Is there a such thing as too many worms?

[gixxerific]

Pretty sure there isn't, at least ina garden I know that they can cause havoc in ceritan forest type situations.

Just trying to say I have SO MANY worms it is crazy. The other day I was planting some things and at one point I saw about 5-6 worms above ground in a 5 inch sqaure area. I'm planting some seeds now and I have my rule out trying to get the spacing somewhat right. When I notice I'm dropping seed on top of a worm just cruizin' through.

Really you can dig very shallow anywhere in my garden and dig up several worms. That is good though, the sign of worms means the circle of life is stong (soil food web). That makes me happy since I turned a virtualy useless streatch of grass into a very healthy garden. The food web is all over, I see it here and there, worms, millipedes and whatnot.

When you are in your garden pay attention to the life under your knees, though most of it can't be seen without a microscope. The ones you can see area a indicator of how healthy your soil is.

Back to my oasis, spring is coming it's actually my birthday (the first day of spring) so why shouldn't I love it.

[Ozark Lady]

Happy Birthday Gixx! First day of spring... great celebration for your birth! Even the daffodils are putting out gifts for ya!

I would celebrate the worms too. I feel so badly when I have to dig a hole to plant something and hurt a worm, but, can't tell they are there until I dig.

I don't really think that you can have too many. In a worm bin, sure you likely could. But, these worms are free to move where they want to, so they just like it there. If they didn't like it, they could leave.

[Toil]

What are you growing and what kind of worms?

If they are nightcrawlers it is a sign of ph near 7 among the stuff you noted.

whereas my wigglers love bokashi, pH 3.5.

[soil]

enjoy the thousands of free workers.

[Toil]

Lol soil we would be doomed if they organized.

Worm bins: you can't have too many wigglers in a bin. But remember to increase feeding. Mine are like a massive plate of spaghetti, and happy as clams.

[gixxerific]

Thanks Ol I know I have the best birthday, Gotta love spring.

Toil what am I growing? What do you want? Lots of stuff, what kind of worms the long soil decomposing kind. And lots of them.

[applestar]

Happy Birthday!!

Too many worms is when you dig up a nice 1/2 grown lettuce -- preserving a good sized root ball -- to pot up and give to your dad. You're holding the rootball in both hands so as not to let it fall apart and having a civilized conversation with him... and worms explode out from between every one of your fingers!

True story from last spring.

[Sage Hermit]

cheers! I too don't like hurting the worms. The tillling that I am doing is low impact on them as all I do is flip and pile dirt, I actualy layer kitchen scraps to feed them then cardboard then grass. While I'm sure they don't like to be cut into 2 pieces they do like the layer of banana peels and loose dirt to start over. I have bahemmoth crawlers what doe that make my pH?

[Toil]

Hmm gixx you will get my meaning soon enough!

No you can't have too many worms In a veggie garden.

But if I were doing asparagus it might tell me to encourage more fungi to lower pH.

[Kisal]

Just want to wish you a Happy Birthday, Gixx! [img]https://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Others/others-015.gif[/img]

[katylaide]

I'm finding it really hard to attract worms to my veggie patch. I think it's this forsaken drought, but it's really frustrating. Next time we get a reasonable soaking, I'll put down a very generous layer of mulch and see if that helps.

[GardenJester]

Have you considered raising some chickens? I bet them eggs would be mighty tasty. and the chicken manure would be great for your garden too. think of it as adding another link in the circle of life.

[cynthia_h]

Have you considered raising some chickens? I bet them eggs would be mighty tasty. and the chicken manure would be great for your garden too.

I'm probably a little slow tonight, but the connection between chickens / eggs / chicken manure and attracting worms to the garden isn't obvious to me.

Help?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[GardenJester]

If you have surplus worms, might as well put them to some good use. Chickens with high protein diet produces very tasty eggs, and their manure are concentrated source of nitrogen. Not to mention chicken are pretty good at pest controls too(not just eating worms).

oh... sorry, I wasn't responding the the post directly above me, I was responding to the OP.

[Sage Hermit]

That is a good observation GJ.

[Toil]

To attract worms I have a secret weapon: bokashi.

For nightcrawlers, you need leaves. I like to watch the surface of my raised bed for long stretches in the morning. Sometimes I hear a rustle, and a leaf will shake, heave, and poof! Disappear underground. It's a worm taking it down to its burrow

but if your pH is low nightcrawlers won't come. So you can encourage bacteria if you don't want to lime. There are books that detail the process.

[gixxerific]

Hmm gixx you will get my meaning soon enough!

No you can't have too many worms In a veggie garden.

But if I were doing asparagus it might tell me to encourage more fungi to lower pH.

Not sure what you are getting at. I bleive the worms I have are nightcrawlers though. Are you trying to say my pH is around 7?

I planted some nasturtiums inf the front garden today and there they are again by the handful.

I do know that there can't be too many worms, unless of course there were more worms than dirt.

And thanks for the birthday wishes.

[Garden Gal]

I'm so excited! When I first planted my garden back in 2010 I had zero worms. At that same time I began composting on the ground with a thick black plastic sheet rolled into an upright circle (with lots of holes for aeration--then I dropped waste into the top of it and watered and turned occasionally).

Back then I had no worms in my compost or in my garden. The next two years I still noticed zero worms. I was so sad. I didn't know what to think. I considered buying some to throw in, but decided against that, because I wanted to be sure my compost and garden were the right conditions to attract their own worms. While I produced awesome crops in my 10x12 raised lasagna garden, (7' or taller tomatoes with large fruit) I had no worms.

