Whenever I am working in my garden and I find an earthworm in the soil, it gives me great joy. Earthworms are a sure sign that the soil is healthy and good for our plants, writes Janet Carson in HomeStyle.
Earthworms not only help to aerate the soil by burrowing tunnels as they feed, but they also help to break down organic matter in the soil, and the byproduct they give off is also beneficial for the soil.
Today many home gardeners are composting, taking all their yard and kitchen wastes and turning that into a usable product called compost, which is then incorporated back into the garden to enrich the site and add organic matter. But if you don’t have the space or time to do large-scale composting, you can compost in a more manageable space by letting earthworms do the work for you.
Vermicomposting is the word for this, and all it takes is a few simple materials, a bucket of worms, and you are off and running. See Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for Carson’s instructions.