As the Worm Turns

Yesterday as I finished a few projects around the barn, I picked up a fallen stable door and was rewarded by a sight any gardener should be glad to see. At the top of the cool, moist soil were a dozen earthworms of varying sizes. Worms perform multiple duties in your garden. They help aerate the soil with their tunnels, they help organic matter decompose, and they leave nitrogen behind them in their castings (worm poo).

But more importantly, in my opinion, they show that the soil isn't as bad as it may appear. Worms are near the top of the food chain in a soil's biodiversity. In every inch of soil lives millions, if not billions, of microbes. Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa abound. They feed on each other and on the organic matter in the ground. Earthworms complete the circle of soil life by dragging down organic matter from the surface as they burrow down, consuming the microbes as they go.

The appearance of earthworms shows that a soil is alive. That's important because plants need a living soil to thrive. If you plant a garden in soil void of that biodiversity, your plants will die. Straight and simple. Fertilizer and water will do no good. It's the microbes that convert the components of fertilizer, and all soil nutrients, into an ionic form that plant roots can use. No microorganisms means no food for plants. No food means lingering death for your garden.

There are three basic types of earthworms: Anecic worms, like nightcrawlers, that grow big, burrow deep, and live a long time; Endogeic worms that have semi-permanent burrows and migrate across your soil; and Epigeic worms that live in shallow, organic-rich soil. The worms you see on the sidewalk after a rain are typically Endogeic worms that are trying to move quickly on the wet ground toward a new spot to find a mate and raise their young; they just can't gauge how wide and rough a sidewalk is and get stuck when the sun comes out. The worms you can buy online are typically Epigeic worms, like Red Wigglers, that are used to compost household waste; they work great in a controlled household environment, but won't survive outside in a location with cold winters.

Earthworms are not native to the U.S., but were brought over by European settlers. In their slow, but progressive manner, they have infiltrated the entire continent. I prefer to introduce them to my vegetable garden as legal aliens. When I find a trove, as I did yesterday, I pick them up gently and resettle them in one of my raised beds. I'll rough up a moist section of soil in the shade of a plant and set them down. Avoid digging a hole and burying them as it can do more harm than good. They naturally burrow so let them dig a hole and start the process of enriching your soil.

There is a lot of compost in my raised beds and that organic matter needs to break down further to feed plant roots. I find earthworms in the beds all the time. They'll naturally migrate to a nutrient-rich site like a garden, but encouraging their population growth by introducing a few more can help the process. I'll even rescue the unfortunate ones caught on the sidewalk and give them a safer home. They don't always survive, but it's better than ending life on the bottom of a shoe.

Contrary to movies on the Sci-Fi channel, worms don't have teeth. Yes, they're squishy and squirmy, but pick up stray worms anyway. The few seconds of uncomfortability in your hand can add vitality to your garden. A worm in the hand is worth a bloom on the bush. And smile when you see them in your garden.

Yesterday as I finished a few projects around the barn, I picked up a fallen stable door and was rewarded by a sight any gardener should be glad to see. At the top of the cool, moist soil were a dozen earthworms of varying sizes. Worms perform multiple duties in your garden. They help aerate the soil with their tunnels, they help organic matter decompose, and they leave nitrogen behind them in their castings (worm poo).

But more importantly, in my opinion, they show that the soil isn't as bad as it may appear. Worms are near the top of the food chain in a soil's biodiversity. In every inch of soil lives millions, if not billions, of microbes. Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa abound. They feed on each other and on the organic matter in the ground. Earthworms complete the circle of soil life by dragging down organic matter from the surface as they burrow down, consuming the microbes as they go.

The appearance of earthworms shows that a soil is alive. That's important because plants need a living soil to thrive. If you plant a garden in soil void of that biodiversity, your plants will die. Straight and simple. Fertilizer and water will do no good. It's the microbes that convert the components of fertilizer, and all soil nutrients, into an ionic form that plant roots can use. No microorganisms means no food for plants. No food means lingering death for your garden.

There are three basic types of earthworms: Anecic worms, like nightcrawlers, that grow big, burrow deep, and live a long time; Endogeic worms that have semi-permanent burrows and migrate across your soil; and Epigeic worms that live in shallow, organic-rich soil. The worms you see on the sidewalk after a rain are typically Endogeic worms that are trying to move quickly on the wet ground toward a new spot to find a mate and raise their young; they just can't gauge how wide and rough a sidewalk is and get stuck when the sun comes out. The worms you can buy online are typically Epigeic worms, like Red Wigglers, that are used to compost household waste; they work great in a controlled household environment, but won't survive outside in a location with cold winters.

Earthworms are not native to the U.S., but were brought over by European settlers. In their slow, but progressive manner, they have infiltrated the entire continent. I prefer to introduce them to my vegetable garden as legal aliens. When I find a trove, as I did yesterday, I pick them up gently and resettle them in one of my raised beds. I'll rough up a moist section of soil in the shade of a plant and set them down. Avoid digging a hole and burying them as it can do more harm than good. They naturally burrow so let them dig a hole and start the process of enriching your soil.

There is a lot of compost in my raised beds and that organic matter needs to break down further to feed plant roots. I find earthworms in the beds all the time. They'll naturally migrate to a nutrient-rich site like a garden, but encouraging their population growth by introducing a few more can help the process. I'll even rescue the unfortunate ones caught on the sidewalk and give them a safer home. They don't always survive, but it's better than ending life on the bottom of a shoe.

Contrary to movies on the Sci-Fi channel, worms don't have teeth. Yes, they're squishy and squirmy, but pick up stray worms anyway. The few seconds of uncomfortability in your hand can add vitality to your garden. A worm in the hand is worth a bloom on the bush. And smile when you see them in your garden.