Worms: An important part of our history
Many of us enjoy a vegetable garden this time of year or a little fishing; both benefit from worms. As you come across worms in the soil, typically a night crawler, I want each person to appreciate what a gift they are to society. Charles Darwin wrote “I doubt that there are any other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world,” regarding “nature’s ploughs” — the earthworm.
First and foremost, earthworms are an invasive species to North America. These pioneers of colonization traveled with Europeans and settlers. They enjoyed our land so much that they out competed any native species. There are few places on the planet so extreme that worms will not survive with remarkable skills of adaptation. Where there are humans there are worms. They digest food with a gullet like a chicken, requiring grit to pummel the food into tiny digestive pieces. There is no one sex to a worm, they are hermaphrodites. Any two worms just rub against one another and then they shed a tiny cocoon that can hatch up to 11 offspring.
The best feature of worms is that they eat what all other forms of life leave behind. Have you ever wondered why northwest Arkansas is not buried in leaves? Years and years of leaves falling to the forest floors, it stands to reason that we should be overflowing with leaves (I know it feels like we are in the fall). Night Crawlers come out (at night) and can pull an entire Oak tree leaf down their hole. They then begin the digestive process and eventually turn it into beautiful carbon rich soil. They can digest up to one third of their body weight in a single day. Leaves naturally compost on their own, but it takes years. Worms speed that process along.
Worms can also digest vegetable or food waste to create fantastic soil for your garden. Worm composting — or vermicomposting — is growing in popularity and provides rich benefits. For composting, Red Wigglers are recommended as they tend to eat closer to the surface where Night Crawlers are deep divers.
In a plastic tub or bin, drill a few air holes, lay some bedding down, incorporate your worms and begin feeding them. Worms like all kinds of foods. I recommend sticking to uncooked, plant based foods, coffee grounds and occasionally, egg shells (pummeled). Because the Red Wigglers are surface dwellers they prefer to be in mild temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I keep a bin under the kitchen sink and others in the garage. The bin should not smell like rotting vegetables but earth. If a bin smells bad something is not right, time to start again or consult an expert.
When it is time to harvest your worm soil, place something high in carbohydrates in the bin (watermelon rinds, sweet potatoes, avocados, or a non-citrus fruit). Wait two-four weeks. Many worms will congregate around the delicious, sweet food and can be scooped off into a new bin leaving rich soil behind. The soil will still have some worms and many cocoons. You may never be able to collect them all. Mix 20% worm castings to 80% regular garden soil and your plants will thrive. Using castings alone will burn the plants with too much carbon.
Worms also generate liquid. If you collect the “worm tea” you can use it as a natural pesticide. Mix 20% worm tea with 80% water in a spray bottle and spray the plant leaves to keep aphids and other pests away.
I hope you have a new appreciation for all that worms can do! There is a small community of vermicompost farmers in Bella Vista. Worm composting is a great way to keep your garden beautiful, reduce how much trash goes to the dump and aerate the soil for our beautiful trees and flowers.
If you want to try your own worm composting bin contact me at the Bella Vista Animal Shelter (while supplies last).