In the middle of each of my raised beds and I put in a Lowes bucket with a bunch of holes drilled into it and got a screw-on lid from Amazon. I filled it about 1/3 full of compost and pine shavings and then put about 200 red wigglers in each. I use it for vermicompost and put all my prunings and food scraps in each bucket over the course of the summer. All my worms survive the winter wonderfully. The buckets get them below the frost line without having the heavy weight of soil on them. Everywhere I dug this summer I found worms. I was thrilled.
I just earlier this season decided that I didn’t want tarragon in one of my 45 gallon grow bags and dug as deep as I could with my hands to take as many roots out as I could. I found lots of worms in that grow bag and kept saying sorry to them for disturbing them as I went along, yeah I know that they didn’t understand what I was saying but, I felt bad and made sure I covered them back with the soil. I wanted that bag to become my sage only bag because the tarragon kept taking over the sage and I don’t use tarragon as much as I used sage. I thought it very cool that they made their way into the grow bags and for as long as we stay in this rental house, I will continue to do what I can to keep them safe and happy. I’m not an experienced gardener and still learning and thankful to you and the other few people that I watch on UA-cam for all that y’all are teaching me. Each year my little garden that’s both in ground and in pots and grow bags is thriving more each year in thanks to you all so, thank you for all your help and information you share ❣️🤗❣️
I have an indoor worm bin. In the spring when it's warm, i place about 50 worms from my over crowded bin into my cold compost bins. Definitely have to keep it moist. My seedlings all have vermicompost, which includes live worms plus eggs. They then populate the garden. I've had red wrigglers survive through Canadian winters in well mulched garden beds - can get as cold as -30 Celsius!
I raise red wigglers and when they multiply, I cast the worms with the castings throughout the garden. Last fall I spread them out and then covered the soil with chicken and rabbit manure and leaves and woodchips and my garlic is softball size. Brassicas doing amazing even though we are having a drought and I never water the garden. There is so much moisture in my soil and so many worms
Hey Luke, thanks for the ongoing solid content. I want to point out that not "all worms are good". Invasive jumping worms ruin the soil and have nasty effects on ecosystems. Please do an episode on jumping worms at some point. Thank you.
I have those nasty jumping worms. You have to get rid of them before adding any good worm because the Jumping worms edge out the good worms. I am working on the eradication phase now. (Castaway).
@@joniboulware1436 True, I too have found they've largely taken over and displaced the European worms. I use tea seed meal as well every so often. It is expensive, unfortunately, and isn't labeled yet as a vermicide, but it does kill the worms. It doesn't kill the cocoons though, and they just come back. The active ingredient in Botanigard looks promising in its ability to kill most of the worms AND the cocoons, but the dose needed seems to be much higher. Research is underway at UVM to determine effectiveness. Dr. Gorres there said that he hopes we might get it labeled within a few months, but you never know how long these things take with regulatory bodies. It would be fantastic to have some better controls for these worms. They are extremely problematic for the home gardener and the forest ecology.
I like adding WORM TOWERS to my garden for essentially a free range worm farms right there in my active beds. 4" PVC with 1" drilled holes that you put compostable scraps in that the worms can then directly feed on. I put a flower pot on the top to keep the scraps from getting soggy and gross.
Adding vegetable/kitchen scraps in a trench benefits regular old earthworms too. I am always amazed how quickly the scraps decompose and that area is left airy and hopefully with nutrient rich castings.
A word of caution about purchasing red wrigglers. Make sure the vendor does not include a variety of different worms. Some vendors ship a mix together for composting purposes. Some vendors will include "crazy worms" aka "alabama jumpers". They are prodigious composters, BUT highly invasive. The outcompete all of the other worms. Unfortunately, their castings are not good either- their nutrients are not easily accessed by plants. There is alot of literature about how they have destroyed forest "duff" in Wisconsin and other midwestern states. Interesting reading.
Unfortunately invasive earthworm species can also get into your soil without your intervention. There isn't much you can do about it. Though technically the common earthworms are also introduced and considered invasive in wild ecosystems. You have to work with them, and they have their place. We have Asian jumping worms in NJ already. Since I can't get rid of them, I give them something to do by top dressing with unfinished compost.
