How to encourage worms in the garden
How
about in the garden? Earthworms can be very useful, speeding up
decomposition of organic matter and working it into the soil.
Their burrows also form channels which fluff up compacted soil and give
roots an easy avenue to grow down. So far, I haven't seen anybody
saying anything negative about earthworms in an agricultural setting,
though please comment if you know otherwise!
The best way to expand
your garden's earthworm population is to go
no-till. One study suggested that tilling up a garden dropped the
earthworm population to a third of its former levels. Mulching is
another way to increase your earthworm levels, as is adding lime to
raise the soil's pH. Chemicals are a definite no-no if you want
worms.
| This post is part of our Earthworms in the Garden lunchtime series.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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