Worms in the soil

worms in the soil

Worms in the soil – the wonder of worms

Soil with a good population of worms in it is a healthy soil. If your existing soil has plenty of worms then you just need to keep them happy while your vegetables grow. If you are introducing new soil to a raised bed garden then I recommend buying some worms to add to it.

The famous philosopher, Aristotle, declared that worms are the intestines of the earth, while Charles Darwin believed they are the most important creature on the planet. Let’s take a look at what they do to draw such praise.

Worms in the soil keep it aerated and maintain a functioning drainage system. They are, in effect, tilling your soil. They are doing this at all levels, but unlike the mechanical tiller worms do not destroy the soil structure or pollute the environment with petrol fumes and residues. By creating space with their burrowing, worms allow air to circulate, water to drain, and roots to grow.

Worms in the soil feed on the decomposing organic matter that you are adding to it. Along with this food they also ingest a certain amount of soil. In the digestive process harmful bacteria is neutralised and beneficial bacteria produced. The product that is excreted, known as castings, is a nitrogen rich, highly nutritious substance that makes your organic vegetable garden even healthier.

Putting worms in the soil

If your existing soil is worm-poor, or you are introducing new soil to a new raised bed, type ‘buy worms’ into your search engine for worm suppliers.

Worm compost

You can also produce a great, nutrient-rich compost, and recycle your kitchen waste with the wonderful earthworm. Here’s a step-by-step guide, courtesy of Waste Watch online, that shows you how to do your own worm composting -

...A worm bin is a container housing a colony of special types of worms, known as brandlings, tiger worms or redworms. Worm bins can be kept indoors (with careful management) or out, and are ideal for households with no garden, as they produce only a small quantity of compost and a liquid, which forms a concentrated plant food. There are a variety of worm bins available for sale, complete with "worm starter kits". However it is possible to make your own, and suitable worms can be obtained from fishing shops.

How to make a worm composter

Worm composting is a fantastic and natural way of recycling all those vegetable scraps, banana skins and tea bags from your kitchen. And it's easy to make one! Just follow these simple steps.

What you need...

400 Compost worms (often called tiger or brandling worms). Available from most fishing shops or farmers' muck heaps!

A plastic dustbin.

A plastic tap.

Some sand or gravel.

Some small pieces of wood.

Some bedding material (for the worms!)

Making your worm composter...

Drill some breathing holes into the lid of the bin.

Place 3 inches of sand or gravel at the bottom of the bin for drainage.

Place wooden slats on top of the sand or gravel, to separate the drainage material from the compost you are going to produce.

On top of the wooden slats, put down 4 inches of damp bedding material. An old growbag is ideal, or you could use shredded newspaper or straw.

Drill a tap into the bin just above the gravel / sand, where the wooden slats are placed. You can buy taps from most hardware or garden shops.

Once you have built your wormery, dig a small hollow in the bedding material and place the worms inside. Then you can start adding your food scraps. Always make sure the scraps are chopped up well. There are two main ways of feeding the worms:

1. Place the food scraps on the surface of the bedding in a layer (up to 2" deep), but never cover the whole surface as the worms need a small area to escape if conditions get unpleasant.

2. Alternatively you can bury small batches of food scraps in the bedding, around the bin. Some people prefer this way as they feel the waste is covered up and is out of the way of the flies.

With both methods you need to keep a thick sheet of wet newspapers over the surface to keep the light out and moisture in. Only add more food when the worms have finished their last lot. The speed the food is processed will depend on the number of worms, the time of year and the type of food added.

CAUTION...never overfeed the wormery. The food will just rot, upsetting the worms and making nasty smells!

You can keep your worm bin outside but in winter, the worms will be warmer (and hungrier) if you keep them inside a garage or shed.

After a few weeks you should be able to collect some liquid through the tap which you can use as a liquid feed for your plants. After a few months you can empty the bin, put the worms back and start again! And of course you'll have some excellent compost which the worms will have left behind to help everything grow better in the garden.

What can I put in my worm compost bin?

Worms like -

Egg shells (worms need calcium and egg shells are an excellent way of supplying this and keeping the bin from getting too acidic)

Coffee grounds and tea bags

Cereals

Fruit

Annual weeds (not seed heads)

Tomatoes

Bread

Green leaves

Cow/horse manure

Vegetable peelings

Worms don’t like -

Meat and fish (worms will eat these but they are best avoided as they tend to putrify and attract rats and flies)

Grass in any quantity (heats up and gives off ammonia, both of which will kill worms)

Weed seeds

Diseased plant material

Rice or pasta

Baked beans

Cheese

Onions

Cooked potatoes

Cat/dog faeces (contains parasites)

In conclusion then, without worms in the soil you are missing out on a priceless resource. If you don't have any in your existing soil then I recommend you buy some, or, far better, make your own worm composter.

For further information on worms in the soil please click on worms and soil structure and on worms in the soil - fertility

Are you ready to plant?

Assuming you now have healthy, nutrient rich, organic soil, you are ready to plan the planting of your vegetable seeds. As mentioned above one of the main ways of keeping soil and your vegetables healthy is crop rotation. This is simple to implement and extremely effective. Please click on crop rotation to see how to go about it.

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