What Worms Say: 'Be Careful How You Till'

   Dennis Linden, at U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service soil lab in St. Paul, Minn., discovered this about worms...'When worms find a good eating hole...they tend to return again and again.'...Kind of like us. when we you go to the same favorite eating spot over and over. Worms are sign of healthy soil. They loosen the soil, create pathways for plant roots, drain and aerate the soil and spread organic mulch around your garden.

   When worms find a good food source they remember the location and keep coming back for more..Worms eat organic matter...leaves, old vegetables, fruits etc.,... now if you till your soil and till this 'worm food' deeper than 6 inches, worm tunnels will tend to be horizonal and when the worms look for their meals, they create horizonal holes. BUT, if you keep this mulch--organic matter closer to the surface, the worm tunnels or burrows will tend to be vertical instead of horizonal. This is much better for your garden's health.. Your garden's soil will have better air and water penetration, helping with removal of chemical toxins. Vertical tunnels also encourage more beneficial microbes growth, these microbes break down pesticides and fertilizers.

   Let's keep our earthworms happy and have them coming back for seconds. They will remember our gardens and return year after year.

JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'   http://www.wormguys.com/

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