The Worm Book: The Complete Guide to Gardening and Composting with Worms
Loren Nancarrow
Language: English
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0898159946
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Worms are the latest (as well as, of course, perhaps the oldest!) trend in earth-friendly gardening, and in this handy guide, the authors of DEAD SNAILS LEAVE NO TRAILS demystify the world of worm wrangling, with everything you need to know to build your own worm bin, make your garden worm-friendly, pamper your soil, and much much more.
aeration and drainage. One type of bin provides extra space in the bottom of the bin for liquids to collect, so holes don’t have to be drilled for drainage. Also, plastic is not a good insulator. Plastic bins are most often used indoors where temperatures remain fairly constant. EXAMPLE #1: MATERIALS NEEDED One medium (14 to 18-gallon) plastic bin with lid Landscape shade cloth to fit bottom and sides INSTRUCTIONS Drill six 1-inch holes in various locations in the long sides of
populations, aerating the soil by lifting it with a garden fork may be a better idea. • Add garden lime. Earthworms prefer a slightly alkaline soil, so the addition of a little garden lime to acidic soils will encourage them. • Keep soils moist. Earthworms need moist soils to breathe, so they will leave soil that is too dry. Keeping the soil moist and providing enough food encourages earthworms to stay. VERMICOMPOST, CASTINGS, AND WORM TEA IN THE GARDEN The humus that is produced in
rodents; they are not related to gophers. They are members of the mammal order Insectovora, and eat only insects, grubs, and worms, not plants. They range in size from two and a half to six inches in length, are usually brown to black in color, and have very broad front feet and short tails. Their eyes are very small (about the size of a pinhead) and they have no external ears. Moles are very territorial and are active both day and night. They are in constant search of food and prefer living in
casseroles, or they can provide the main protein source instead of chicken or beef. They can also be baked and used as a flour for baked goods. Several organizations and universities have sponsored earthworm and insect cooking contests, and everyone involved has enjoyed some wonderful dishes. The earth’s food supply has to feed more and more people, so someday a dish called Soufflé Ver de Terre may be one of your favorites. (Ver de terre is French for earthworm.) INITIAL PREPARATION Just
oxygen deep into the soil’s top layer. Nightcrawlers are large worms reaching lengths of four to eight inches, and a few species can even reach twelve inches. A deep-burrowing worm will pull plant material down into the burrow, instead of burrowing through soil to find food. Sometimes the material is left just below the opening of the burrow to soften, and will be eaten later. Nightcrawlers are nocturnal, as their name suggests, and feed at night. Their feeding provides good soil mixing as well.