Save That Worm!

Worms are truly fascinating creatures. For my younger kids, it's almost like a treasure hunt as they dig in the soil and discover a worm hiding there.

One night as I was heading out to the barn to check on our pregnant doe, I turned my flashlight on and discovered a quick movement in our lawn. As I walked forward a little ways, the same thing happened again. Upon close inspection, I discovered that our lawn was "infested" with night-crawlers - earthworms! Hundreds of them were basking in the cool night air. It was one of those rare moments when I was grateful for an infestation of a creature. Worms are very beneficial to the soil and you know things are good when they are abundant.

As I was strolling through our farmer's market early one Saturday, I happened to see a stand selling what they called "worm castings." It sounded quite intriguing and my curiosity got the better of me. There were three jars on the table. One contained regular dirt that was bone dry. Another had potting soil, also dry. The last jar had these worm castings and they were as moist as could be. All the jars had been filled at the same time and given the same amount of moisture. Only one retained the moisture - the worm castings.

So, what is a worm casting exactly? Saying it nicely, it is the waste that comes from a worm. It is the most amazing, natural form of fertilizer that there is. Even though it is the waste from a worm, it doesn't stink! It smells like a gardener's dream. It is also has high moisture retention. I found this excellent article that gives all the details about this stuff.

At this farmer's market booth, the gal told me she likes to use worm castings in her hanging baskets because they 1, provide natural fertilizer and 2, they retain the water so she only has to water once a week! Say what?! During the heat of the summer I usually have to water my hanging baskets twice a day and they still don't look very happy. I decided this was worth experimenting with. I bought a big bag of this magic stuff and filled my pots with it. I added my plants*, some of which did not look very good to start with. I gave them a good soaking and hung them up.

It has been about ten days and I've only watered them one time since. The plants are looking so good! Even the coleus, which was a sorry sight at the beginning seems to be recovering. I think I am a believer! Maybe I will take up worm farming!

*The plants I used in these shade baskets were creeping jenny, different types of coleus, trailing begonia, and pennyroyal.