You can throw a thick layer of hay, leaves, or plant matter on top of the garden for the winter in colder climates. As long as it doesn’t become a hot compost pile, it can keep the red wrigglers alive over the winter. Even throwing a few layers of cardboard over their garden area can make a big difference.
I bury my non meat compost about a foot and half down. I move areas thru out the year. I also pick up bags of leaves from the neighborhood in the fall and mulch my garden beds when cold weather comes. I have tons of worms now. So leads and food scraps is all I use. All free and I have beautiful dark rich soil.
Didn’t think they tolerate or live through cold winters. As you mentioned. Mine are indoors in buckets and lidded tub. Pretty expensive to take any chances here in zone 5b. Thanks for the vide.
Mine survived in my 5b zone in colorado. Dug out a hole in the middle of the raised bed with a 5-gallon bucket in it with a screw-on lid and a bunch of holes drilled in the side and bottom. It's not overly full so I think it gets them deep enough to survive the winter with the warmth of the surrounding soil but then they are crushed by the weight of the dirt. That's my theory at least. All I know is I put some worms in a few years ago and my beds produce well and every time I plant out in the spring I find worms in each scoop.
I love having a worm bin or two in the house for worm castings, & I like that I don't have to walk all the way to the compost to get rid of a couple food scraps! & there's always many worms & eggs in the cartoons, that are them added to my garden! 👏 I don't heavily screen them to get out every last worm for that reason...
Also when putting in garden put some compost thru your blender and then cover with newspaper/drenched cardboard then put the worms in, cover, mulch. This allows them to start feasting immediately
Last month I bought 350 worms! Half were Red Wigglers & the other half were Super Red European Worms. Unfortunately the 2 bags of worms weren't labeled, so I just put 1/2 in my compost bins and the other half in my raised garden beds. Now, as I'm working the soil, I have a better appreciation for worms I see. (Sorry chickens, you're not getting worms treats anymore, these guys have a job to do!! Lol)
We used to have a vermaculture bed and I loved using the castings to make a tea for our garden. However, it was quite a bit of work and difficult to do here in the cold CO winters. I like your info on doing this in the raised beds. That's something that would be very viable for me. Ty for the info!
Red Wrigglers - how about that. So glad you gave us all this information, Luke. I know that worms are good for garden soil, but I didn't know about a specific type and everything that goes with it. Great how-to video!
Thanks Luke! I guess I need to stop tossing so many to the chickens as treats.😄 But really, I've moved lots from the compost bin to the raised beds. 🙂 Blessings! 💜
They only eat dead or decaying matter, so unless the seeds are dead or the plant is diseased, the worms will leave it alone. They don't have any hard mouthparts so they won't take a bite out of a healthy plant or seed.
I was going to buy red worms years back but when researched I couldn't find a straight forward answer if it was a good idea. Then I transplanted into raised bed and found a big earth worm 😂. My raised bed right now is producing a lot
Great info as always! I am looking to put something like this into my 5-15 gallon containers. Would they help my vegetables or is that too small of a chunk of dirt for them?
In NC I just baited worms into garden beds, my first year gardening in Florida… not a lot of worms in this fine hydrophobic sugar sand. I might have to import me some earfwormz
REQUEST. I really appreciate your videos. They are so educational. I would like to see you do one about controlling flea beetles organically. I have tried soap, neem and water mixture. They hop off before it hits them. I tried DE. But the powder doesnt stay dry long enouph to make a difference. Help! They are killing my tomatoe starts 😢
@organic north. There's a recipe online for a alcohol based spray for insects. It works wonders on killing flea beetles on contact. Take caution when spraying on the plants, it could damage the foliage if spayed in the sun. I would then I follow it up by covering the bed with DE. I've lowered my flea beetle population by 95% I suggest you try it. If you are worried about organic spray, I see this as a one time spray and I can lower the organic standards temporarily. Good luck!
I use a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled into it as a composting site for my garden. Buried 3/4 of the way into the ground. Worms come and go, make compost, leave castings.
