gene so Loc: Las Vegas, New Mexico

Hello, after an absence of 34 years I started fishing again last summer with a borrowed kayak. I learned about fishing for trout at high altitude in the mountains and quickly learned all my largest trout were caught on worms.
I now have a large, suitable container for growing my own worms ( 24" BY 46" BY 24" DEEP). i WANT TO grow them year round here at 6,500 feet and want to have them survive over the winter, outside in this bin. It is elevated on a pallet and presently has a large pile of straw atop it. The soil is not frozen underneath.
So, for this size of container: how many worms would be reasonable to grow? I have a greenhouse and excess amounts would be relocated there. This next part is critical. How much feed should I use, and how often should the worms be fed? Last year i grew worms and ended up with really a lot of worms which were extremely vigorous ( coffee grounds?) and TINY. So tiny they would break apart when trying to place them on a hook, which was extremely frustrating.
So, this year, I want to grow larger, vigorous worms useful for trout, walleye and panfish. I would appreciate communicating with someone experienced in growing worms. I know they can be a deadly bait, especially when they are very active, something no bait you can buy, is!
I get the feeling very few fishermen who use this site grow worms, and that's fine. The persons I am attempting to reach may well know that wilder, non hatchery trout are cagey, and require something real and lively!
Thanks in advance.

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

It is elevated on a pallet and presently has a large pile of straw atop it.

I would figure a way to keep air from moving thru the pallet as it will cool the bottom of the container. Also have drainage in the container.

woodguru Loc: El Dorado Ca

We had a worm farm as a kid, 30 8'x4' bins, we bought oyster shell, wood shavings, chicken and cow manure by the ton. We mixed up the manure, shavings, and shell, with some water and put like three shovels full on the top like the size of a cow patty. When they had eaten that and it was looser you spread that around and put a new feeding in (every couple of weeks?) as needed. The thing you had to be careful of was making sure the manure was seasoned so it didn't burn the worms. We always had big fat worms. It sounds like if you feed them right those little worms you have will fatten up. Yours may be missing the oyster shell.

For fishing I used to dig through the shavings pile next to the manure, that seemed to attract and grow the biggest fattest nightcrawlers I've ever seen.

gene so Loc: Las Vegas, New Mexico

Two these two replies:
The worm bin is insulated underneath and has drainage. I must admit I have no way of knowing if the worms are surviving right now, but continue to feed them , atop the soil, a mixture of cornmeal, ground oatmeal, coffee grounds and ground eggshells every two weeks.
With regard to wood shavings, I have a wood workshop and can add sawdust to my worm bin, but right now I believe soil, to be added next Spring would be a better choice. Thank God there is somebody on this site ho has some experience in this subject.

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

If the feed disappears something is in there eating.

With regard to wood shavings

The turpentine and worms will not get along.

woodguru Loc: El Dorado Ca

Interesting that there would be huge nightcrawlers living in them where a pile overlapped cow manure huh? That could perhaps have something to do with them getting seasoned as the pile was exposed to the weather.

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

2 thoughts. The chips were not conifers or were well aged.

JackM Loc: North East Florida

I always wanted to grow worms but never have had the room. I don't know if I should say this but make sure NOT to use saw dust or chips from pressure treated wood. Good luck.

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

They love the Rind off of mush melon watermelon things like that do not put vegetables or fruit in there that is high in acid or citrus

USAF Major Loc: Sea Bright, NJ

No CCA wood shavings etc.!

hemihappy Loc: pawleys island s.c.

If you are talking about nite crawlers very tough to raise. Smaller red worms garden worms much easier.

gene so Loc: Las Vegas, New Mexico

Ok, to this point I am growing european nightcrawlers, which are large earthworms in my opinion. The fact they got small really amazed me. Simple logic then was I underfed them. So the point of this whole things was to determine how much to feed them and how often. I have fifty pounds of cornmeal coming via a friend for this Spring.

Gene So

JackM Loc: North East Florida

Keep us posted after you increase their feed.

gene so Loc: Las Vegas, New Mexico

I shall keep everyone posted. The Internet has been great for me in gaining access to fishing information, but still items such as this require learning strictly, virtually from myself. My skill level as a fisherman is very dated, but it became obvious quickly to me originally that the trout I fish , in terms of larger sizes, responded well to my "homegrown worms". I did not get out much last year, but will resign as president of our Mutual domestic water facility in March, and from then on, I intend to use the kayak much more often; and for walleyes and panfish as I continue to discover fishing on the High desert of New Mexico.

Sandflea

Check with Billie Carter in Plains GA, Jimmy Carter’s brother, he has a commercial worm farm and sells them to growers, he helped my mother set up her beds with the advice she needed and sent her 5000 young night crawlers to get started with, dad made her bed from an old chest freezer that didn’t work but the lid light did, that kept them from escaping.
Hope this helps, lots of fun and luck in your endevers.