Brothers Worm Farm

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United States
Oxford, MS
Brothers Worm Farm

We're an urban vermiculture farm producing high quality worm castings and breeding red wigglers.

02/26/2024

Can you say "mushroom substrate debagger" 3 times fast???

We save thousands of mushroom blocks (and plastic bags) from landfills each year and this machine helps automate the process a bit (it's still a decent amount of work to set-up the machine and move material around).

The substrate is mostly carbon material so it's a great resource to offset nitrogen materials in our aerated compost operation.

If you need a good carbon source, check out local mushroom farms - many of them give this stuff away because they can't use it once the mushrooms have been culled from the blocks!

02/25/2024

After food, moisture, and avoiding extreme temps, any guesses on the #1 success factor in outdoor worm composting success?
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Shade!

Shade is crucial to outdoor worm composting because 1) worms don't like light (like any....ever) and 2) light can heat up some or all of the bed, causing worms to leave, become less active, or congregate in the coolest area they can find.

Worms love being outside, so if you have had issues composting with them outdoors try a bit more cover to keep them cool and dark!

02/20/2024

Throwback video to our early early shipping days - we were small volume and things were a bit disorganized, but we powered through and got a little better each day 🙌

02/18/2024

After food, moisture, and extreme temps, any guesses on the #1 success factor in outdoor worm composting success?........
Shade!

Shade is crucial to outdoor worm composting because 1) worms don't like light (like any....ever) and 2) light can heat up some or all of the bed, causing worms to leave, become less active, or congregate in the coolest area they can find.

Worms love being outside, so if you have had issues composting with them outdoors try a bit more cover to keep them cool and dark!

02/13/2024

Toys are fun and this one never gets old!

02/12/2024

Babies! Here are some interesting facts about the early stages of a red wiggler's life:

* Newly-hatched babies are tiny - a few centimeters in length and no wider than a piece of thread. This makes them easy to miss!

* Baby red wigglers are born without color pigment, making them almost translucent when they come out of a cocoon. They quickly start to change to a light red color like the one pictured here. Over time they become a deeper red/brown color.

* Within just an hour of hatching, babies start eating, working their way through half their body weight in organic matter each day.

* For the first few weeks babies double in size every few days.

* Like their parents, red wiggler babies move a lot and can navigate through an entire compost bin within days!

* Although it usually takes 60-90 days to reach full sexual maturity, some young worms can reproduce as soon as 6 weeks after birth.

The best time to look for babies in your bin is in the spring and fall, when reproduction peaks. with a little luck you'll spot a baby worm breaking out of its cocoon and coming into the world!

02/11/2024

As a 🪱 farmer or at-home 🪱 composter, seeing little yellow cocoons in your bins is always a delight! These 🍋-shaped wonders are just a few centimeters in size and start out a white color (before gradually turning yellow and then a darker brown as they near hatching).

Here're a few stats about red wigglers and their cocoons:
* Adult worms can produce around 1 cocoon each week.
* Cocoons will usually hatch in 10-20 days.
* 1-15 baby worms will hatch from each cocoon (the average is 2-3 per cocoon).
* The baby worms will reach sexual maturity in 60-90 days.
* A single mature worm can produce 50-100 offspring per year!

Earthworms have evolved to be prolific breeders, and these stats show why they can double their population size every 6 months or so! 🙌

02/10/2024

How about a post on earthworm reproduction & breeding?! This is a super cool look at 2 worms embraced in the act. Normally worms will separate if disturbed while breeding but these 2 didn't seem to mind the interruption.

This process usually takes 18-24 hours to complete! The worms are exchanging seminal fluids into sacs on one another's head area. The fluid is exchanged via a tunnel of mucus that connects the worms.

Once mating is finished, the clitellum (tissue around the worm's neck) secretes more mucus that hardens and begins rolling off up the worm's head.

This mucus travels over the ovaries where an egg is collected, and on to the seminal sac where the other worm's fluid is stored, and voila - fertilization!

The mucus then continues rolling up and ultimately off of the worm's head, where it hardens into a cocoon.

2-4 weeks later baby worms are born and begin their several months' journey to sexual maturity, when the process starts again with a new generation!

