-composting all that lovely, "steaming pile of poop" and fertilize your pastures with it.

You can either wait for those wild worms to show up (they're usually very late).  Or, you can add your own worms to the manure pile.  The best worms for the job are red worms (redworms, red wigglers, etc.)  and European night crawlers.  

There's another angle to this endeavor in the money department.  These worms you just added to your manure pile?  They are going to reproduce. Bigly (having a wild side themselves).  They are going to reproduce so well, in fact, you'll soon have a worm problem.

Maybe "problem" is a misnomer.  Because, pound for pound, worms are one of the most profitable farm animals being raised on purpose for selling.  Sold as fishing worms, pet food (got chickens?) and, you guessed it, other people with a horse manure problem.  You now have an added bonus from creating your own pasture fertilizer: a cash cow... er... cash worm.

Follow me as I set up this cash worm, fertilizer generator, a.k.a. "worm farm", with neighbors next door.  They have boo-koo horses and a resulting horse manure problem, as well as depleted pastures due to over grazing and our well-know poor, sandy soil.

So, grab your shovel!

Worm Farm Guide



How to grow earthworms as a home based business
Looking to convert your horse farm's growing manure piles into pasture fertilizer and generate extra cash? I share my specialized knowledge on successful worm farming and vermi-composting for beginners in an easy to understand manual.  Included:
  • how to set up your  worm beds,
  • what kind of worms beds to use, 
  • worm bedding mixes, and 
  • worm food choices
  • harvesting and selling worms.
Whether your trying to grow worms for your own use or want to grow enough to sell commercially, this manual gives you the information I wish I'd had when I first started.

You'll find more worm feeding tips and how-to's, as well as all aspects of worm farming, in my "Worm Farm Manual".  Available in both download and hard-copy versions.





Sunday, June 16, 2019

Best Earthworm Food

What Is The Best Food For Worms?

"THEY SAY THE FOOD IS GREAT HERE!"
©L.J.MONROE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED





















Most folks know by now that any food you feed your earthworms should be:
  • Soft, not hard
  • Cut into small pieces, with a knife or food processor, not big chunks
  • Moist buy not soggy
These foods include:
  • Table scraps
  • Yard waste
  • Commercial worm feeds
  • Spent brewer's yeast
  • Coffee grounds
And, there are certain foods you should NEVER feed your worms, which include:
  • Potatoes
  • High acid foods
  • Commercial fertilizers or pesticides
  • High salt foods
  • Oily foods

But the best, most healthy, safest food you can feed your worms is - Tuh-Da!

  • Horse manure.
So, why is horse manure the best worm food?
  • Horse manure qualifies as soft (unless it's been left out to dry).  
  • The predigested condition conveniently provided by the horse insures it is small enough for the worms' toothless little mouths.
  • The presence of microbes provided by the horse's gut benefits the worms' digestive system.
  • It is rich in nutrients (if the horse has been fed correctly) due to the notoriously wasteful process of the horse's digestion.  There's plenty left over for the worms.
  • Worms absolutely love it.
  • It's the safest worm food as far as acid poisoning is concerned.
  • Horse manure is invaluable for raising worms commercially.
If you have access to horse manure and intend to use it as worm food, there are a few things you should do to prevent problems and get the most out of your horse manure.
  • Never feed your worms manure from horses who have just been wormed.  Wait a week after deworming to collect.
  • Never mix fresh horse manure into your worm bedding.  It will heat up your bed and kill your worms or cause them to crawl out of the bed
  • Apply fresh horse manure on the top of your bedding, in a shallow line down the middle.  Worms will gather underneath to feed and have room to get away should the manure heat up.
  • If you must change out your bedding or turn it (you are turning your beds, right?) remove any uneaten fresh manure before doing so.
  • Prevent the manure from drying out by dampening it periodically. 

Horse Manure Doubles As Worm Bedding

Horse manure that is aged (i.e. composted) makes excellent worm bedding and contributes to the most excellent vermicompost by-product. 

To insure your aged horse manure is safe to use as worm bedding, do the following:
  • Collect horse manure and allow it to heat up if it hasn't already.
  • Dampen any composted horse manure and allow it to heat up again if it's going to before introducing any earthworms.
  • Mix the composted, cooled down manure at a 50/50 ratio with some "brown" material such as shredded paper, shredded cardboard, etc.  The best material for this mixture is pure sphagnum peat moss (no fertilizer added).  Wet and toss this mixture, allow to sit for about 36 hours, and test the ph before adding your worms. Peat moss is especially acid and requires the dampening and waiting period to neutralize it.

