Cool but different hustles for kids: Raise Earthworms for Easy Money

[DOS_patos]

No lemonade stands here.

I will add a few of these from time to time.
the way i see it...you can teach the kids about their planet, give them an entrepreneurial spirit and have fun while making money. Not for all kids but still can be fun.

I often told yall that i knew a guy who raised worms in his basement and brought home like an extra 200-300 every week or so.

Have you and your kids ever gone worm-charming, or headed outside to look for worms after it's rained? Has your little one ever dangled a worm in front of your face or run after you with one at the park?

Even if you're not the most enthusiastic worm-lover, you'll find this easy eco-friendly activity great for teaching your kids all about recycling and taking care of the environment.


All About Worms for Kids – What's the big idea?
They wriggle, they squirm, they look a little bit slimy – so why should you encourage your children to get hands on with worms? Well, the humble earthworm is a good example of how something small and seemingly insignificant can actually have a big role to play when it comes to protecting our natural environment and helping it thrive.

When worms tunnel through the earth they help plant roots get greater access to water and air and the nutrient-rich waste that they leave behind also helps the plants to grow. Worms are fantastic natural recyclers that can convert food scraps from the kitchen – otherwise destined for the landfill site – into compost for the garden or vegetable patch.


How to Make Your Own Worm Farm
What better way to learn about earthworms than by observing them at work in your very own worm farm? You can find everything you'll need to make worm farms for kids at home in your cupboards or in your garden. Worm farms can be any size you want as long as the wrigglers have a healthy amount of space to move around.

To make your own worm farm, you will need the following:


A container
This should be transparent if you want to observe the worms moving around. Glass jars, plastic drinks bottles, or small aquariums work well, but these must always have air holes in the top, drainage holes in the bottom, and a cover to prevent escapees, excess rain damage, and the attention of hungry birds!


Bedding
Garden soil layered with sand makes for a great visual combination that will intrigue curious minds. Your kids will love watching the worms mix everything up as they burrow; but shredded newspaper works just as well. Fill the container about two thirds of the way full and make sure the bedding is moist – neither wet nor too dry.


Worms
The most fun part of this activity will probably be the worms, for kids. Enticing them out of the earth is a task in itself, but if it's taking too long for you, or you're having no luck, you can actually order composting worms on the Internet to arrive at your home by post or simply buy some from your local garden centre.

Composting worms aren't your usual garden variety – they're shorter and red and they tend to stay close to the surface of the earth. Regular earthworms burrow deeper to avoid conditions they don't like.


Food scraps
If you want your worms to survive and keep pests like maggots from breeding in your worm farm, make sure you avoid meat scraps or dairy foods. Worms can also react badly to salty, spiced, and citrus foods. Cut the food up into small pieces and only add more once the previous batch has been eaten. This can take more than one day.


Darkness
Worms are generally not fans of sunlight as it tends to dry out the skin through which they breathe. To be kind to your worms make sure small containers are kept in cupboards, or covered with black paper to keep the light out.


Stain removal tips
Making a worm farm from scratch can be a messy process and that might mean muddy clothes. Be sure to protect surfaces and clothes before you start this activity and keep Persil small & mighty Bio to hand in case any stains happen in the process – our article on how to remove mud and grass stains from clothes may be particularly useful!


Interesting Worm Facts for Kids
While you're making your worm farm, why not share these facts with your kids:

• There are around 34,000 different types of worm in the world.
• Worms do not have lungs – they breathe through their skin.
• Worms eat at least one third of their own body weight in a day.
• Worm poos are actually called 'casts' and are often found bagged up in gardening stores for use as fertilizer.
• Another word for worm farming is vermiculture.

 

[DOS_patos]

 

[DOS_patos]

Is There a Market For Earthworms?
Simply stated, YES! Earthworms are valuable. New markets open up regularly for worms because a worldwide shortage exists. Redworms are a very simple creature to raise and care for. Until recently, the earthworm market was mostly limited to the fishing industry, providing bait (literally billions of worms were dedicated to the job). Now, as ecological awareness grows, earthworms are also being used to compost organic waste. Our landfills worldwide are being helped by the worms' voracious appetite to compost. Universities and scientists alike are conducting studies to see just how helpful the effects of the worms can be. I would hazard to guess that the worm producing businesses that can support the quantity needed for these studies and larger composting markets will profit greatly from a monetary standpoint.

Worms Rebuild Old Soil
The agriculture industry thrives on the use of worms as a way of rebuilding over-worked soil in fields as well as home gardens. These soils have been treated by commercial fertilizers and pesticides in the past. Those chemicals can improve plant growth, but do nothing to enrich the much needed soil nutrients, making the soil decline in quality and usability.

