[sgrfmde452]

I've tried digging around the yard. w/o much success. The worms I've found are generally small and not worth keeping. I've had an old fish tank and while discussing it with a neighbor, he suggested growing my own. When I said I have no idea how, I got the standard answer, check "YOU Tube". Has or is anyone done thi sand do you have any suggestions, especially on how to keep them alive whenit get cold

 

[fishjunky]

I've never attempted to keep worms as a primary goal. I do however keep a compost pile, and therefore have as many worms as I need.

Build you a compost pile. Grass clippings, food waste, leaves, etc. The worms will show up.

 

[dbeam]

I used to have a worm bed in an old deep freeze. I feed them newspapers I ould tear them into strips and soak in water for days them mix with the dirt in the freezer. I did it about once a month. The hardest thing was keeping the moisture right.

Darrell

 

[sundrop]

Easy to do. I used to have them. I started with the soil I find them in, add bagged topsoil, make sure it is untreated with pesticides, add some clippings, a few coffee grounds, tea grounds, egg shells crushed up. Keep it out of the hot sun and out of the cold wind and it will do fine. Don't get it too wet or you get a fuzzy mold on the soil that will kill them. Red wigglers breed and grow fast and are hardy. I top the bed with sod I dug up chasing the worms. You can dump a cup or 2 of bought ones in to to get things rolling. The big Canadian Nightcrawlers are hard to raise because they are sensitive to temps.

 

[ChltBnks]

No meat, fat, bones, lemons, limes, onions, or peppers or water. Yes to anything else you would add to a salad or salad scrap not added. If you can put all including what sundrop listed in a blender or food processor. Shredded newspaper soaked in water is all the water needed. Newspaper should not be dripping wet and is the only thing you would cover the soil with. If I remember right about a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of shreaded scraps are added to one corner. After a week or so add more to a different corner.

Worms need nitrogen to digest food/newspaper (carbon) so coffee/tea and greens are your nitrogen. Shredded leaves and sawdust is also carbon. Used to be you could only add black & white newspaper, no color as ink is not good for em.

 

[ptt49er]

We never intentionally raised them but mom raised rabbits and under their pen was a great place to always find them!

 

[Fishin Technician]

Get an old freezer and lay it flat on the ground. Remove the door and get you a peice of tin for the top and a brick etc to place on top. As it warms up it sweats and that helps keep moisture in. Worms love coffee grounds and any type melon rind works fantastic. Watermelon and Cantalope rinds are great ! Potato peelings are good also. Don't go many days without checking/ feeding them as if the food supply runs out- the worms will leave. You can also add small amounts of water from time to time if the dirt starts getting dry. Worms multiply fast- Have at it !

 

[RouseD]

I have heard that around hog lagoons is a good place to find them. Used to know an old gentleman I met on an ocean pier who said he could get all he wanted with one shovel full at a hog lagoon. He used those worms to catch spots and such, and seemed to catch as many as anyone else.

 

[sgrfmde452]

Thanks for all the great ideals. I think I'll give it a try.

 

[sundrop]

I fit fails you will have a great box already set up for growing awesome tomatoes next season!

 

[Fish Whisperer]

I dump my grass clippings and leaves around and under a row of Bradford pear trees near the back of my property. Soil is dark and rich. I have all the worms I could ever want with a few minutes of turning over soil with a small shovel. They top out around 3" long, but are great for panfish.

My wife's flower garden is full of them too. Again, rich soil with many layers of wood mulch added yearly.

Like sundrop mentions, if you act like you're setting up a vegetable garden, that's a great start.

When I was a kid, I would routinely find them under rocks and pavers around my parents house. I would harvest a tin of worms and beg my dad to go the local fishing hole.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

Strategically placed cinder blocks around the yard always worked for me as a kid.