Earthworms

This appeared in the April 29, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

As we are starting to work in the garden, we are delighted to see our friends, the Earthworms are already hard at work recycling organic material, fertilizing and building healthy soil. Worm Castings are a major component of thriving soil. Nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen become more readily available to plants after digestion by earthworms. Worms move the nutrients down and closer to plant roots. Their burrows improve soil aeration and water infiltration. There is a close relationship between microbes in the soil and in the worm gut, where the microbes are processed, activated and enhanced. 

Earthworms live from 4-8 years and each one can produce 1000 babies every 6 months. In favorable conditions, one acre of land can contain more than a million earthworms. Most Earthworms native to North America are extinct. The most common types (the nightcrawler and the red earthworm) came from Europe during colonial times through soil in potted plants. 

Earthworms are under threat from industrial agricultural practices. A recent study found fewer than 30 earthworms per square meter of an intensively farmed field, while organic, no-till fields contained up to 450 worms in the same area. In addition to tilling, heavy machinery and the use of herbicides, earthworms are also negatively impacted by climate change, particularly drought. When drought kills the earthworms, the soil becomes dense and impermeable, leading to floods when the rains come. When earthworms suffer, so does our soil, agriculture and our food supply.

If you want to grow your own supply of the incredibly effective fertilizer and soil amendment (worm castings), you do so with something called a Worm Bag. It’s not as unpleasant as it sounds! Vermiculture is a form of worm composting that turns kitchen scraps and other green waste into worm casting super compost using a kitchen bin.