i found these guys -- at least three dozen -- squirming in the soil where my old compost pile used to live... i sprinkled them in my garden like fertilizer... eat & poop, comrades!

Il,
beautiful picture.
Felix

I am a worm lover so can appreciate your gift and photo.My dh came home from work one day in his starched white shirt and tie and said "hey wanna go to lunch with me?" I pulled my hand out of the worm bin with some of my pretty pink pets(much like the photo above) and he said "UHHHHHH, maybe not!"
I raise red wigglers as they are suited for bin living and garbage eating.Nightcrawlers and red wigglers are quite different. My chiropractor raises worms also and his secretary gets disgusted when we talk about it,He often meets me at the waiting room entrance with "You still have worms?"
You should see peoples faces!

Interesting topic, I would love to "raise" worms but have read some confusing information on how to do it... Is it easier than it sounds (here in Fl)?
Perhaps our local extension office could do a workshop on this topic :) :) !

I have yet to see a worm in normal conditions in florida. I know night crawlers abound in the wild in most parts of the US (to the point of extirpating native worms), but probably not in most parts of fla, I would guess.

Red-wigglers are also called "manure" worms, right? I don't think those will live anywhere except compost or manure piles. They are great for breaking down crude organic matter, but they never seem to persist in ordinary garden soil, even wet rich soil. Most soils in florida, when not under heavy tree-cover, are too dry and sandy for worms, it seems to me. It's surprising how well vegetable crops can do in such droughty sand, given the huge emphasis put upon the necessity for worms in garden soil by most gardening experts. I think in most parts of the country, where soils tend to be heavier, wetter, and colder - good conditions for worms - an absence of worms is a warning sign. In fla, it probably doesn't mean anything.

Have any of y'all been able to build up a persistent worm-population outside of a pile or bin?

pnbrown,
In my garden beds I have been putting horse manure from my Son's horse for years and when I dig I find worms. In my brook
I often find lots of baby worms when I'm hosing it to remove decay matters. I find that very curious since I have read that worms can not live in water and they must breath. Any one knows what's going on with this scenario ?
Felix

Hi Felix:

Worms breathe through their skins and water will suffocate them if they are immersed for too long. This is why, during heavy rains, you will see worms crawl out of the ground. Ironically, they need moisture for the same reasons. This is the same principle for snails and slugs.

As for worms in the wild in Florida... I have many in my yard and when I place a new plant I will often accidentally chop one in half with my trowel. There is a tradition of "fiddling for worms" in Florida (and in other parts of the south) where you place a stake in the ground and rub it with an ax to cause vibrations which irritate the worms and make them crawl to the surface. There is a contest each year up around Caryville, Florida (which I think is in the panhandle near Chipley). This is an old Florida Cracker skill and fisherman from long ago got their earthworms this way. Check out REAL FLORIDA by Jeff Klinkenberg. It is a very cool book.

Felix, I am so happy for you and your new helpers. ;-)

Julie in WPB

pnbrown -- i have tons of worms in my bed garden, where i use a combination of oak leaves and cardboard to build the soil. (worms love cardboard for whatever reason...) i have at least six inches of rich, humus-y dirt filled with worms. (the garden has high shade, which i've found to be better than full sun, despite what the books say.)

that said, you're right that they are most concentrated in shady areas of my yard where the ferns are. the spot where my old compost bin lived -- literally every shovelful will turn up five or six. i think there are more this time of the year than, say, in june.

i pick out the worms every once and a while and toss them into the garden or into big pots. they seem to do well in the pots.

That's interesting. We were in WPB for years, and I lived in lake worth as a kid and I don't remember ever seeing a worm there. I used to work in my grandfather's garden in gainsville, but I don't remember if there were worms or not. It's heavy clay soil there so there must have been.

Anyway, that's encouraging that y'all have worms in your garden beds. I hope to be able to do the same in my high dry sand-hill of central fla.

I'm hoping the worms will do my dirty work for me. I've started my new rose bed (no bushes yet). I put my organic matter over the grass (didn't have enough newspaper) and then covered with a good layer of mulch and I'm keeping it watered. I'd like to do a worm check but I know it hasn't been long enough...maybe in another month. I hope the worms will turn my soil so that it improves the SAND under the organic stuff.