02/09/2024

Where to keep your 🪱 bin is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when entering the wonderful world of vermicomposting!

Before you buy, check out these recs for bin location!

For first-timers, we recommend keeping the bin indoors to minimize weather issues.

Utility closets, pantries, cabinets, or even out in your home are great options.

Important! Most manufactured bins are meant to be kept inside (or at least covered). These bins have openings that allow water to come though, so worms can literally drown if they are left outside. Make sure you know what you are buying based on your location plan.

If an outdoor bin is your jam, here’re a few keys:

* Outdoor bins can be above ground (the Hungry Bin) or in ground (the Subpod).

* There are also a lot of DIY options!

* The best outdoor option for long-term survival of your worms is an in ground worm bin.

* In ground bins allow worms to dig lower in the ground to avoid air temps that can harm them. This is their main survival skill at work!

* For above ground outdoor bins, we need to recreate nature’s set-up and give worms vertical depth & surface area to escape to if air temps are not favorable.

* Outdoor bins should have a minimum of 24-36 inches of vertical depth and 6-8 feet of square footage. This size gives worms options when weather is extreme.

Tip #1: Direct sunlight can quickly heat up a bin and “cook” the worms, so shade is critical during the summer.

Tip #2: Compost bins and tumblers are designed to heat up compost and break it down in the bin. Take care adding worms to these bins as the heating process can kill the worms or cause them to leave!

Outdoor vermicomposting can be successful, but it’s important to think through your set-up and if the bin is outside create conditions similar to those 🪱 use in nature!

02/08/2024

Your worm bin’s moisture content is critical to happy worms and a healthy environment. But how much should you water, and should water be collecting in the bottom of your bin?

Here are a few tips and easy rules to water by!

Rule #1: Contrary to “a lot” of info on the web, water should NOT be collecting in the bottom of your bin!

Some folks believe the water collecting in the bottom of a bin is worm tea, but it’s not! This water is a leachate that is full of bacteria and it should not be used on plants, gardens, etc.

Actual worm tea is created with a brewing process and additional ingredients, so don’t confuse leachate and worm tea!

Worms are also attracted to water so water collecting in the bottom of a bin is sure to attract worms, where they can perish.

Rule #2: When watering your bin, aim for a moisture level where 1-2 drops of water emerge when a handful of the bedding is squeezed. Think “wet like a wrung-out sponge”!

Tips:
1) Use a spray nozzle when watering - this will give an even distribution of water in the bedding.

2) Worms are 70% water so dried-out bedding can kill them fairly fast. Make sure to keep the bedding moist and if you are leaving for vacation, give the bed a good watering and place a piece of cardboard on the surface of the bedding. This will help the bedding retain moisture while you are gone.

3) For most bins, a watering schedule of twice a week is plenty, but observation is key.

If the top of the bedding is dry or worms are not eating because the top of the bedding is dry, give the bedding a light sprinkle between your watering days.

02/07/2024

Regardless of your vermicomposting goals (composting, castings, or for fun), feeding your worms is the most critical factor for a healthy worm bin. In this post we’ll share what to feed, foods to avoid, and tips on how much and how often to feed your wiggly friends.

1) What to Feed:
* Worms prefer a vegan diet - their diet includes most fruits and vegetables and excludes meat, dairy, and cooked or processed foods.
* Softer, sweeter foods are always a hit with worms - berries, grapes, bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, etc.
* Avoid spicy (e.g., peppers) and acidic (e.g., tomatoes) foods.
* Some folks say worms don't like citrus, but that's not actually true (they just prefer it in small amounts!).
* Remember to keep it simple and when in doubt the answer is usually a “No” :)

2) How to Prep the Food:
* Worms feed on microbes that are breaking down food, so smaller, softer pieces of food will break down faster and be easier for your worms to consume quickly.
* So if you have the time take a knife, or even a blender, to the food before feeding!

3) How to Feed:
* Simply place the food on the surface of the bin and sprinkle a little of your bedding over the food (this can help reduce the for bugs and other critters).
* Don’t bury the food in the bedding (compost worms are surface feeders so they may leave the food untouched, which can create issues in the bin’s bedding).

Tip: Feed ⅓ of the worms’ weight, so 1 lb of worms should be fed 5-6 ounces of food.

