Comments on: Adding Red Worms to Your Garden http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/ Red Wiggler Worms, European Nightcrawlers and loads of helpful Worm Composting Information Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:46:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-34161 Bentley Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:33:52 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-34161 Hi Sam, Most of my trenches have become "windrows" (mounded beds sitting above ground). I DID do one trench excavation last year, and ended up with LOADS of great compost/mulch for my gardens, so that was pretty cool! (quite a bit of work though) Bottom-line, if you want to keep them as trenches, you will periodically need to excavate them - might be a helpful practice for adding rich material to your garden beds every spring or fall. 8) Hi Sam,
Most of my trenches have become “windrows” (mounded beds sitting above ground). I DID do one trench excavation last year, and ended up with LOADS of great compost/mulch for my gardens, so that was pretty cool! (quite a bit of work though)
Bottom-line, if you want to keep them as trenches, you will periodically need to excavate them – might be a helpful practice for adding rich material to your garden beds every spring or fall.
8)

]]> By: Sam http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-34156 Sam Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:42:57 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-34156 I know it's been like 8 months since the last post, but was wondering if you would need to dig up the trench ever to replace bedding? I know it’s been like 8 months since the last post, but was wondering if you would need to dig up the trench ever to replace bedding?

]]> By: ella hushagen http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-30659 ella hushagen Sat, 18 Jun 2011 02:04:06 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-30659 Hello, i have worms and kitchen scrap compost in a galvanized can,partially buried in the ground. Recently I went to clean out my can and i found that my worms had died. Did my can get too hot? I have bought new worms several times now and I wonder what I am doing wrong. Please help!!! Ella/W. Hollywood Hello,

i have worms and kitchen scrap compost in a galvanized can,partially buried in the ground. Recently I went to clean out my can and i found that my worms had died. Did my can get too hot? I have bought new worms several times now and I wonder what I am doing wrong. Please help!!!

Ella/W. Hollywood

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-30186 Bentley Wed, 04 May 2011 00:23:12 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-30186 Hi Debbie, The timing of your comment is excellent since this week is dedicated to talking about various ways composting worms can be used in our yards (including gardens of course). As for your question - the long and the short of it is that Red Worms are adapted for life in very rich organic waste environments - not soil. Do they eat the same things as other earthworms? Yes and no. While regular garden worms would certainly come up and nibble on rich materials like manure and rotting food wastes, you wouldn't find them actually populating a manure heap or compost bin the way Red Worms do. Your best bet is to create something like a vermicomposting trench (you can learn more via the "HOT TOPICS" page) - but instead of just creating trenches and adding material from your bin, actually set the trench up like a worm bin with bedding and food materials. If you create a rich enough environment the Red Worms should stick around and grow in number quite rapidly. Hope this helps Hi Debbie,
The timing of your comment is excellent since this week is dedicated to talking about various ways composting worms can be used in our yards (including gardens of course).
As for your question – the long and the short of it is that Red Worms are adapted for life in very rich organic waste environments – not soil. Do they eat the same things as other earthworms? Yes and no. While regular garden worms would certainly come up and nibble on rich materials like manure and rotting food wastes, you wouldn’t find them actually populating a manure heap or compost bin the way Red Worms do.
Your best bet is to create something like a vermicomposting trench (you can learn more via the “HOT TOPICS” page) – but instead of just creating trenches and adding material from your bin, actually set the trench up like a worm bin with bedding and food materials. If you create a rich enough environment the Red Worms should stick around and grow in number quite rapidly.

Hope this helps

]]> By: Debbie O'Phelan http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-30183 Debbie O'Phelan Tue, 03 May 2011 21:53:44 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-30183 Several times I have repeated what I have done today in my garden. The reason I found this site is because I was wondering if what I have been doing is working. My worm bins started from just 1 Sm cottage cheese container full of red worms a friend gave me from their bin. With in 6 months My worms multiplied to satisfy 4 lg dark plastic containers with lids(holes drilled in sides) these are near my garden against a shed. We eat a ton of fruit and veggies and save every scrap. when the worms have had enough, I fill 5 gal buckets with scraps and secure with lids. Today when i went to feed them all bedding was gone and their were a ton of big reds and babies (this has been normal from early on). I dig trenches between my veggie rows about 10"deep.Scatter with scraps sprinkle with a little dirt then a ton of worms and babies them cover with dirt. My garden is 2 yrs old from grassy lawn and has produced well. the soil looks nice and i have alot of worms but can't tell they seem to be earth worms,but are very big. I don't know how I could use the worm dirt with out getting worms in the garden because i have so many. I fill my worm bins back up with the dirt left over from filling trenches. I hope this isn't all a waste of time because it is alot work and time. this is about the 5th time I have done this. Reading this I think I need to get a few more bins and also refresh the beds in existing bins. 1 thing I can say I have so many babies all the time(the little white worms) why can't red worms live in the garden like earth worms, won't they eat the same things? Several times I have repeated what I have done today in my garden. The reason I found this site is because I was wondering if what I have been doing is working. My worm bins started from just 1 Sm cottage cheese container full of red worms a friend gave me from their bin. With in 6 months My worms multiplied to satisfy 4 lg dark plastic containers with lids(holes drilled in sides) these are near my garden against a shed. We eat a ton of fruit and veggies and save every scrap. when the worms have had enough, I fill 5 gal buckets with scraps and secure with lids. Today when i went to feed them all bedding was gone and their were a ton of big reds and babies (this has been normal from early on). I dig trenches between my veggie rows about 10″deep.Scatter with scraps sprinkle with a little dirt then a ton of worms and babies them cover with dirt. My garden is 2 yrs old from grassy lawn and has produced well. the soil looks nice and i have alot of worms but can’t tell they seem to be earth worms,but are very big. I don’t know how I could use the worm dirt with out getting worms in the garden because i have so many. I fill my worm bins back up with the dirt left over from filling trenches. I hope this isn’t all a waste of time because it is alot work and time. this is about the 5th time I have done this. Reading this I think I need to get a few more bins and also refresh the beds in existing bins. 1 thing I can say I have so many babies all the time(the little white worms) why can’t red worms live in the garden like earth worms, won’t they eat the same things?

