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How To

How to Raise Earthworms for Profit

Contributor
By Chelsea Hoffman
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Raising earthworms for profit can be a great and rewarding hobby. It's easy to do even on a large scale and you can recruit your family to help you, making it an educational activity for all ages.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Large refrigerator (with all shelving and drawers removed)
  • 40 pounds of garden topsoil (without fertilizers or pesticides/100 percent organic)
  • 3 large Styrofoam containers of earthworms (found in bait and tackle shops)
  • Spade-tipped shovel
  • Watering can
  • Tape measure
  1. Step 1

    Designate an area of your garden by measuring a section of earth according to the size of the refrigerator you will be using. Mark it with rocks or sticks.

  2. Step 2

    Dig a hole in the size and shape of the refrigerator. Make the hole about 3 feet deep and 2 inches wider than the refrigerator on all sides. This shouldn't take too much time if the ground is already primed beforehand.

  3. Step 3

    Lay the refrigerator in the hole on its back so the doors open from the top.

  4. Step 4

    Fill the open refrigerator with topsoil. Do not pack the soil as the worms need the aeration to survive.

  5. Step 5

    To add the earthworms to their new bed you can do one of two things: Press the Styrofoam containers into the soil and remove the lids, or you can empty the contents of the containers into the soil. Close the refrigerator after introducing the earthworms to their new habitat.

  6. Step 6

    Use your watering can to wet the fresh soil so the earthworms will break away from the soil in the containers. The worms will breed continuously and will thrive as long as the refrigerator is kept closed and the soil is kept moist.

Tips & Warnings
  • Packaging soil and earthworms in containers and selling them to local bait and tackle shops can earn an impressive profit. With one refrigerator full of earth worms and vermicompost, a person can expect to make an estimated $100 a month as an addition to their income.
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