How to Build Organic Compost Soil with Earthworms

Earthworms are the best soil builders on earth. In fact, all the great agricultural soils of the world were created with the help of these industrious creatures. Among other things, earthworms aerate the soil, improve its water holding capacity, keep it loose, improve its texture, bring up minerals from the subsoil, break up hardpans, create fertile channels for plant roots and homogenize soil elements.

For all of us that want a better garden and lawn, this is the easiest way to get started.

If you have or can find old plastic children's pool or you can use a big crate or box. I used a pool with a hole in the bottom that I patched with duct tape and joint compound. You can use old dresser drawers and bury them in the ground, too. Place in a sunny spot in your yard, close to the kitchen so you can pitch in vegetable scraps and coffee grounds easily. Place newpaper or cardboard in the bottom and throw in lawn clippings, raked leaves, and a shovel or two full of dirt. Find worms under fallen tree leaves or under a bush that has moist soil, if you do not find any worms in your yard, go to the local bait shop and buy some. You will not need many to get started.

Use any uncooked vegetables, like potato, apple, banana peelings, carrots, corncobs (cut up), or vegetables that have died off in your garden. You risk getting weed seeds if you use weeds you have pulled. Use manure from animals that are not meat eaters. Hobby backyard chickens or rabbit poop manure is very good

WARNING-DO NOT USE ANY OIL, OR ANIMAL PRODUCTS that cooked food contains most times. When you do, you are not creating a worm bed for compost, you are creating a maggot a.k.a. fly's and ant farm.

Once you get the materials in the tub/pool moisten but not saturate (worms drown). Cover with a tarp, or plastic anything that will keep out rain and varmints like birds and squirrels from eating your scraps and worms. The worms need to keep warm and moist to survive, during hot summer months over 90 degrees lift a corner to let some of the heat out and to prevent the worms from cooking. During the winter months if the decomposition has a good head start you, do not have to worry about the worms freezing. The top layer is the hot cap that will keep them warm.

Turn over the compost pile every 2 or 3 weeks to redistribute the compost and the worms, to help prevent massing of worms and compacting and let the bacterias work. After 3 months, you can remove all the compost that was created. Use two pools to have one in a different state, and running all the time. Use the compost to spread in your garden and put in the bottom of holes for new Perennials and Annuals and bulbs plantings.

To remove the worms from your newly created compost and to add them to your garden (or to go fishing) spread on the tarp, the worms will ball up together to protect themselves form drying out. You can then remove the worm balls easily. You will be amazed at your success and the amount of worms you have "grown". You can use any extra worms to feed to your chickens (watch out for a chicken riot) or put in your garden bed.

Summing this up, we can only know that we can depend on nature to provide us with the tools to turn arid, sun-stricken soil into fertile rich soil thanks to the endless help of earthworms, the real gardeners helper.