Worms

Earthworms also known as "dew-Worm" "Rain-worm" "night  crawler" and "angleworm". dirty slimy little things that crawl around in your yard. Why do they exist? and what is there purpose? And why am I talking about worms today?

Well , now that the weather is cooperating I decided to tackle all the trash and tumble weeds that had blown up against the back of my house and down the stairs to my basement entrance (the joys of having no fence and a large field lining my back yard.)  As I was cleaning the trash and dirt up at the bottom of the stairs I came across this.

That is my four year olds' hand for comparison.

Did you know that worms have five hearts? There are 4400 species of worms and 2700 different kind of earthworms. they have been around 120 million years. Cleopatra said they were sacred. Aristotle called them "the intestines" of soil. Charles Darwin Studied them for 39 years and said "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly organized creatures."

 Earthworms are great to have around. They are recyclers. they eat and digest trees, leaves, fruit, nuts, dead animals and many other things. An abundance of earthworms is very beneficial to the organic gardener. there can be as many as 250,000 worms in a unhealthy acre of dirt and 1,750,000 in an acre of very rich soil.

Now to the fun part. 

Did you know you can make your own worm compost? all you need is a rubber or wood tote with a lid, worms, and some food waste. This process is called Vermiculture. These are not your everyday earthworms. You must use the Brandling worm, also known as the tiger worm or the Red wiggler. The Internet or local gardening club is your best bet for finding a worm vendor near you. To get more details on the process of making your own worm farm check this out!

 

Pin It