How to Make a Worm Bed for Fishing Worms

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Having your own earthworm bed will save you a trip to the bait shop on your next fishing trip. Earthworms are easy to care for; almost anyone, children included, can help out with a worm bed. You can also sell your excess earthworms to make extra money on the side.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Box
Compost material
Gravel
Shovel
Breeder earthworms

Step 1

A simple box will keep your worms in place.

Construct or purchase a box suitable to raise your worms. The worm box can be an empty frame; it needs no bottom or top. If it does have a bottom, drill multiple holes in it. A bed of 2,500 worms needs to be about four feet long and two feet wide and deep. Wood is preferred, but you can use any type of box to make your worm bed.

Step 2

Worms thrive in shaded areas.

Place the box in a shady location, preferably under or near a tree. Cover the bottom of the box several inches deep with gravel. Once you have your box set up, add your compost material. You can use a combination of garden soil and food waste for your compost. Let the material sit for several days to ripen.

Step 3

Use your shovel to fill the box with soil.

Fill your box with soil and add your breeder earthworms. It is best to start out with a small amount at first, around 150 earthworms. Worms lay eggs about once a week. The eggs usually hatch two or three worms. Earthworms reproduce and multiply very quickly.

Step 4

Apple cores and banana peels will keep your worms nourished.

Add food and water to your worm bed. It should be no surprise that worms aren't picky about their diet. Feel free to throw any fruit or vegetable peels, cores or leftovers. Feed them two or three times per week. Water your worm bed at least once per week.

Tips & Warnings

If your worm bed produces more earthworms than you have use for, sell the excess worms. You should be able to sell your earthworms for between $2 and $4 per dozen, or around $30 per pound (1,000 worms) if you want to sell in bulk.

Always cover your worm bed during the winter when the temperature is at freezing or below.

Article Written By Raphael Grabkowski

Raphael Grabkowski has been writing professionally since 2008. He specializes in real-estate, automotive, computer and personal finance topics. Grabkowski completed his real-estate certification at Burk Baker School of Real Estate and attended college in Oregon. Grabkowski also builds websites on the side and has a slight obsession with Drupal, Joomla and Wordpress.

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