Worm Farm: A Growing and Profitable Niche Business
Did you know that nature has its own natural garbage disposal system? Not only that, this system is so efficient, that it turns garbage into useful nutrients that the earth can reuse. This natural garbage disposal system is called the worm. Yes, the lowly worm consumes our garbage and puts it back into the earth in the form of soil enriching nutrients. Before we get into starting a worm farm business, let’s discuss a bit about how worms actually help the earth.
With the millions of tons of garbage that people produce every minute, it’s no wonder that our lowly worms are having trouble keeping up with us. But there is a way to help out the worms and mother earth. That way is called vermiculture.
Vermiculture is the technical term for growing worms. Many people practice vermiculture because it’s a great way to turn organic wastes into fertile compost. This compost is used by gardeners as it creates noticeable results in the growth of plants and vegetables. Some gardeners choose to buy the worms themselves, which is yet another commodity that can be used to start a business.
You can start your own business growing worms right in your backyard. It is very easy and inexpensive, and takes very little time to maintain. With the right contacts, it is possible to make sizeable profits selling worms and compost, particularly these days when the demand for organically grown food is increasing. Here are the basic things that you will need:
Good worms
For your business to be successful you should have the best type of worms. Gardeners and fishermen (who also buy worms for fishing), like to buy quality worms such as tiger worms and red worms. You should try to get these types of worms, and you will be able to find them in any worm nursery.
Soil
Any decent soil will do, and you can just collect some from your backyard. You don’t need to buy expensive soil from the market to grow quality worms.
Containers
Worm farmers use vessels such as apple crates, plastic containers, or glass jars. Pretty much anything will work fine as long as it is waterproof.
Once you have your materials, simply line the containers with paper, place the soil in the containers, moisten the soil with fresh water, and then place your worms in the soil with some scraps of food. The only maintenance that you will need to do is regularly moisten the soil by spraying water, and occasionally feed your worms with table scraps.
Not only is having a worm farming business cheap and easy to maintain, it makes your household a lot more efficient. You can use your food wastes to feed your worms, and in turn your worms will create fertile compost that will fertilize your garden and vegetable patches. You can then also sell some worms and compost to gardeners, or give them away to your neighbors and friends.
If you are looking for a hobby or sideline business to make some extra cash, building a worm farm is definitely something worth looking into. The low overhead costs, and virtually no maintenance makes it an ideal business for people who don’t have time to nurture a bigger home business.
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