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Obviously for me, it is much easier to simply grab worm-rich material and put it in a single bag and then box it up.
That being said, I am still very finicky about my quality standards. I know exactly the sorts of densities I need to see in order to feel like I’m providing my customers with excellent value. So a lot of the time I will still concentrate anyway.
As for “cracking the code,” I do know a thing or two about encouraging lots of breeding and getting a population to shift more towards loads of smaller worms than fewer larger worms. I’m constantly stumbling on interesting new approaches as well.
On a rather funny (but related) note, this past winter I added lots of cut up denim (from old jeans) to my one of my outdoor beds. I was curious to see what the worms would do with it – and figured it would serve as a “slow-burn” food/bedding that would help to keep them chugging along during the colder months.
I’ve recently been harvesting material from this bed and have been completely blown away by the densities of juvenile worms I’ve been finding – not to mention how well they seem to have broken down the denim!
I’ve seen some similar results with various paper products as well.
Those who are in the WFA will also know that I have a bit of an obsession with Brian Paley’s (in)famous article about raising 100 lb of Red Worms in a single room. So that has also influenced my methods – and absolutely lends itself perfectly to the “worm mix” approach in general.
UWC: To someone who knows a bit about vermicomposting already, it’s probably obvious why a “worm mix” is a good idea; the worms arrive in their own habitat, are less likely to try to escape, the mix is full of babies and cocoons, etc. But how much education of the consumer does it take to sell it? I would imagine most people look to buy worms rather than a mix of dirt and worms?
BC: THAT is the million dollar question, Steve! Thanks for bringing it up.
There are definitely quite a few nuances involved in selling a worm mix product effectively. While I DO highly recommend this approach for those just getting started with their own worm business, I want to urge everyone to do it properly! And customer education is a hugely-important part of the equation!
I created a guide explaining what my “Easy Worm Mix” is all about. I also have a fairly in-dept FAQ, along with “follow-along” types of blog posts.
And I STILL have quite a few people asking how much I charge for “a pound of worms” (etc), or if they will be getting “a pound of worms” in their bag of mix.
When I patiently explain that this is a different kind of product, and gently point them towards the reading materials, most people start to “get it” and end up as customers. Not to sound harsh, but those that can’t get out of the “pounds of worms” mentality (i.e. I MUST have pounds of worms in order to effectively start a vermicomposting system), tend to also be those who will never really “get” vermicomposting in general.
That said, I don’t want to make it sound like I am ANTI-pounds-of-worms. That’s not the case at all. I myself sell by the pound (via drop-shipper) from the Red Worm Composting website. And I know full well that there are plenty of situations where having more (and/or bigger) worms right out of the gates will be beneficial.
UWC: What does a a unit of worm mix go for compared to a similar amount of worms?
BC: My pricing varies from region to region here in Canada (since our postal rates can vary widely) and is all-inclusive for the sake of simplicity, but I will provide an example for illustration.
One 12-litre (3.17-gal) bag of the mix shipped anywhere in my own province is $48, taxes included.
Of that, I might clear $20-$25 (yep shipping is expensive up here). My overall aim is always $20/bag after all overhead.
Another Ontario supplier charges $55 for 1 lb of Red Worms – with tax that is about $62. Add shipping to that and you are looking at upwards of $80 on average.
AND it’s important to note that the 1 lb of worms won’t be coming with all that wonderful habitat/ecosystem material.