It is correct that red wigglers do best in bins.Just like a canary is suited to a cage but you wouldnt want a pelican in one. I do not release my worms but use castings and worm tea.They are living quite the life in my garage!
If you want to encourage native or wild worms as some are calling them(that term seems a bit scary!) cardboard and newspaper is great.Try putting wet newspaper down beneath your mulch. Give it awhile but they WILL come.They love it and it makes the mulch last longer.
You do have to be dedicated and yes,attend a class if you can. I went to one in Port St Lucie and now I teach on occasion.
Be aware that some IMPORTED worms can become invasive.

So are you saying that you have been successful in attracting native or indigenous worms in florida?

Uh, oh. Felix, you've opened a can of worms here! Please, please don't tell me I'm going to have to kill any more exotic pests. I keep seeing CTF's in my sleep and they are not happy with me. Ribbit, burrrr. Is it freezer time?

Julie in WPB

Julie,
as long as you do not make lo-mein then it's ok to open the can.
LOL
Felix

Order up! Lo-mein with extra noodles!

excavating the old compost bin location as we prepare to have an addition added to our patio. these were just a small fraction of the worms i turned up... i collected them and put them in my big pots and the lettuce garden...

LOL awesome,I love it. Maybe we can swap worms and plants at swap meetings. What do you all think?
Felix

I have worms! In my yard that is, and it seems wherever I dig, they are there. The worm "bin" idea is what interests me as opposed to a compost pile for creating castings and tea. I understand they make (create) a great fertilizer!

Sounds good.
Felix

Hmmm, I've considered raising worms under the kitchen sink for quite some time. But that would probably drive out the rest of the household. ON THE OTHER HAND, I've laid down (wet) newspapers and mulch in all but one corner of my little garden (the holidays used up any spare time) and I am looking forward to an increased worm population. Yes, I have sandy soil, but also lots of oak leaves and regular watering.
When I was a child in Ohio, I would go with my grandfather after an evening rain, to collect big, fat "night crawlers" for the next days' fish bait. When I got older, he even let me go fishing with him. ;>) cora

Ache, when I'm in florida I'm thirty minutes from Deland. Nice old downtown there.

Maybe I can get a starter-packet of worms from you next time. trying to think what I can trade you for them......sand? bahia grass? That's about all we have there - Oh, I've got some tiny heirloom sweet-potatoes for seed. I'll let you know if they are still good in march.......

Be very careful, the worm farmers sell worms that cause great harm. 99 percent are imported worms not from this Country.

Eisenia foetida, or"European Night crawlers."are non native worms,This is why we
with any non-native species, it is important not to allow them to reach the wild. Their voracious appetites and reproductive rates (especially among the red wigglers) have been known to upset the delicate balance of the hardwood forests by consuming the leaf litter too quickly. This event leaves too little leaf letter to slowly incubate the hard shelled nuts and leads to excessive erosion as well as negatively affecting the pH of the soil. So, do your best to keep them confined!

Eisenia foetida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eisenia fetida, known under various common names, including redworms, brandling worms, tiger worms and red wiggler worms, are a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. They thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure; they are epigeal. They are rarely found in soil, instead like Lumbricus rubellus they prefer conditions where other worms cannot survive. They are used for vermicomposting. They are native to Europe, but have been introduced (both intentionally and unintentionally) to every other continent except Antarctica, occasionally threatening native species.

If you live in Florida I found only one Worm Farm selling a native Worm. Hongkongwillie in Tampa Florida sells a Florida Red Wiggler that is Native to Florida. Give him a call, his number is 813 770 4794.

Here is a link about Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrV3Aj85I84

Here is a link that might be useful: redwigglerforsaletampa.blogspot.com

jay243, for what it's worth, "Hong Kong Willie" does not sell Eisenia fetida. According to him, they are non-native and invasive. He sells "redworms" that are supposedly native, but -- like I said, these are not Eisenia fetida. If they are Lumbricus rubellus, you'd probably be ok if you're looking to do some vermicomposting, but they may be Perionyx excavatus, which are soil-dwelling.

I've used a company called VermiTechnology here in Florida to get my Eisenia fetida.

Hope this helps someone else, too :)