Earthworm Facts
Earthworm Information For Gardeners

Yes, earthworms are probably the most important creatures in your garden. These poor critters are often overlooked, forgotten and totally underestimated. Without them the soil under our feet would be just dirt. It would be rock hard and compacted making life for plants very difficult if not impossible. If not for the little earthworms we would probably not have a garden, we might not even be here!

Photo courtesy of Dodo Bird

More Earthworm Facts ....

Earthworms move by contracting and de-contracting their muscles. This makes them longer and shorter. The mucus on their skin and the bristles on their body help them to glide along in their tunnels.

Garden worms eat just about anything that is organic. Leaves, grass clippings, plant debris, dead roots, shredded newspapers or your kitchen waste make great earthworm food. In the earthworm digestive system the organic matter is mixed and grinded with small soil particles and little stones.

Worm casts are the poop of the earthworms. The worms mix soil and organic matter in their digestive tracts converting it to humus. These worm casts are like organic fertilizer and probably the best one you can get. One worm can produce about 4.5 kg of worm castings per year! These casts are 40% richer in humus than the rest of the soil and contain a high amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Just perfect plant food!

The tunnels that the worms dig in the soil allow air and water into the ground. Soil microorganisms and plant roots need oxygen to thrive. The worms turn and loosen the top soil and also the subsoil. The roots are then able to grow their roots into the deeper layers of the ground in these tunnels. Also water finds its way into the ground along those channels.

The worms pull the organic matter like leaves or debris into their tunnels, mostly at night and feed on them. Without worms all this debris would accumulate on the surface and would not make its way back into soil again. The worms are like a recycling factory in the soil. They make the nutrients that are tied up in the organic matter available for the plants again.

Photo courtesy of jarsyl

Aren't these fascinating earthworm facts? Can you imagine your garden now without those little ugly critters? It would probably look more like a desert! Earthworms are your best friends in the garden.

What can you as a gardener do to encourage earth worms?

Encouraging earth worms is the best thing you can do for your garden. After all this earthworm information it is obvious what they need to thrive: plenty of organic matter! Keep your garden soil covered with organic mulch. You can use grass clippings, bark mulch or leaves. Mulch works like a blanket for the ground. It keeps the soil cool and moist in the summer and warm in the winter. These are ideal conditions for garden worms!

Avoid using chemical fertilizers and other garden chemicals. These create an environment that is lethal for worms! Use organic fertilizers instead. These even provide food for the worms that will in return make plant nutrients out of them!

Of course you should have a compost bin with lots of worms producing fertile compost to enrich your garden soil. Composting with worms is also called vermicomposting or worm composting. Some people do this in special worm bins in the garage or basement recycling their organic waste.

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