The Earthworm Lawn and Garden

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STARTING YOUR LAWN AND GARDEN
Tools and Equipment

The list is short and simple: You'll need a lawn mower with a grass catcher for collecting grass clippings in summer and leaves in fall. You'll need basic garden hand tools, including a shovel, rake and hoe. If you have a string trimmer, it'll come in handy for clearing the garden area of grass and weeds before mulching. If not, a hoe will do the same job, but it'll take a little longer. A hoe should also be used to cut out weeds, since the last thing you'll want to use on your new earthworm lawn and garden is a chemical herbicide. Besides, weeds make wonderful earthworm food.

You can keep the tiller in the shed; earthworms will take care of the tilling for you.

What About the Worms?

There are some 3,000 species of earthworms, each with its own peculiar dietary needs. For bin-based vermiculture, it is generally recommended that folks use red wigglers (Eisenia foetida). But with the lawn - garden method, there's no need to rush out in search of the perfect "vermibreed." The earthworms already in your soil are ideally suited to live on the organic matter available there. Just feed them regularly and they will multiply rapidly.

The Earthworm Lawn

The absolute best thing you can do for your lawn is to mow it to the right height. Take a sample cutting to the professionals at your local garden center, who should be able to identify the type of grass and recommend its ideal length. When in doubt, take off just enough so that the lawn looks smooth; cutting high will render your grass more resistant to drought. Many a lawn has been ruined by too close a cut. (When using a ride-on mower, be sure to check the tire pressure; your weight on low tires may cause the mower to cut too low.)

While I strongly recommend a chemical-free lawn, if you do use a fertilizer, make certain that it's not harmful to earthworms. Some chemical fertilizers can increase soil acidity to levels intolerable to worms. I'd advise conducting a soil test to see if a fertilizer is even necessary, and if so, in what amount. You may well be introducing chemicals into the environment needlessly.

Finally, pull weeds out by hand or cut them out with a hoe, then save them for the worm pile. Remember, worms love weeds!

The Earthworm Garden

The earthworm garden is mulched with newly cut grass in summer and with lawn mower-chopped leaves in fall. The mulch, which provides the worms organic sustenance, should be thick enough to block sunlight and retain soil moisture, but thin enough to allow, air to get through. (I recommend maintaining a three- to four-inch layer.)

When sizing your garden and worm pile, keep in mind the amount of grass cuttings and leaves you generally have available. You may be able to supplement your organic material by talking to neighbors and local lawn-care professionals, who may be only too happy to have you haul away their grass cuttings, weeds and leaves. Just be sure, no matter the source, that no chemicals were used that may harm your earthworms.

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