Why do you raise worms?

A question I’m commonly asked by people I meet is “why do you farm worms?”

Wait, let’s take a step back. I don’t actually introduce myself as a worm farmer (I actually prefer the term “worm rancher”) but for some reason it usually comes up in the first 5 minutes of meeting someone. Usually the topic dominates the conversation after that. It turns out that if people find out you have a hobby of breeding little wiggly slimy creatures, they naturally want to find out why you do it.

Anyways, when you find yourself at a cocktail party explaining why you have 20,000 red wigglers in your basement, here are some excuses you can give.

Farming worms reduces your food waste

Worms consume 25-35% of their weight in scrap food every day. So if you have 5 pounds of red wigglers around your house somewhere, you will probably never throw away leftover fruit or veggies ever again. It turns out that the majority of landfill waste is food, and even though I doubt that you’re primarily responsible for this, by farming worms you can at least brag that you’re doing your part to save the environment.

Compost worms produce natural fertilizer

When your worms are busy saving the planet from leftover food scraps, they’re also busy generating a bountiful amount of “worm castings” AKA worm poop. Long story short, scientific studies have shown that the presence of worms results in a 25% increase in crop yield. By taking the castings your wigglers produce and using it in your own garden, you can tell your friends that you’re sticking it to the harmful chemical fertilizer companies.

Raising worms is fun

Worm farming has benefits beyond the garden. For one, speaking from experience, worms are an endless topic of conversation at parties. You can give away the castings to neighbors and friends who love gardening. Also, the worms themselves make great gifts for your young family members. They’re a hobby for you to search on youtube and dig through wikipedia articles about. If you’re so inclined, you can even use the worms for pranks.

Now when you’re telling all your coworkers at the company cookout about the 10,000 roommates you have living in a box on your porch, you’ll at least be armed with (somewhat) justifiable facts about your insane hobby. You’re not only saving the planet, but you’re cultivating pets for your little cousins and saving the planet from Miracle-Gro.

Go forth and brag about your worms!