Different Types of Worm Farms

This Farm is Juuuust Right

Red wiggler worms can live in a variety of different farms. There’s a more DIY route with 5-gallon buckets or empty tote bins, there are different styles of professional farms that operate on a tiered tray system, there are more expensive continuous flow systems that have a tapered bottom design, and there are different types of outdoor worm farms. All of these systems have advantages and disadvantages, so it’s really all about picking the farm that will work best for your space and budget!

Outdoor Farms

If you have that old, broken mini fridge left over from college, that will make an excellent outside worm farm. Since fridges are already designed with insulation, it really helps keep the cold air out and the worms warm inside. The only thing they will need is a mixture of grit and bedding and food to get them through the colder months. You’ll want to avoid checking on them until it starts to get warmer to avoid any accidental casualties!

We also created an outdoor farm out of an old drawer and wooden scrap pieces as a lid. Although it was wrapped in a tarp and leaves, most of the worms inside of it died. Since it is not insulated like the fridge, insulation needs to be externally added, and having a larger population will help them make it through the winter! 

There are also professional outdoor farms you can purchase. Some popular options are the Subpod or Tumbleweed worm farms. These ones are in-ground options. You could also make your own by drilling some holes in a small container. Make sure it has a lid so critters can't get into it! It's best to add in-ground worm farms to raised beds since most composting worms are considered invasive, at least if you live in the United States.

DIY Worm Farm

 Another type of farm is DIY. These are usually made with 5-gallon buckets or tote bins. The tote bins are nice because you can fit more worms in there, and you can stack multiple farms on top of each other. The 5-gallon buckets are smaller and hold less worms overall, but if you have a spacer between your different buckets, you can create your own tiered system. The 5-gallon bucket farms are perfect for space saving. Each bucket can hold about 500 worms while each tote bin can hold around 2,500 worms. 

Tiered Professional Systems

The next style of worm farms are the professional tiered systems. We have the Worm Factory brand that we tend to use, but they all operate similarly. They usually come with a stand, sometimes a small spacer that goes in the bottom and multiple trays to stack on top. 

These farms are helpful because you can feed your worms by level, creating an organized system. When one of your trays are ready to be sifted, simply feed the next bin down so the worms follow the food. This leaves less worms in the bin that you have to pick through. This style also helps with worm population because you can keep adding more trays, which are available for purchase. We also own a few Can-O-Worms farms that are also tiered like the one pictured above, but instead of being square it’s a circular design that’s slightly larger.

They aren't too big, so this is the style most people tend to start with if they're buying a worm farm from a website or store. There are a variety of shapes and sizes, so it's all about finding the right style and fit for your space.  

Continuous Flow Farms

The last type of farm that we’re going to discuss are continuous flow farms. These kinds of farms are the most expensive to purchase, but they work the most efficently. Like all of the other farms, you still need to make sure they have adequate bedding, food and moisture levels in order to thrive, but you don’t have to worry about having a certain way you feed them. 

These are designed with tapered bottoms, so the worms stay up at the top of the farm where there’s more space. Even though red wiggler worms aren’t very big and are used to burrowing, they hate being in tight and confined spaces. We have a few different styles for these farms. 

We have the Urban Bag, which was the cheaper of the two, but because it’s built on a PVC pipe frame, we were able to expand upwards and have two farms on the same set up. We also have a small fleet of the Hungry Bin farms, which is a large farm that stays on the ground. Both have an access point at the bottom which is how you reach the worm castings when it’s time to harvest. The tops also open, and that's how you feed and access your worms.

These farms were designed with larger scale worm farming in mind. These would be a great fit for someone who has a lot of food waste to compost, someone who is looking to start worm farming as more than a hobby, or even a beginner who wants the convenience of continuous flow worm farming.  They're a bit on the larger size, so we don't recommend them if you're looking for a space-saving option.

If you’re just starting out, there’s no need to go buy yourself the top-of-the-line worm farm that’s on the market. It’s always best to start small and accessible and work your way up to the larger systems. No matter which option you choose, you can’t go wrong when you’re feeding worms, not landfills!