Worms are little factories that produce high quality fertilizers from an organic waste load. You may want to raise earthworms for household or garden waste, producing organic fertilizer for your own use. You may be an avid fisher person who wants to use them as bait while selling them on a small or even large scale. Redworms can grow and reproduce under a wide array of conditions. You will have to find the method for you to use and then adapt it to what is practical for your situation.


Should I Raise Worms?
Know this: if you enjoy working with the natural things in life—if you have an interest in watching creatures grow and wouldn't mind putting a few bucks in your pocket while doing it—growing redworms is absolutely for you, Most worm farmers find it quite easy, even if you have to get your hands dirty once in a while. Be assured, if done correctly, raising worms is an undeniably easy and enormously rewarding business from a personal standpoint as well as a monetary one!

Where is the Money in Raising Earthworms?
Worms are prolific; they reproduce in rapid form when provided with a healthy environment. Literally millions and millions of dollars worth of earthworms are quietly sold every year by everyday people just like you. Growing redworms is a full time, profitable business for many folks. For others it is a nice supplemental income. Many situations begin as a redworm hobby for personal use; for fish bait, and for the sake of ecology and recycling food waste. Over time, these hobbyists realize the potential for a monetary venture and decide to grow the venture into a business with little to no trouble. Most commercial growers operate as independent business owners and work at a pace which makes them comfortable and happy.


A grower who learns how to grow good quality earthworms and deliver them reliably to customers in good condition, rarely has very far to look for new clients. More likely, he or she will have to determine how quickly they want to expand their business, and manage that expansion so they can continue to provide the same level of customer service. Customers will spread the word quickly when it comes to good service and quality earthworms, as worms are always in demand.

Who Buys Earthworms
Earthworms are sold in a variety of markets and used for a variety of purposes: fishing, soil improvement, and fertilizer production.

Any good business person will tell you that a consumable product is a profitable product. And earthworms are very consumable! As the world population grows, so does the need by anglers and gardeners to buy more worms. Even as new worm growers start growing each year, the supply is never enough to meet the demand (especially during the peak spring season). Bait and tackle stores that are far from worm farms will frequently buy the product via mail order. It is not unusual for a worm grower to have never met the customer he has been servicing for several years.

Worms for Fishing

The sport-fishing industry is a huge buyer of redworms world wide. Fishing with live bait is always a dependable and traditional way to catch a wide variety of fish. When an angler serves-up a juicy wiggly worm, it's impossible for a fish to resist (worms are a natural food choice for fish). If you look closely, even fisher people using artificial lures will have a cup of worms as a back-up plan, guaranteeing their 'catch of the day' fishing reputation.

How to string a worm on a fishing hook
A Large Market For Redworms: Breeding Stock

A large market for redworms is found among those who are looking for "breeding stock." The end customer may be a new grower stocking new beds or an established grower restocking old beds. Many times a wholesaler will buy the worms (never to grow a single worm of their own) and put them in cups so he can sell to his local market.

Worms as Producers of Compost and Fertilizer

Gardening and seed and flower magazines often run articles raving about the attributes of worms in the garden and using them as compost machines. Earthworm growers often find a grand bit of business by running ads within these plant, garden and composting style publications. More frequently then not, after advertising a few times, their customer base is established and the worm growers never have to advertise again. They end up with ALL of the customers they can supply.

Earthworms are the farmers best friend, so a market to sell to these agricultural endeavors is very big, because the worms rebuild soil quality. Worm castings (that is, worm poo) enhance the soil quality with an enormous amount of nutrients. Unlike regular fertilizers, worm castings won't burn your plants, yet they contain five to ten times the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and other nutrients of regular gardening soil. The majority of elements in the worm castings are water soluble and are introduced easily to your plants, for example in the form of worm tea.

What is Worm Tea?
Worm tea is a by-product of the organic worm composting process. Worms break down organic matter into castings that enrich soil, reduce waste build-up, and enhance plant growth, while helping to control diseases that attack those plants, and much more. The water that has been used to keep the worm bins moist or to harvest castings gets collected by the worm grower's strategically placed containers. This water has diluted castings in it, making it a rich source of plant and garden nutrients.

Using worm tea on potted plants requires adding an equal part of fresh water to dilute the solution (it is VERY concentrated nutrition). The liquid has a revitalizing effect on old potting soils. If you choose to use the worm tea on plants in the ground, using it full strength is fine. You will find that your sick or weak plants will benefit significantly from a drink or two of worm tea. Roots of stressed plants have shown a real increase in vigor when treated with worm tea. Drench plants with worm tea or use during your standard feeding agenda.

Collecting Worm Tea from a Small Backyard Worm Bin

Spouts on worm bins make collecting worm tea an easy chore.

Nutrient-rich worm tea.

 

[Silverfoxx]

Im in.

 

[DOS_patos]

Amazon product ASIN B07143F5SZ

 

[LUCIEN]

Sion about to lose his spot as ABW's most successful tycoon once I get in the worm game