 | Earthworms are one of the best things you can add to your garden to improve the soil. Your plants will progress in a myriad of ways from the earthworms constantly burrowing down near the root systems to eat vast amounts of earth that will pass through their bodies and collect valuable nutrients, such as nitrogen, calcium, phosphates, magnesium, and potash, which will then be expelled by the worm as “castings,” – a perfect, broken-down food ready for the plants to absorb.
Earthworms working in this manner act as natural “composters” and soil tillers that travel down into the subsoil to serve up beneficial minerals. And if there is any organic matter in the soil, the worms will break that down also to be used by the plants. The tunnels the worms naturally produce aerate the soil, as well as make channels for holding rainwater near the roots for easy availability; and the tunnels also help plant roots grow downward to reach water and minerals in the soil. All of these things will of course greatly improve the quality of your plants and the flavor of your vegetables.
Many prominent scientists have studied earthworms and their methods for improving soil. Charles Darwin, the scientist widely known for his theory of evolution through natural selection, wrote an entire book devoted exclusively to the earthworm, which he titled The Formation of Vegetable Mold Through the Action of Worms. In the book, Darwin details the incredible composting abilities of earthworms. Here is one typical passage: “In many parts of England a weight of more than ten tons of dry earth annually passes through their bodies and is brought to the surface on each acre of land; so that the whole superficial bed of vegetable mold (top soil) passes through their bodies in the course of every few years.”
Other scientists who have studied earthworms are Sir Albert Howard, George Sheffield Oliver, and Dr. Thomas J. Barrett, the latter of which had incredible success growing vegetables that radically exceeded their normal size limitations. Through his experimental techniques in earthworm farming and gardening, Dr. Barrett regularly produced 4-pound parsnips, 6-pound carrots, and 7-pound turnips, and he also increased his potato and onion productions drastically. Gardeners and farmers from around the world often visited Dr. Barrett to trade tips and observe his almost miraculous results. Farmers following in his footsteps also utilized earthworms and composting techniques to get astonishing results: producing 10-foot tall tomato plants, 12-inch green beans, and 14-foot pole limas. (If you are interested in reading more about Barrett’s techniques and results with building soil and improving plant nutrition, see his book, Harnessing the Earthworm.)
Where is the best place to get earthworms for your garden? Probably the easiest way would to acquire them would be to first ask an employee at a local gardening center what type of earthworm is indigenous to your area, then you can ask where to find them. It is important that you get worms appropriate for the soil in your area since these worms will be eager to burrow down near the root systems of your plants and give you the best results. Although it is easy to find and order worms from the internet, most of these sold are red worms, which are not ideal for placing in your garden since they are mainly a surface worm that likes to reside near the top 4 to 6 inches of soil.
If for some reason you cannot get a good supply of native earthworms, another way to get results is by using red worm castings. To collect the castings, all you have to do is build a worm pit. (Constructing your own pit is not very difficult, but space limitations prevent us from describing the process in detail.) Once the castings start rolling in from the red worms, simply transfer them to the soil in your garden and work them around the base, which will be almost as effective as having earthworms in your soil, but not quite as good since the burrowing action of the worm is extremely important, as we have described above. A pit of red worms will require very little maintenance on your part, and if you get overwhelmed by the volume of castings from the pit, you can simply bag them up and sell them to other gardeners for a small profit.
It usually takes about 30 to 60 days before you will start seeing quality results from earthworms in your soil. And once they are in the ground, here are a few more things to remember to keep them happy:
- Earthworms need moisture around them at all times, but be careful not to flood them with too much water.
- A pH soil balance of 5 to 7.4 is usually best.
- Pesticides are bad for earthworms.
- They love to eat many types of animal manure.
- Try to keep the soil temperature moderate.
- Materials with a lot of carbon and nitrogen, such as sawdust and similar compounds, are not good for earthworms.
To sum up, by adding earthworms to your garden you will see great improvements and soon have some of the finest soil a gardener could ask for; and after seeing your magnificent results, fellow gardeners in your area will surely envy you.
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