Tip 2: Worms should finish food in 2-4 days. If not, adjust your feeding amounts accordingly!

The final key thing to remember is that with all things worm composting it’s important to Keep It Simple!

Worms will eat a variety of raw foods but that doesn’t mean you have to give them every piece of food waste from your kitchen.

It's ok to introduce new food items from time top time but do it slowly and monitor the worms and their eating levels.

Happy Vermicomposting!

02/06/2024

We love the process of setting-up a ! It’s an easy task but it’s the most critical step to the long-term well-being of your worms. And if done incorrectly it can set the stage for issues or even worm death!

Below are a few rules, pro tips, and steps to consider when setting up a bin:

1) K.I.S.S (Keep it Simple!)
* Limit the moving parts by choosing 1-2 proven bedding options, 1-2 feedstocks, and a location where your worms will be comfortable (tip - they like the same temps humans do - 60 to 80 degrees F).

2) Set-up your bin:
* Assemble your bin
* Gather your bedding - We recommend compost, composted manure, coconut coir, topsoil from your yard, or peat moss + several handfuls of shredded cardboard.
* Place the bedding in the bin to a depth of 4 inches.
* Moisten the bedding so that when 1 handful is squeezed 1-2 drops of water emerge.

Tip: The above can be done a few days before your worms arrive (just be sure to re-check moisture before adding your worms!).

We recommend no more than ½ to 1 lb of worms to start most bins. You can always add more later!

3) Once your worms arrive gently place them in the center of the bin and leave the lid off. Worms don’t like light so they will naturally crawl into the bedding.

4) For the first feeding, place ½ of a mashed banana or other non-citrus fruit on the surface of the bin. It may take a few days for the worms to acclimate but eventually they will eat the food and be ready for more!

This is an easy process but 1 some folks tend to overcomplicate, leading to issues a few days or weeks after getting started. The key is to keep things simple when getting started!

Brothers Worm Farm

06/08/2022

We're live on FB - just 18 months later than planned! 🙃

Address

Oxford, MS

Telephone

+15122004361

Website

http://www.brotherswormfarm.com/

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Videos

Debagger.MOV

Can you say "mushroom substrate debagger" 3 times fast??? We save thousands of mushroom blocks (and plastic bags) from landfills each year and this machine helps automate the process a bit (it's still a decent amount of work to set-up the machine and move material around). The substrate is mostly carbon material so it's a great resource to offset nitrogen materials in our aerated compost operation. If you need a good carbon source, check out local mushroom farms - many of them give this stuff away because they can't use it once the mushrooms have been culled from the blocks! @brothersworms @smallhold #brotherswormfarm #wormfarm #outdoorwormfarming #wormfarming #wormcomposting #redwigglers #vermicomposting

Table sifter.mp4

Throwback video to our early early shipping days - we were small volume and things were a bit disorganized, but we powered through and got a little better each day 🙌 @brothersworms #vermicomposting #compostworms #wormfarming #vermicompost #wormfarm #brotherswormfarm

Worm Farm Toys.mp4

Toys are fun and this one never gets old! @brothersworms #brotherswormfarm #wormfarm #redwigglers #vermicomposting #compostworms #wormfarming #wormcomposting

PXL_20201129_170637329.mp4

How about a post on earthworm reproduction & breeding?! This is a super cool look at 2 worms embraced in the act. Normally worms will separate if disturbed while breeding but these 2 didn't seem to mind the interruption. This process usually takes 18-24 hours to complete! The worms are exchanging seminal fluids into sacs on one another's head area. The fluid is exchanged via a tunnel of mucus that connects the worms. Once mating is finished, the clitellum (tissue around the worm's neck) secretes more mucus that hardens and begins rolling off up the worm's head. This mucus travels over the ovaries where an egg is collected, and on to the seminal sac where the other worm's fluid is stored, and voila - fertilization! The mucus then continues rolling up and ultimately off of the worm's head, where it hardens into a cocoon. 2-4 weeks later baby worms are born and begin their several months' journey to sexual maturity, when the process starts again with a new generation! @brothersworms #brotherswormfarm #wormfarm #redwigglers #vermicomposting #compostworms #wormfarming #wormcomposting