@@FlowerxLady The size and number aren't really critical. I tend to use 1cm so about 3/8 inch? holes and drill a few in the base and 2 rows around the lower sides. If the holes are big enough for the worms, they'll find their way in.
I lived in Canadas Artic. I harvested my compost one winter and put it outside in minus 40 to minus 50C temperatures. The worms died off but not the eggs which I discovered when they hatch out in an indoor planter
Will the red wigglers exist along with the regular earth worms? I have a lot of earth worms, when I plant something, a lot of worms come up. I keep 2-4" of ground leaf mulch on the beds almost year around. In December, I rake most of the mulch off, put it into bags, and cover the beds with black weed block and plastic. I'm trying to warm the soil faster. I planted lettuce and radishes Feb. 1 to Feb 20. Wow what fantastic crops I got! Radishes now finished, Most of the lettuce is still going. 2 varieties are bolting. 25 varieties lettuce, 36 varieties radish. Thank you for your videos!
Interesting I am trying an experiment. My worm bin is sitting on a rack/shelf over my compost bin so all the liquid drains out of the holes in the bottom into the compost.
I had some potting soil in my room over the winter in a bin. Poured hot water on top to kill back any fungus gnats. Well one day I went to pot up something and it was full of red worms. Once got hard to sift them out , I just let them have it. I was going to use it as a worm farm but someone told me I should use compost specific worms for my worm farm. So when it got warm enough I put them with the soil in a garden bed. 🤷🏼♀️ 🤦♀️🤦♀️
Last yr I left two onions in that I started from seed. I want them to bolt this season. They have over sintered and come back beautiful. The bulbs are nice and large the leaves now laid over. Will they bolt?
I'm using small trashcans with lids. I drilled holes in the sides and bottom and buried the trash can. When I want to put food scraps in it, I just lift the lid.
in the early spring, I can -hear- the "nightcrawlers" moving in the leaves in the evening. They are prevalent around the house but not so much in the garden, The compost piles have tons of worms once the pile has cooled off. Heavy clay soil here, when we get a decent rain, they will come up on the driveway, and into the garage (assuming trying not to drown) , I can't imagine =buying= worms,
I have a worm compost bin that I feed, but I have never added them directly to my raised beds. I noticed you fed them when you released them, but do you keep feeding them when they are in the garden beds or do they get enough just working around the existing plants and soil after that?
As well as having a contained bin you can integrate another bin in a garden bed where worms can come and go as they please. I believe people call them worm feeding station.
Hi, been subscribed for about 4 months since I found ur channel. Enjoy ur vids! Quick question if you or anyone can answer,...is it possible and helpful to dissolve a few probiotics into about 5 gallons of water to increase the good bacteria in potted vegetables? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
We've got them here in Georgia too. I've seen several articles spelling doom and gloom for our regular earthworms due to the hammerheads, but the director of our local extension office said that its all overblown. While they do predate on the good worms, apparently they prefer the "jumping" ones that can also be a nuisance.
@@Firevine I have found several dead red worms in my yard… I worry it’s the hammerhead. I garden in raised containers but now I’m worried about my containers that are touching the ground. I’ve worked hard to create living soil in such a small space.
@@starkeyfarmsteadno he’s not ! You’re wrong and so is your video that you made saying that it is. Many of us do and have no issues with them surviving and thriving. 🙄
I love your videos! Very helpful. Could you do a video on releasing beneficial insects to help with aphids etc? Thank you for all of your information. I review videos as needed.
Watching one channel regarding worms in the garden and he discourages against putting worms. The reason was that eventually your garden will not do well and won’t produce. He recommended inoculating from an area where worms already exist and bring them to your new area. What do you feel regarding this theory
I've seen several people express concerns over the invasive jumping worms. While you shouldn't intentionally introduce jumping worms to your garden, you also shouldn't panic if you happen to find them. Yes there are methods you can use to get rid of them, but these will also harm other earthworms, and it's impossible to completely get rid of jumping worms. Yes they can cause problems with the ecosystem, but the common earthworms in North America are also technically an invasive species that have caused ecological issues in wildlife habitats. Therefore it's probably best if you find ways to work with them as best you can, like we have with common earthworms. Jumping worms tend to stay near the surface and move laterally. This can cause problems with topsoil degradation, but what you can do is add a layer of woodchip mulch or unfinished compost. Jumping worms are particularly good at breaking down woodchips, and the woodchips will prevent your topsoil from eroding. Since jumping worms are fast and voracious, they should break down unfinished compost relatively quickly as well. And if all else fails, use them as feed. But don't do anything that involves carrying them to another location, and definitely don't acquire them on purpose for use as fishing bait.