]]> By: Ken http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-9284 Ken Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:43:55 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-9284 yeah I use my own regular composting to cover the food waste in the planter. It all works out really well. I don't really know if the food waste helps the tomatoes. I didnt make a control planter box to see, I just put worms in the planter just to see what happened. I would like to see the difference. yeah I use my own regular composting to cover the food waste in the planter. It all works out really well. I don’t really know if the food waste helps the tomatoes. I didnt make a control planter box to see, I just put worms in the planter just to see what happened. I would like to see the difference.

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-9265 Bentley Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:44:26 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-9265 Thanks for sharing that, Ken! I think a planter and/or a raised bed garden could work well for keeping red worms. As you've mentioned, the key of course is to add food materials for the worms. One thing to keep in mind though - some planting mixes can come with inorganic fertilizer salts in them already - these can harm your worms. Be sure to make your own planting mix (peat, coir, vermiculite etc) and avoid adding any normal fertilizers to the soil while the worms are in there. B Thanks for sharing that, Ken!

I think a planter and/or a raised bed garden could work well for keeping red worms. As you’ve mentioned, the key of course is to add food materials for the worms.
One thing to keep in mind though – some planting mixes can come with inorganic fertilizer salts in them already – these can harm your worms. Be sure to make your own planting mix (peat, coir, vermiculite etc) and avoid adding any normal fertilizers to the soil while the worms are in there.

B

]]> By: Ken http://www.redwormcomposting.com/reader-questions/adding-red-worms-to-your-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-9228 Ken Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:01:14 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=218#comment-9228 Hey I've posted here before and I read the last post about putting redworms in the garden. I have a 6ft long by 2ft wide home made planter box that I use for a "garden". I currently have tomatoes in this planter box. I live in Southern California. I just wanted to comment on this subject. I have been experimenting with putting redworms in my garden box. One day I just thought hey why dont I put some redworms in this box. So I did. They adapted well and I havent had problems with them escaping or anything like that. What other things ive been doing is I been putting food waste directly into the planter box leaving a small circle of clear area around each plant so as not to cause any rotting of the stalks or something like that just in case. Any way everything is great the tomatoes are doing good no dead plants no discoloring of the leaves and the cool thing is when I lift up some of the waste ( like a whole peach) there are tons of worms slithering under and throughout the waste. I think in my not so professional opinion that worms are an asset to the garden. anytime I have top trim leaves from the plants or I have rotten fruits from the plants i just drop them into the planter box. Its like another worm bin! Anyway hope this blathering helps anyone and everyone. Thanks for reading. Worm Crazy Ken Hey I’ve posted here before and I read the last post about
putting redworms in the garden. I have a 6ft long by 2ft wide home
made planter box that I use for a “garden”. I currently have tomatoes
in this planter box. I live in Southern California. I just wanted to
comment on this subject. I have been experimenting with putting
redworms in my garden box. One day I just thought hey why dont I put
some redworms in this box. So I did. They adapted well and I havent
had problems with them escaping or anything like that.

What other things ive been doing is I been putting food waste
directly into the planter box leaving a small circle of clear area
around each plant so as not to cause any rotting of the stalks or
something like that just in case. Any way everything is great the
tomatoes are doing good no dead plants no discoloring of the leaves
and the cool thing is when I lift up some of the waste ( like a whole
peach) there are tons of worms slithering under and throughout the
waste. I think in my not so professional opinion that worms are an
asset to the garden. anytime I have top trim leaves from the plants or
I have rotten fruits from the plants i just drop them into the planter
box. Its like another worm bin! Anyway hope this blathering helps
anyone and everyone. Thanks for reading.

Worm Crazy Ken

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