What’s Worm Poop have to do with anything?

 Organic gardening can be challenging, but sometimes, a little help is all one needs. Where to find that help? Look to the humble worm.

Worms will be a powerful addition to any garden that is lacking in their presence. Worms aerate soil, reduce pollutants in soil, and provide worm castings.

What are worm castings you may ask. Well, they are put simply, worm poop. Worms consume about half their weight a day in organic matter. This process creates vast complexes of tunnel that allow a greater degree of oxygen to reach the plant roots and beneficial fungi and bacterial colonies. These tunnels facilitate better drainage in the garden bed as well. Worms are the shredders of the garden, pulling leaves and other plant waste down into the soil where they consume it and add back to the soil as worm castings. The worm also reduces pollutants in the soil through their feedings. They consume old roots that may harbor plant diseases or viruses from prior years’ gardens. They also help to reduce the carbon imprint from the decay in a garden bed, turning all they eat into worm castings.

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Why are worm castings necessary for a bountiful organic garden? They are full of beneficial microbes, bacteria, and enzymes that help plants to grow healthier and larger more quickly. A side effect of this abundant plant health is naturally better flavor profiles for fruits and vegetables. These additions from the castings help to break down organic matter at a quicker rate than natural decay. As a result, plants get a healthier supply of nutrients from the soil and improve the effectiveness of a typical organic N/P/K fertilizer mix.

 Vermiculture is a great addition to any gardener’s repertoire, but it can be a lengthy process that can only produce so many worm castings in a grow season. Purchasing worm casting can be expensive if one has a large garden. I say if this is a problem, cut out the middleman and put the worms in the garden. Red worms can be added yearly to a garden to maintain their numbers. Earth worms are great, too, and should be tossed into the garden bed whenever found in the yard.

The red worm – or Red Wiggler – is the best. For they consume the greatest amount of plant matter, feed tirelessly, and breed the fastest. They are preferred for vermiculture due to their ability to thrive in matrixes of nearly any plant matter or food scrapes rather than soil. They can be purchased relatively cheaply at most garden stores and bait shops. The garden stores typically sell larger amounts of younger worms while the bait shops sell mature worms, hook size, that are ready to breed.  Adding a few cups of worms to a garden will get a colony started.

Are you planting your garden, or wish you were?

We at Grow Your Own are here to solve any garden problems that the worms won’t fix. Set up a Garden Chat to design your dream garden, or to solve garden issues before the season gets too far along and we will get your planted space back on track.

Happy growing!