About Earthworms

Hello my name is Florence the Earthworm and I am here to teach you about my friends and I and what goes on beneath the surface. Soil just like a forest is an ecosystem it only works because lots of animals, plants insects, stones and fungi work together. Soil is a very busy place you find Moles, small plant roots and great big tree roots as well as lots of fungi. You also find lots of Earthworms,

An Earthworm works underground as the Earths natural plough. We eat the dead leaves and other materials and poop it back out as fertilizer for the soil. That sounds like a pretty big job when you look at how much soil there is on the planet but that is why there is so many of us. The busiest time of year is when it comes to Autumn when our green friends Trees drop their leaves. We work with the fungi to recycle the leaf litter and return it back to the plants and soil as nutrients.

This relationship works because we also get a home and some food out of it. It is always a good sign when you find worms in your garden we are a sign of good soil health- especially in compost heaps. We do not only fertilise the soil but we also aerate it, this provides a better environment for plant roots to grow and explore.
To attract more worms to your garden just keep adding organic matter to your compost heap and as mulch for your plants. Also remember to grow more trees and plants because worms and fungi need to make a living too.

The world needs more Earth worms!

Did you know that in an acre of land there can be over one million Earthworms?

Did you know that Earthworms do not have lungs, this is because we breathe through our skin?

Read about Earthworms in India

Worm Composting

Worm composting or vermi composting is a great way of making some of the best nutrients possible for feeding to your plants. Wormeries are made to house red composting worms and these are fed organic kitchen waste as food. Just like in a compost heap the worms will eat the waste and poop out nutrients.

After a while this compost makes a liquid, special taps are made at the bottom of wormeries to gather the black gold. This potent fertilizer is then given to plants as a feed. Just like a compost bin it takes a while to get the final product but when it comes around it is the best you can get. The vermi- compost is then added to the soil as a great companion to give the plants a well deserved feed.

 
Worm Farm

This kid’s wormery is ideal for viewing earthworms as they develop hatching from cocoons into worms.

There is a very special worm used for composting- this is the red worm
Have a look at this video on how to make A Worm Tower  remember to ask for an adults help before starting