Then this spring while gleaning my compost we dug into a huge ball of WORMS! YEA!! We quickly rescued the ball and threw it into the garden. (probably should have put them back on top of the heap.)

I also noticed in my front yard two weeks ago (where I rarely dig) there are a LOT of worms, so while digging to plant some new flowers there, I couldn't bear to let the worms die or not be happy, I threw them into the garden as well.

Well over the weekend I was doing some planting in the garden and with almost every dig I started seeing WORMS! Yay!! My garden is happily supporting worms now. I hope they like their home and choose to stay for a very long time.

I plan to continue doing what I've been doing for the past couple of years. I suppose now the original materials I used to start my lasagna garden have finally decomposed. My soil is beautiful rich, black soil. I throw in whatever compost is ready (and some that is not) each spring. I add a little peat moss (yes, I know it's not environmentally friendly but . . .) and otherwise, I leave it alone. In winter, it just sits there developing lots of hidden weeds which magically appear in the spring. I get rid of them (and sadly have been placing them in my yard waste bin for the trash--just read today in this forum that weeds are ok for compost??) But anyway, I pull them get rid of them, and start all over.

I've enjoyed lots of delicious veggies every year. This year, I am growing specifically for juicing along with just enjoying the fresh veggies for cooking. I wish I could turn my entire back yard into a garden. But I can't since this is rental property.

I am doing some container gardening as well, and also using the fence line this year for the first time to get some extra mileage out of my yard. The soil is not amended, but we'll see what happens. Happy gardening everyone!

[rainbowgardener]

What a nice feeling to know you are building rich, fertile, moisture holding soil, full of life, where none was before!

OF COURSE weeds can go in the compost pile. Just try to be sure you pull them before they go to seed (which you would want to do any way). The only possible problem with weeds in the compost pile would be if they had gone to seed and were full of seeds. But even that isn't such a big deal. Most of the seeds will get broken down in the composting process anyway.

[Garden Gal]

OF COURSE weeds can go in the compost pile. Just try to be sure you pull them before they go to seed (which you would want to do any way). The only possible problem with weeds in the compost pile would be if they had gone to seed and were full of seeds. But even that isn't such a big deal. Most of the seeds will get broken down in the composting process anyway.

Thanks for your reply Rainbow. I'll try adding the weeds before they go to seed and see what happens. Worse case I suppose is more to pull later. But they come up fairly easily. My DB does that part of the work for me anyway. I get the really fun part--HARVESTING! I love it!

[mattie g]

I've got a pretty thriving colony of worms in my garden, too. It's not teeming with them, but if I were to grab all the worms in each spadeful of dirt I turn over, I'd probably get a nice handful. I also have lots of grubs in there, which isn't so great, but my puit mix loves a nice crunchy protein snack, so he takes care of them.

Over the last few years, as I've been adding compost to my garden as much as possible (primarily in the holes I plant my seedling in), I've noticed an increase in the number of worms. They obviously like what I'm doing. I don't use any non-organic fertilizers to my garden, and I'm getting really good production from it...so they must be helping me get it right!

[rainbowgardener]

what is a puit mix?

[mattie g]

what is a puit mix?

Dang fat fingers!

I meant my (man's) best friend - he's a pit bull (AmStaff) mix. He loves him some white grubs!

[rainbowgardener]

Sorry, I usually never call people on typos -- we all do them. I just really wasn't sure about that, whether it was a dog or a bird or ??

[mattie g]

Sorry, I usually never call people on typos -- we all do them. I just really wasn't sure about that, whether it was a dog or a bird or ??

No worries! I'm a grammar nazi, and hate to see typos of my own!

I just think it's funny that a dog that many think is a man-eater is wild about eating little white grubs..and wouldn't think of doing anything but lick a person to death!

[rainbowgardener]

Well, I know that pit bulls vary as much in temperament and how they have been raised, etc, as all the rest of us. But I just finished meeting with a client who was attacked by two pit bulls, who were going for her jugular. She nearly died and she still has the scars and the PTSD to prove it, two years later. I'm sure your friend would never do that, but some pits definitely do.

[mattie g]

Well, I know that pit bulls vary as much in temperament and how they have been raised, etc, as all the rest of us. But I just finished meeting with a client who was attacked by two pit bulls, who were going for her jugular. She nearly died and she still has the scars and the PTSD to prove it, two years later. I'm sure your friend would never do that, but some pits definitely do.

It's all how dogs are raised. Plain and simple. Unfortunately, the scum of the earth are attracted to the bigger, tougher-looking dogs (pits, rotties, etc.), and raise them the wrong way.

We've got a four-month-old little girl, and my boy adores her...and is supremely patient with her! I couldn't ask for a better companion.

[gixxerific]

Gottla love the pits. my neighbors 8 month old's best friend is my pit bull, my killer pit bull that is.

RBG I am more worried about my neighbors Lab than I am about my killer pit bull. Actually I am not worried at all about my dog.

[Garden Gal]

I think this feed has gotten way off topic. It's about worms, not pit bulls. Not trying to upset anyone, it's just that when I get a notification, I want to read about what I thought the subject is supposed to be. In this case, "Is there such a thing as too many worms?" Ok, one or two off topic posts is fine, but this one has gone on for several.

[imafan26]

Happy Birthday Gixx

[imafan26]

Happy Birthday Gixx