What the Worms Taught Me

 

By Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell County Master Gardener

Learning how to garden successfully in Somervell County has been a real challenge to this native Central Texas gal.  Little did I know how blessed we were to have the sandy, loam soil we all took for granted.  I’m always bragging how easy it was “down south”.   You simply toss the seeds on the ground, stomp them a couple of times, water and wait.  It was a done deal.

Not so in the land of rock, cactus and juniper ash.  My yard has only a few inches of viable soil before my spade hits stuff so hard it would take a jack hammer to bust it loose.   Therefore, I’m always on the look-out for ideas to improve my vegetable gardens.

With little yard space to spare, I decided to put in a square-foot garden last year.  Prior to my Master Gardener training, I unwittingly chose soil from a dairy that I thought would be suitable for my bed.  It turned out to be a mistake as it packed when watered.

I started adding compost material to the bed, but it wasn’t breaking down quickly enough to help the situation.  WORMS!   Worms came to mind, so I started doing a little on-line research and came across an article showing how to make worm towers.  Perfect!

After gathering all the materials needed and enlisting the help of a friend, my PVC worm towers were ready to be placed in my garden.  I followed the directions step-by-step and proudly deposited my store-bought worms into their very own Holiday Inn.  How could they not “go forth and multiply”?  After all, they had a ritzy little house, food and water.

Every day I checked my towers to see what the worms were up to.  Not once did I actually see a worm, but assumed they were well and happy.   But, as spring turned into summer it became apparent that not only were my worms not happy—they were DEAD!

What did I learn from the worms?  1)  Their towers needed to have more ventilation holes.  2)  Their towers needed to be buried further down in the soil.  3)  They don’t like to be soaked with the hose at full-blast every day (or ever).  4)  Pampered worms kept in cold storage don’t adapt too well to the Texas heat.

For those of you interested in making/using worm towers, here are a few simple instructions:

1.  Cut PVC pipe into 2-3 foot sections.   Pipes with a larger diameter should do better (6-8”).
2. Drill ¼ “ holes at various intervals up/down the pipe, leaving the top 4” undrilled.
3. Dig a hole in the center of your garden that is deep enough to bury all but the top 4” of the pipe.
4. Bury the pipe and back-fill dirt around it.
5. Fill the tube about ½ full of moist organic material such as straw, shredded newspaper, leaves and kitchen scraps (no grease or meat).
6. Add about 50 worms to the tube.  I recommend digging them from another flower bed or area that is rich in worms as these critters have already adapted to the environment.
7. Place a square of screen wire over the top of the tower to keep out flies/critters.  You can also cover that with a flower pot to keep the wire in place.  Terra cotta works best.
8.     To maintain, keep the inside of the tube moist, but spray the water gently.  Add organic scraps as needed.

So, that, my friends, is what the worms taught me.   Nature is like that, you know.  If we will just sit still and observe what is right before our eyes, we can learn a lot—even from worms…………….