Garden worms

Ok, so don't laugh...
I want to 'Import' worms to my garden as I think the soil needs more worms (Have been digging up lawn to make garden beds).
I googled and was led to a company on Amazon, but some of their reviews indicated the worms were either TINY TINY or not alive.
Should I buy worms to increase my population? Where? There is actually a bait place I've been considering going to, at the risk of being laughed out of the store! HA HA!
I did start a compost pile which is small now; when leaves fall soon I'll have a lot of big piles :)

The bait shop is probably your best bet. Sometimes they have them at farm or garden supply stores around here. I don't think you will be laughed out of the store. At least, I hope not.

Yep, the bait shop is the best place to purchase them. Just tell the folks that you are going fishing. No laughs then.........LOL

If you have a compost pile, and it is exposed to the soil beneath, the bottom of the compost pile should be loaded with worms.

Just adding compost on top of your soil will "attract" more worms... it gives them something to feed on.

The observation of few worms may be a symptom of depleted organic content in your soil, so I don't get the reasoning for adding worms, as I can't think of any intrinsic value to the worms themselves being there unless they have organic matter to break down... that's where the benefit comes from. If you add organic content, then you will get more worms anyway. If you add worms without there being anything for them to feed on, why do it?

This message was edited Sep 19, 2014 10:54 AM

Hi valal-
I doubt you need to 'seed' your soil with worms, as the few that are already there will be happy to provide plenty of offspring, once they have an acceptable habitat provided. My evidence:

1-When I moved into my house, it had never been gardened, prior owners being quite uninterested in the yard. Areas I wanted to use for gardening had bad compacted clay and builders rubble, hardly any worms. I did not follow 'the rules' (digging in compost and amending soil) I just got rid of grass and weeds, planted (holes had to be chopped out with a mattock), and started sporadically mulching. It was an amazing transformation in just a year. One especially bad area now had soft soil I could scoop up with a trowel, and suddenly had tons of happy worms, where before I had found none at all. This spot is surrounded by pavement. Worms multiplied anyway. Photo below taken this May.

2- Last year I made two new gardens. These I had a 'planting' mix trucked in. I spread 6" on top of the bare earth, and planted in that, then spread about 1-2" mulch. Of course there was initially not a worm in this stuff, and the soil below where there was lawn (killed with a layers of newspapers or cardboard but not dug up at all, and no worms seen in the crappy compacted soil). This year there are zillions.

3- I have an area on concrete by my garage where windblown leaves collect. I am somewhat neglectful, and usually only clean it up about twice a year. If I do it every 2-3 months I see no worms there, but if I leave it about 6 months I am scooping up humusy decomposed leaves with, again, lots of little baby worms. This stuff seems like fine compost to me, and I place it in my garden. I don't even know how these worm eggs even get in there, possibly birds?

I crossposted with altagardener. We should always listen to altagardener, one of the wisest gardeners in DG.

Wow, that's quite an endorsement. Are you related? lol. No offense meant.

Ahh, just a comment from another of the paid minions that I've peppered through the audience of the very few internet forums I frequent... (The cheque is in the mail. Thanks.)


Edit: Kidding, of course, and I thank you sincerely for the very effusive compliment.

This message was edited Sep 19, 2014 1:44 PM

hehe. Nope, we don't know each other, and have never even really chatted in any thread that I recall, I just know that I have seen altagardener's posts for years, in many forums where I contribute or just lurk, and it is clear that alta is smart, knowledgeable, and an experienced gardener. And willing to share the wisdom with us! Cville and kirkkr are like that too, and so are lots of other DGers.

Thank you to you experts for your input. I started a simlar project this year, Mimi...I am turning my back yard from lawn (all around borders, mostly and several feet out) to garden beds. I have the disadvantage of having the backyard "up a level" from the driveway, so that I can't have mulch/loam trucked in...bringing it up by bagful hasn't been a picnic, but seemed the easier option :) I tilled the ground, and it was very dry and uninviting, but some is just missing the "good stuff" because it's been so barren for so long. I started a compost pile, but it's rather small yet, and still in the works; And basically I have been planting my plants with peat, miracle grow moisture conditioning soil (which basically has soil,manure/fertilizer and a little roughage like mulch) with every plant. I should have started out with one area at a time, but I say when you can go big, why not!? I had visions of flowers up the ying yang next year :) I have not gotten to the mulching yet (still planting and awaiting on line order) yet, but have several bags ready.

Come fall, I will plenty of those leaves to mulch with...and compost/pile. I never really thought of the "not bringing in worms" unless they have something to work with. So THANK YOU alta-g for that and all your input. I love this forum! You all are so helpful and so sharing with us much-more-novice gardeners!

Mimi, Love those purple and yellow/orange flowers...what are they? They certainly are happy, attesting to your turning around the soil you first had to work with!

The purple is Geranium x magnificum. Quite a show late spring and a remarkably tough and easy plant. I really did have to chop a hole to stuff it in years ago. The orange is Geum 'Totally Tangerine', the best Geum I have tried, by far. Also barely visible is Iris 'Lovely Senorita', Lavender stoechas, and a few Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold'. If you haven't discovered this, when a 'thumbnail' photo seems too small for detail even when you have clicked on it, then right click on it and choose 'view image' (or you can 'copy' it into your computer and enlarge it as much as needed but I hardly ever need to do that).
Happy mulching! This little garden shown was also not a place I could bring in more 'soil' because it was already raised a bit, but I give it an inch of mulch most years. It is next to the entrance walkway, so it needs to look good close up. I tried hazelnut shell mulch, a local product, but they were sharp and yet rounded and loose and kept rolling down all over the bricks and never seemed to decompose (but in their favor weeds, slugs and cats were deterred). A much better but very pricey mulch is cocoa bean shell mulch. It gets sort of gummy when wetted at first, and sticks together in an impenetrable way, so it really stays in place. Also deters weeds, slugs and cats. Smells nice!

Alta when does Geum 'Totally Tangerine', or really, how long does it bloom? ?

I found a photo of the Geum getting going on May 8, it stays in bloom I think well over a month for me. The Geranium lasts about 3 weeks.

Wow. I don't even know if my Geum withstood my daughter's "gardening." She's been house-sitting for us these last two-three years.