some garden help

TightenUp · April 2, 2011

i was down at my shore house where my garden is and started cleaning the garden. i use the black permeable weed blocker sheets but some weeds grow in between the sheets and some even right through the stuff. while pulling out the weeds and some old roots i noticed a good amount of worms in the garden.

i have always tilled my garden in the past but have been reading about the benefits of worms in the garden and i dont want to kill them while tilling. any thoughts on what i should do?

FILMNET · April 2, 2011

Same problem here, last year i did not touch the dirt because so many worms .I had black plastic on the dirt this winter. I look under 2 weeks ago, worms all around again. So i do not know what to do this spring

TightenUp · April 2, 2011

how did you do last year after not touching the soil?

barefootgardener · April 2, 2011

In the spring ,when temps warm up,and the ground is moist.. worms tend to congregate just beneath the top of the soil..They love to feast on decaying organic matter and eat dirt to help crush food..

How big are your gardens? If you have a small managable garden you could use the no till method, just dig a furrow or holes where the plants would go and mulch heavily around the plants and in the paths. Or use a large prodding fork to get down under the grass and weeds..And leave the rest of the soil undisturbed..Mulch heavily at least 3-4 inches.. with composted grass cuttings, leaves, compost..

I would suggest tilling late in the fall when earthworms are burying deeper into the soil..and till down just a few inches into the soil and then plant a cover crop..

I am no expert but, earthworms reproduce rapidly. One pair produces an egg capsule weekly that contains about 20 eggs. Those eggs lie dormant till spring when the right temps and moisture ensue to allow them to hatch. Usually within a few weeks or so. Then after 8-12 weeks of hatching, the new worms will be ready to reproduce in cycles..

Start you own earthworm farm in the corner of the garden.. Dig up some of those earthworms and place them under a 3 or 4 inch layer of organic matter of grass cuttings, leaf mulch, composted garden produce etc..and add a thin layer of dirt on top..Lightly moisten the soil..the mulch will supply the worms with organic sustenance and will block the sunlight and retain soil moisture and will still allow air to get through...

After this, go ahead and till if and where you need to..

FILMNET · April 2, 2011

Perfect the winter before i lifted the grass off, in the spring i used compost and lime only. 9 plants and herb love the ground. But our home was make 1812.

b54red · April 2, 2011

I have to till my beds every year because of the invasion of tree roots. I tried not tilling for a year and the soil became depleted and filled with a mass of fine tree roots which sapped all the nutrients and caused some very weak growth of vegetables. I used to worry about the worms but my worm population keeps increasing each year. The biggest boost to the worm population besides adding organic matter and manure is using a large amount of cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets. Since using these supplements to my fertilizing regimen the worm population has exploded. You have to realize that for every worm you see chopped up by the tiller there are probably hundreds too small to see that survive along with the eggs.

TightenUp · April 2, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

I have to till my beds every year because of the invasion of tree roots. I tried not tilling for a year and the soil became depleted and filled with a mass of fine tree roots which sapped all the nutrients and caused some very weak growth of vegetables. I used to worry about the worms but my worm population keeps increasing each year. The biggest boost to the worm population besides adding organic matter and manure is using a large amount of cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets. Since using these supplements to my fertilizing regimen the worm population has exploded. You have to realize that for every worm you see chopped up by the tiller there are probably hundreds too small to see that survive along with the eggs.

B54- whan you say "fine tree roots" how big we talking? my garden is loaded with roots as thin as hair from weeds and god knows what. i do have mint in the corner of the garden and have a feeling its roots are everywhere. also have other herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and parsley.

April 2, 2011	#1
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	some garden help i was down at my shore house where my garden is and started cleaning the garden. i use the black permeable weed blocker sheets but some weeds grow in between the sheets and some even right through the stuff. while pulling out the weeds and some old roots i noticed a good amount of worms in the garden. i have always tilled my garden in the past but have been reading about the benefits of worms in the garden and i dont want to kill them while tilling. any thoughts on what i should do?

April 2, 2011	#2
FILMNET Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Charleston,South Carolina, USA Posts: 1,803	Same problem here, last year i did not touch the dirt because so many worms .I had black plastic on the dirt this winter. I look under 2 weeks ago, worms all around again. So i do not know what to do this spring Last edited by FILMNET; April 2, 2011 at 06:03 PM.

April 2, 2011	#4
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	In the spring ,when temps warm up,and the ground is moist.. worms tend to congregate just beneath the top of the soil..They love to feast on decaying organic matter and eat dirt to help crush food.. How big are your gardens? If you have a small managable garden you could use the no till method, just dig a furrow or holes where the plants would go and mulch heavily around the plants and in the paths. Or use a large prodding fork to get down under the grass and weeds..And leave the rest of the soil undisturbed..Mulch heavily at least 3-4 inches.. with composted grass cuttings, leaves, compost.. I would suggest tilling late in the fall when earthworms are burying deeper into the soil..and till down just a few inches into the soil and then plant a cover crop.. I am no expert but, earthworms reproduce rapidly. One pair produces an egg capsule weekly that contains about 20 eggs. Those eggs lie dormant till spring when the right temps and moisture ensue to allow them to hatch. Usually within a few weeks or so. Then after 8-12 weeks of hatching, the new worms will be ready to reproduce in cycles.. Start you own earthworm farm in the corner of the garden.. Dig up some of those earthworms and place them under a 3 or 4 inch layer of organic matter of grass cuttings, leaf mulch, composted garden produce etc..and add a thin layer of dirt on top..Lightly moisten the soil..the mulch will supply the worms with organic sustenance and will block the sunlight and retain soil moisture and will still allow air to get through... After this, go ahead and till if and where you need to..

April 2, 2011	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have to till my beds every year because of the invasion of tree roots. I tried not tilling for a year and the soil became depleted and filled with a mass of fine tree roots which sapped all the nutrients and caused some very weak growth of vegetables. I used to worry about the worms but my worm population keeps increasing each year. The biggest boost to the worm population besides adding organic matter and manure is using a large amount of cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets. Since using these supplements to my fertilizing regimen the worm population has exploded. You have to realize that for every worm you see chopped up by the tiller there are probably hundreds too small to see that survive along with the eggs.