How to Raise Florida Nightcrawlers

Raising earthworms can be just for fun or for profit. Nightcrawlers, for example, are often grown for the purpose of fishing bait or for their feces, which is called castings. If you are an avid fisherman, you may want to raise your own nightcrawlers to save on bait costs. Or you may choose to raise earthworms to sell their castings as fertilizer.

Things You'll Need

  • Bed
  • Soil
  • Nightcrawlers
  • Water
  • pH test
  • Limestone
  • Organic food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make your own nightcrawler bed. The bed can be made of wood, plastic or metal; however, you should avoid pressure-treated woods, which contain chemical treatments that are dangerous to the worms. The bed should be between 16 and 24 inches in depth. If you intend to raise your worms for castings, make sure you can lift your bed off the ground and that the bottom is mesh wire. That way you can shake the castings out.

    • 2

      Set up your bed in a location that will maintain a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F. If there is a large fluctuation in temperature, your nightcrawlers will die.

    • 3

      Fill your constructed bed with soil. You can purchase topsoil from your local garden supply store or use soil from your yard. The soil must not contain fertilizers and should not be made up of clay or sand. Do not overfill the bed. The nightcrawlers prefer loose soil to move around in.

    • 4

      Add your nightcrawlers to the bed. On average, you can have anywhere from 100 to 500 worms for every square foot of soil.

    • 5

      Monitor the moisture level and pH level of your soil daily. To check the moisture level, squeeze some soil in your hand. If a lot of water flows out, do not water the soil that day. If only a drop or two emerges, it is time to lightly water the soil. It should be moist but not drenched. To determine the pH level, use a testing kit. It should be between 6 and 7. Add limestone weekly to raise the pH. If the level is too high, leave it alone until it naturally adjusts.

    • 6

      Feed your earthworms as needed. They do best on foods such as non-colored paper, fruits and vegetables. Avoid meats; they generally will not eat it. Place the food on top of the soil and then add an additional inch of soil on top of the food.

    • 7

      Change the soil in the bed once a year. Every three months, add additional soil to the top of your bed. Generally, 2 to 3 inches of soil will refill it.