You absolutely should not use jumping worms as bait. It increases the chance of spreading them into areas where they might not be. One could argue that it's only a matter of time before they're everywhere, but it's best to not hasten that time.
@@ExplodingPsyche Good point, you wouldn't want to drop them in an area where they haven't already spread. I was thinking locally, if you're not traveling very far from your home to the fishing site.
DO NOT use jumping worms as fishing bait. This is one way they are spreading. Also, they don't stay near the surface. Josef Gorres at UVM confirmed they burrow at least 12" deep. Adding mulch gives them more food. However, it does protect the damaged, granular soil from drying out, so its a win-lose situation. I have AJWs and I do mulch.
Avoid Uncle Jim's. They told me I was getting Red Wigglers and they sent Red Composting Worms. The picture was ONLY for advertising ( per their own admission in an email) as the worms had just hatched:(...
Going to be that guy. That guy comment incoming... Worms are actually not Insects. They are Annelids. fun fact Insects have exoskeletons, six legs, and two antennae. Anything outside of that classification is something else but we tend to still call them insects or bugs.
As a person who cannot stand worms, can I garden without worms? In raised beds without worms. Can I still have a successful crop? What are the alternatives to no worm gardening?
I thought red wrigglers were for worm farm systems as they are good compost munchers what are the worms already in the garden then???? I also dug a hole and put in an old paint bucket with 1/2" holes and put the compost in there so the worms go in and out
@Nicole Sobol. Worms don't eat growing root vegetables unless they have started to rot/decompose. Go easy on yourself, the only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked.😊
In the middle of each of my raised beds and I put in a Lowes bucket with a bunch of holes drilled into it and got a screw-on lid from Amazon. I filled it about 1/3 full of compost and pine shavings and then put about 200 red wigglers in each. I use it for vermicompost and put all my prunings and food scraps in each bucket over the course of the summer. All my worms survive the winter wonderfully. The buckets get them below the frost line without having the heavy weight of soil on them. Everywhere I dug this summer I found worms. I was thrilled.
What zone do you live in?
@@whosoever316 5b Colorado
I do the same and I am in northern Wisconsin, zone 3/4
Thank you! I was wondering how I could get them to survive in my Zone 6a garden.
What is the benefit of adding the plastic bucket instead of how OP did it?
I just earlier this season decided that I didn’t want tarragon in one of my 45 gallon grow bags and dug as deep as I could with my hands to take as many roots out as I could. I found lots of worms in that grow bag and kept saying sorry to them for disturbing them as I went along, yeah I know that they didn’t understand what I was saying but, I felt bad and made sure I covered them back with the soil. I wanted that bag to become my sage only bag because the tarragon kept taking over the sage and I don’t use tarragon as much as I used sage. I thought it very cool that they made their way into the grow bags and for as long as we stay in this rental house, I will continue to do what I can to keep them safe and happy. I’m not an experienced gardener and still learning and thankful to you and the other few people that I watch on UA-cam for all that y’all are teaching me. Each year my little garden that’s both in ground and in pots and grow bags is thriving more each year in thanks to you all so, thank you for all your help and information you share ❣️🤗❣️
When we go fishing and have leftover nightcrawlers, I give them their freedom in my garden
I do the same thing
We do this as well, the only problem is my dad likes to visit my garden to scratch some worms up before he goes.
I have an indoor worm bin. In the spring when it's warm, i place about 50 worms from my over crowded bin into my cold compost bins. Definitely have to keep it moist.
My seedlings all have vermicompost, which includes live worms plus eggs. They then populate the garden. I've had red wrigglers survive through Canadian winters in well mulched garden beds - can get as cold as -30 Celsius!
That was really helpful!
