Just new to worms, lots of questions

[KateM]

I first heard about raising worms about 6 months ago, and it caught my interest. I've looked up about every place on the internet to learn more about it, and everybody seems to have a different opinion.
I couldn't do it until we moved to a permanent place, but now that I'm able to, and I have a lot of questions!

I would like to raise worms mainly for fishing purposes.

I'm thinking about getting some plastic totes from WalMart raise them in. What are your thoughts on that?

How deep do you want your bedding?

How do you gauge the temperature in the soil?

We've got a cool room underneath the stairs in our basement. It is dark, but it also has a light. Would that be an ideal place?

What's the difference between African Nightcrawlers and European Nightcrawlers?

What is the maximum size for European's?

What temperatures do European's and African's do their maximum breeding in?

What do European's eat, and what do African's eat?

Some people say you fatten the worms by feeding them cornmeal, but others say NO! Does anybody have any experience with that?

How do you test the pH level of the soil?

I've heard from some people that you can start out your bedding with layers of shredded newspaper and dirt, but others say peat moss or something else. I'd think the newspaper and dirt would be cheapest, but would it work?

Some people also say you have to have different kinds of bedding for different kinds of worms. What bedding would i use for Africans, and what bedding would I use for Europeans?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm learning!

Kate

 

[firelily99]

For the soil they do have kits for that you send the sample to a test lab. In terms of raising them for profit I would suggest that you should do some extensive research. The site worm4earth.com/raiseworms is a good place to begin. Keep in mind that most worms that people buy to fish with are farm raised so your profit might not be that good. Start with a solid business plan before you outlay too much money.