ADDITIONAL WORM GROWING SECRETS

If you're seriously considering starting a worm farm as a business, read the other posts in this blog. But you're all ready to get started? Check out my Worm Farm Manual. It contains pretty much all the  information you'll need on raising worms, breeding worms, feeding worms,  and making money with you own worm farm.

To save time answering questions and prevent you from going through all the trials and tribulations I had to endure when I first started growing worms,  I put everything in this manual. Written in a chronological order, you can easily go from starting your worm farm business to selling your product.

This step-by-step manual will guide you in starting one of the best home-based businesses you'll find.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Worm Farm Guide



How to grow earthworms as a home based business
I share my specialized knowledge on successful worm farming for beginners in an easy to understand manual.  Besides in depth instructions on worm feeding, you'll discover:
  • how to set up your  worm farm,
  • what kind of worms beds to use, 
  • worm bedding mixes, and 
  • worm food choices....
....as well as harvesting and selling worms.

Whether your trying to grow worms for your own use or want to grow enough to sell commercially, this manual gives you the information I wish I'd had when I first started.

You'll find more worm feeding tips and how-to's, as well as all aspects of worm farming, in my "Worm Farm Manual".  Available in both download and hard-copy versions.




Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Success At Worm Farming

Worm farm business success

You Can Be Your Own Boss

A worm farm business could lead to a comfortable home based business for a lot of people.

Pursue Your Interest

You may be reading this Worm Farm Business blog out of curiosity.  If you're coming back often, you're more than curious - you have an interest.  And, just maybe, a calling.

Anyone who pursues their interests consistently, will become successful at it - no matter what that interest is.

So, it's a good thing to become more knowledgeable before jumping right in.  You don't know what you don't know.  And what you don't know can cost you - in time and money.

Don't waste time, spend your money wisely, and you've solved the biggest reasons people fail.

Here are some particularly useful posts to get started on:
Check these posts out if you've been considering starting a worm farm.  Then, if you're really bitten by the bug, check out my Worm Farm Manual.  It has most anything you need to know about starting a successful worm farm.

Leave any comments or comments below and thanks for stopping by.

Want To Know More About Making Money Growing Worms?

How to grow earthworms as a home based business
Comprehensive Worm Farming Guide

I share my specialized knowledge on successful worm farming for beginners in an easy to understand manual.  Besides in depth instructions on worm feeding, you'll discover:

  • how to set up your  worm farm,
  • what kind of worms beds to use, 
  • worm bedding mixes, and 
  • worm food choices....
....as well as harvesting and selling worms.

Whether your trying to grow worms for your own use or want to grow enough to sell commercially, this manual gives you the information I wish I'd had when I first started.

You'll find more worm feeding tips and how-to's, as well as all aspects of worm farming, in my "Worm Farm Manual".  Available in both download and hard-copy versions.

Friday, June 15, 2018

What Can I Feed My Worms?

Questions about what to feed worms is probably the most common ones I get.

Feeding Worms

Below is a quick list to refer to if you are just starting out worm farming and want to find economical (free is best!) worm food sources:

  • Horse Manure (the best worm food by far)
  • Cow Manure (an excellent second source of worm food)
  • Rabbit Manure (very good worm food, it will make your worms pink)
  • Chicken manure (CAUTION! compost before hand, can be very hot)
  • Spent brewers grain (probably not commonly found, but worth the effort to locate)
  • Vegetable and yard waste compost 
  • Grains (CAUTION! can sour the bedding; use mainly to "fatten" worms when ready to sell)

What Should I NOT Feed My Worms?

Just as important as what to feed worms is what NOT to feed worms.  I'll cover these worm food items you should avoid in the next post, with the reasons  why.  Very important: the major cause of worm farming failure.

Want To Know More About How To Feed Worms?

How to grow earthworms as a home based business
Comprehensive Worm Feeding Instructions
I share my specialized knowledge on successful worm farming for beginners in an easy to understand manual.  Besides in depth instructions on worm feeding, you'll discover:

  • how to set up your  worm farm,
  • what kind of worms beds to use, 
  • worm bedding mixes, and 
  • worm food choices....
....as well as harvesting and selling worms.


Whether your trying to grow worms for your own use or want to grow enough to sell commercially, this manual gives you the information I wish I'd had when I first started.

You'll find more worm feeding tips and how-to's, as well as all aspects of worm farming, in my "Worm Farm Manual".  Available in both download and hard-copy versions.