Vermicoast

This is from my yet unpublished second book.  This new one will cover all the questions I have been asked over the years.  Not all of these will relate directly to worms, but they will have a worm theme to them all.  My hope is that you will learn from them, ask more questions about them and they will illuminate the worms role in your gardens.

Q. I have a hard red clay lawn. What will happen to it if I add red worms to the lawn, will they improve the soil?
A. Unless you have a very good food source for the worms and well watered mulch to cover them the worms will perish. This is due to a variety of factors.  Predation by every bird, mole, vole, opossum and raccoon in your area will dine on your newly purchased worms.  If, on the other hand, you do have a source for mulch, which is finely ground to a particle size of 1/4″ to ½” and it can be well watered, you can safely add the worms you have at dusk.  Then be sure to rake more of that same mulch, with the same amount of moisture over them all.If you chose to do this with your worms, a food source will be a challenge, as red worms will require a constant food source from you to do their best work.
The above process is one that I used to rid myself of the lawns we had over 18 years ago.  It took many applications of mulch to finally be turf free, but it was well worth the results.

Q. Where do I get mulch from and what does it cost?
A. Almost all cities have crews out on a daily basis to cut the trees back from the power lines, branches overhanging onto our streets and lanes. Almost every one of these trucks I see has a chipper-shredder hitched as a trailer.  Most or many cities now use most all of the mulch they make this way. But, when they do run out of places to put the mulch, they like the rest of us with too much green waste, have to take it to the landfill site.  If you are fortunate enough to live in a city which has a composting site close to the landfill you can generally go and get a pick up load of mulch, either for free or a minimal charge.
The city where I live have so much tree pruning to do they have to resort to hiring out to private firms to get all the trimming and pruning done. When I see one of these private concerns with a six block radius of my home, I usually stop, say hello, introduce myself and ask the crew what they are going to do with the mulch when they are done for the day? More often than not it is headed for the landfill, will be their answer. It is then I have a pre-printed card with my name address and a map on how to locate my home on it. I ask if they would drop the mulch off at my home, as I have a clearly marked place for it and that is on the card, too. Almost every time they will bring the mulch to me for free. It serves them, too.  If they had to take the mulch to the landfill site, they will have to pay the tip fee for leaving it there, plus the gasoline and their own time to get it there.  It is a win-win for the crew and my garden.
Mulch is wonderful for any garden as it helps to keeps the weeds in check, the native plants will need or require even less water than ever and your paths will have a very neatly lined edge to them.

Q. What if I use just shredder newspaper as mulch in my vegetable garden as a soil amendment?
A. This is a  good idea. Recent studies have shown the soy content within the inks actually do add needed nutrients to the soil and improve it by using it as a top dress type mulch.

I hope this helps you expand your horizons in your garden and with your worms.  I look forward to your questions about all the posts I put here.

Enjoy your worms!

~Shel