Vermiculture

Vermiculture is the culture of earthworms. The goal is to continually increase the number of worms in order to obtain a sustainable harvest. The worms are either used to expand a vermicomposting operation or sold to customers who use them for the same or other purposes (see “On-Farm Vermiculture” later in this manual). Vermicomposting is the process by which worms are used to convert organic materials (usually wastes) into a humus-like material known as vermicompost. The goal is to process the material as quickly and efficiently as possible. These two processes are similar but different. If your goal is to produce vermicompost, you will want to have your maximum worm population density all of the time. If your goal is to produce worms, you will want to keep the population density low enough that reproductive rates are optimized.

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Basic Training

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY HOME COMPOSTING PROGRAM: File:Worm Brochure.pdf

The Worm Guide: A Vermicomposting Guide for Teachers File:VermiculturePrimer.pdf

Homemade Worm Bins: File:Homemade Worm Bin.pdf

Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture: File:Vermiculture farmersmanual gm.pdf

Related: Composting