The Earthworm Lawn and Garden

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It's a good idea to fence off your garden to protect your worms (not to mention your plantings) from predators.

Plant your earthworm garden as you would any other - in a spot with good, direct sunlight. Clear the garden area by removing the grass and weeds with a hoe. It is not necessary to remove grass and weed roots. I try to hoe just at the surface of the garden to avoid cutting any of my worms in half. (This is a bigger risk during the balmier (days of spring, when worms tend to congregate just beneath the top of the soil.)

After the garden site is cleared, apply your grass mulch. If this is your first year mulching, it may take some tine to build up your earthworm population. Just how long will depend on the condition of your soil, on whether chemical pesticides or fertilizers have been used, and on how many worms you've got in your garden to begin with. Be patient.

Once your garden is mulched, continue to maintain the thickness, covering any bare spots with grass (and later leaves) as the existing layer decays and disappears.

The Earthworm Pile

To the casual observer, the earthworm pile looks like a mound of leaves or grass and dirt. But built right, its a virtual magnet for earthworms. Once they move in - and they will in droves - the worms tend to remain most active near the pile's surface, where they are continuously lured by newly applied organic material.

The earthworm pile is built by alternately layering organic material (grass clippings, weeds, leaves, kitchen scraps, etc.) and dirt. I generally top off the pile - with a layer of grass or leaves, both because I think it looks neater and because it helps to keep the worms cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Locate your worm pile next to the garden, within the pattern of your sprinkler, since your worms will need watering about as reg ularly as your vegetables. My worm pile is on the side of the garden closest to the house, making it a short trip from the kitchen.

To begin your pile, put down a small circle of kitchen wastes, grass clippings or leaves, and top with a thin layer of dirt. You might consider putting heavy wire screen beneath your earthworm pile, especially if you live in an area that has moles. The openings in the wire should be large enough to allow the earthworms to move from the pile to your garden and back, but small enough to keep furry critters at bay.

Continue to add thin layers of organic material and dirt to your pile until it reaches about two to three feet high. Once it reaches this height, you'll want to build out rather than up, adding layers to the sides of your pile as you gather fresh grass, leaves or kitchen scraps. (If the worm pile is built too high, the weight of the organic material will speed decomposition, hoosting the pile's internal temperature to levels dangerously above the worms' ideal 70°F.)

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