How to create an Abundance of Earthworms in your Garden

Tips, Tricks

1. We started by purchasing 1 lb of red wiggler composting worms. I had 2 worm bins I put them in, but they died because of the harsh summer we had and I didn't know what to do to protect them. But at the same time, I put a few in my container where I was growing 2 tomato plants and they thrived and multiplied quickly without us knowing. When we found out that we had a thriving population of worms, we started regularly feeding them by carefully digging around the plants and burying vegetable and fruit scraps as well as mulching with free goat manure and hay (our friends have a goat ranch). This has worked VERY WELL for us! So much so that I'm giving away our red wiggler worms in shoebox sized plastic totes as unique Christmas, birthday and housewarming gifts! Our friends and family love them, once they get over their initial shock!
2. And great links in the description thanks alot.
3. Thanks alot. :)
4. excellent links in the description thanks buddy...
5. I did not come up with this idea but am implementing it in my raised beds and in ground around fruit trees. Use 5 gallon plastic buckets and drill 1/2" holes 2/3 up from the bottom and in the bottom of bucket as well. Holes should be a couple inches apart max. Now create a worm farm; layer paper, compost and veg scraps. Add a lid and bury 3/4 the way up bucket in ground. Keep adding kitchen waste periodically and adequate water. The worms will go in and out of the holes to create an oasis of fertile soil around the bucket. I am going for buckets 6' apart. When bucket is full of worm castings, empty. Use on top of soil or gently mix in or part of seedling mix or whatever you need. We live in an arid climate, 14" of rain is a good year. We have about 8" of soil on top of sand. Constantly making compost and chipping branches to improve soil. No bare soil, mulch with cardboard, wheat and rice straw and leaves. I have a 3 tier worm farm thing that I am over with. Hoping the bucket idea will eliminate some work.
6. well this is all good if you live in england, I live in a desert.
7. In Vermont, earthworms are considered invasive. They do help gardens but if they get into your nearby forest, they create trouble. No?
8. good nice vidiyo
9. Thanks for info. I have raised tomato garden in yard- 15 non determinate mixed w marigolds to keep green tomato moth worms out. I raise plenty of worms in house in five gallon bucket sitting on top of another. Use the bottom one for fertilizing with water that out from top bkt of worms. When they populate I take some worms out and add to garden. Hard workers! My honey bees all died from neighboring farmer pesticides. Bees, earth worms and lady bugs are gardens best friends!
10. I grew worms on concrete and they grew to the length of and ~ the diameter of a pencil, dark red in color and quite well hydrated judging by their firmness. I achieved it by piling soft soil and mixing it with vegetable matter destined for the garbage can, hosing it well, and turning it over once weekly. In about two months, I went out to shovel up the compost for my garden and found it saturated with the worms described above, so I left it and when I overturned it again a couple of weeks later, I discovered I was a grandfather. I did not plant the worms, so I do not know their origin, but there they were.
11. Good to keep your soil surface with some kind of mulch but also, worms and soil bacteria love to feed in and around the root zones of living plants, it's the most biologically active portion of the soil and therefore, nutrient dense. The best way to keep the life in your soil flourishing is to: A. limit soil disturbance B. keep a living root in the ground at all times, i.e Grow a cover crop as soon as ground becomes vacant.
12. The earthworms and their eggs are in our compost pile naturally. We spread our composted leaves and grass on the garden and plow it under in the fall. Then we start a new compost pile with grass and leaves. In late fall, leaves are raked onto the top of the garden. Check out the Abled Gardener and her worm towers.
13. Excellent information. I've been using our guinea pig waste (mostly green left-overs, hay, droppings and sometimes wet wood shavings) along with fine tree brush on sections of hard compacted clay soil where nothing at all would grow. This weekend I added some decomposing leaf mold and while forking through to loosen the soil below my lasagne I came across a worm almost as thick as the tine on my fork! Given the time I'm sure he can do a better job than my fork!
14. Can I use worms from fruits and put them in a worm bin? Will it help me with my garden?
15. I was adding a scoop of worm castings to my container as i was preparing it for growing vegetables. I was surprised to find a worm in my container from the castings as that bag i purchases is over a year old!  I dumped it in my fairly big raspberry container. It disappeared after a few moments so hopefully it has a new home! My back garden is all paved over so i had nowhere else to put it.
16. Sheet composting in the Fall with leaves and applying compost and grass clippings as a mulch during the growing season are the main soil inputs we use to encourage earthworm populations in our gardens. Pretty basic stuff. In going to try applying fresh coffee grounds around my plants this year and see if it does any good. Enjoy your videos, thanks for sharing!
17. I have Huge earth worms and plenty of them in all my beds and containers. I have compost piles of food scraps and that they come to and feed on, even during the winter. When I add that to my beds the worms go with and keep working and multiplying. These particular worms get very large and are very active. I even did a video on them. I love my worms!
18. Hi Huws, very informative video as usual. What do you think about adding earth worms in the container garden soil? Is it going to help better soil in the container too? Or prefer to have worms in the raise bed soil only? Thanks.