The Earthworm Lawn and Garden

Image Gallery

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Putting nature's original
gardeners to work.

by James Hale

Aiding and abetting earthworms - a practice known as vermiculture - is an easy, eco-friendly route to a better garden. By improving soil structure naturally, worms reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Feed your grass clippings, leaf cuttings and kitchen scraps to the worms rather than sending them to the landfill, and in return these tiny tillers will provide you a nutrient-rich humus - perfect for garden and potted plants alike.

While many vermiculturists keep their worms in special bins, I've devised a containerless method that works just as well or better. What follows is my plan for an earthworm lawn and garden. The lawn exists to supply the garden with grass clippings and weeds (both excellent worm food) in the warm months, as well as with leaves and other yard waste in the fall. Key to the plan is what I call the "worm pile," a mound of dirt and organic material that sits aside the garden, accommo dates the densest population of earthworms and produces a nutrient-rich soil. The plan requires some effort, but no real heavy work and no expensive equipment.

Earthworms 101

To reap the full rewards of vermiculture, you'll need to know a few basics so that you can help your worms to thrive in their work.

Earthworms breathe air through their skin, absorbing oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. Fishermen aren't kidding when they say they are going to "drown some worms." Water can block the movement of air through the skin, causing the worm to suffocate. Even so, an earthworm's body is 80% water and requires a moist environment.

Earthworms are cold-blooded and tend to slow down when temperatures drop below their preferred 70°F.

They feast not on live plants, but on decaying organic material. They also eat dirt, which accumulates in the gizzard (yes, like chickens, worms have gizzards), helping to crush food as it passes through.

Earthworms are sensitive to light and spend most of their days underground, carving tunnels that admit the air and water they need. As a rule, they don't appreciate heavy farm machinery compacting the ground they're trying to tunnel through.

Earthworm populations will expand or contract depending on food supply, temperature and moisture. In general, though, worms reproduce rapidly; a pair will produce an egg capsule weekly containing up to 20 eggs. These eggs will lie dormant until the proper temperature and moisture conditions allow them to hatch - normally within two or three weeks. Within eight to 12 weeks of hatching, the new worms are themselves ready to reproduce.

While worms are a hardy lot, they do face threats: raccoons, moles and mice consider them a favorite food, and strong pesticides and herbicides will kill them.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print