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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 20 2010 : 8:02:39 PM
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So I am taking advantage of my husband wanting me to do raised rows in the garden. I must admit it does help with spacing the plant rows which I alwasy have issues with.
As I dug my garden I noticed a few fat and happy earthworms, but I want more.
So I have been doing some research on what makes worms happy, healthy and productive.
I had already planned on mulching in between the rows to keep the weeds down, but instead of just a thin mulching, I am filling the culverts between each row all the way to the top with chopped leaves and grass clippings.
What I have read is that the earthworms will pull pieces of plant matter to their semi permanent burrows and create their own food caches. They also like piled up food caches above ground such as is naturally created when the leaves fall from trees.
So since I want the worms to burrow around my plants since I want their castings to improve the soil, by building up the mulch/clippings I am encouraging them to not only burrow below the culverts but also most of the way up to the plants.
When it is time to put the garden to bed this winter, I am going to rake the mounds back into their culvets to allow for more composting over winter.
Each year the garden will get a greater load of organic matter as worm food and as my compost heap starts givng me good compost I will start top dressing the exposed garden soil and mixing it in with the mulch as well.
I am even thinking of starting a worm bin towards fall. That way I can keep my worms going full speed all winter and have a bin full of worm castings and hopefully cocoons for the spring. I was reading that you can unload a full worm bin into your garden there by feeding your garden and increasing your worm population as well.
Worms just facinate me. They are such interesting creatures and they do so much for our soil!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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Making a worm haven/heaven in my garden
