WORMSWiggling worms are not the most glamorous members of the garden
Wiggling worms are not the most glamorous members of the garden, but they’re one of the most essential. (Virginia Farm Bureau)
PETERSBURG, Va. — Wiggling worms are not the most glamorous members of the garden, but they’re one of the most essential.
“Worms can do many things for the soil,” said Derrick Gooden, Virginia State University Small Farm Outreach Program’s Eastern Virginia regional assistant. “They help with decomposition, nutrient cycling, soil aeration, carbon regulation and improve water flow and soil structure.”
Worms are “essentially one long stomach,” Gooden said, and can digest all kinds of organic material, transforming it into nutrient-rich worm poop, otherwise known as worm castings. The clean, earthy, natural byproduct is “packed full of beneficial microbiology” and prized by farmers and gardeners to boost plant production and soil fertility. Castings help retain moisture, prevent nutrient loss, and contain macronutrients central to plant development like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
In Spotsylvania, Anita and Thomas Roberson of Botanical Bites & Provisions began producing castings to enrich their farm’s soil while reducing waste. Food and yard debris account for nearly 30% of material in landfills and are worms’ favorite foods.
But there was a learning curve.
“I got my first worm bin for Christmas a few years ago and set it up without doing my homework,” Anita recalled. “I came downstairs one morning and the worms had escaped. Hundreds of worms were wiggling all over the family room floor. It was a mess.”
She overfed them, which caused excess moisture to build up—not ideal for worms. Now Anita only feeds once a week, ensuring conditions stay damp but not wet.
“Worms are vegetarians,” she explained, and prefer produce scraps, cardboard, chopped leaves and grass clippings. She adds crushed eggshells, sand or coffee grounds as grit. Meat, dairy, citrus, spicy veggies, garlic, onions and anything oily are off the menu.
Today, large storage tubs in her basement house around 10,000 red wigglers. She brews nutrient-rich “tea” by mixing 2 tablespoons of castings per gallon of water to fertilize crops through irrigation.
For those seeking the benefits without raising worms, producers like Debbi and GB Little of Turkey Island Growers & Worm Farm in Henrico step in.
GB became interested in castings after learning about farms and vineyards using them to naturally boost crops. Inspired, he and Debbi decided to experiment. After applying worm castings, their struggling tomatoes started doing “10 times better.”
Seeing a market opportunity, they increased production. Today, they manage several worm pots and windrows holding countless red wigglers. During peak season, a single 200-gallon pot yields 80 to 150 gallons of castings in roughly two months.
“The worms will eat about 100 pounds of material in two or three days during this time of year,” GB said. “They’re voracious.”
Thanks to their hardiness and the area’s relatively mild winters, production runs year-round. Once ready for harvest, worms are scooped out and castings are screened and kept cool, moist and shaded—preserving valuable microbials for customers.
Selling through Facebook, local farmers markets, garden shows and websites, buyers range from home gardeners to small farms.
Read the full article and see pictures in Virginia Farm Bureau’s Summer Cultivate magazine.
–Virginia Farm Bureau
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