I raise red wigglers and when they multiply, I cast the worms with the castings throughout the garden. Last fall I spread them out and then covered the soil with chicken and rabbit manure and leaves and woodchips and my garlic is softball size. Brassicas doing amazing even though we are having a drought and I never water the garden. There is so much moisture in my soil and so many worms
Hey Luke, thanks for the ongoing solid content. I want to point out that not "all worms are good". Invasive jumping worms ruin the soil and have nasty effects on ecosystems. Please do an episode on jumping worms at some point. Thank you.
Same with the hammerhead worm. I had this thought as well when he said that.
I have those nasty jumping worms. You have to get rid of them before adding any good worm because the Jumping worms edge out the good worms. I am working on the eradication phase now. (Castaway).
@@joniboulware1436 True, I too have found they've largely taken over and displaced the European worms.
I use tea seed meal as well every so often. It is expensive, unfortunately, and isn't labeled yet as a vermicide, but it does kill the worms. It doesn't kill the cocoons though, and they just come back.
The active ingredient in Botanigard looks promising in its ability to kill most of the worms AND the cocoons, but the dose needed seems to be much higher. Research is underway at UVM to determine effectiveness. Dr. Gorres there said that he hopes we might get it labeled within a few months, but you never know how long these things take with regulatory bodies.
It would be fantastic to have some better controls for these worms. They are extremely problematic for the home gardener and the forest ecology.
I like adding WORM TOWERS to my garden for essentially a free range worm farms right there in my active beds. 4" PVC with 1" drilled holes that you put compostable scraps in that the worms can then directly feed on. I put a flower pot on the top to keep the scraps from getting soggy and gross.
We use worm towers.
Adding vegetable/kitchen scraps in a trench benefits regular old earthworms too. I am always amazed how quickly the scraps decompose and that area is left airy and hopefully with nutrient rich castings.
I agree! This is how my grandpa taught me how to vermicompost and worms can be expensive now a days
A word of caution about purchasing red wrigglers. Make sure the vendor does not include a variety of different worms. Some vendors ship a mix together for composting purposes. Some vendors will include "crazy worms" aka "alabama jumpers". They are prodigious composters, BUT highly invasive. The outcompete all of the other worms. Unfortunately, their castings are not good either- their nutrients are not easily accessed by plants. There is alot of literature about how they have destroyed forest "duff" in Wisconsin and other midwestern states. Interesting reading.
Thank you for bringing this up! Just found some in my garden, so discouraged 😔
Unfortunately invasive earthworm species can also get into your soil without your intervention. There isn't much you can do about it. Though technically the common earthworms are also introduced and considered invasive in wild ecosystems. You have to work with them, and they have their place. We have Asian jumping worms in NJ already. Since I can't get rid of them, I give them something to do by top dressing with unfinished compost.
They taste really good either boiled or fried.
@@FrozEnbyWolf150oh no! I’m in Jersey too
That’s my issue, UJ Rid wigglers mic did have jumpers inside 😢
You can throw a thick layer of hay, leaves, or plant matter on top of the garden for the winter in colder climates. As long as it doesn’t become a hot compost pile, it can keep the red wrigglers alive over the winter. Even throwing a few layers of cardboard over their garden area can make a big difference.
I just last week released red worms into my garden bed from the bait shop…. Now this video…. Great to hear I’m on the right track!!👍👍
I bury my non meat compost about a foot and half down. I move areas thru out the year. I also pick up bags of leaves from the neighborhood in the fall and mulch my garden beds when cold weather comes.
I have tons of worms now. So leads and food scraps is all I use. All free and I have beautiful dark rich soil.
Nice! I have in bed vermicomposting bins. I put veggie scraps, powdered eggshells, shredded etc in the bins and feed the red wigglers I bought.
Didn’t think they tolerate or live through cold winters. As you mentioned. Mine are indoors in buckets and lidded tub. Pretty expensive to take any chances here in zone 5b. Thanks for the vide.
Mine survived in my 5b zone in colorado. Dug out a hole in the middle of the raised bed with a 5-gallon bucket in it with a screw-on lid and a bunch of holes drilled in the side and bottom. It's not overly full so I think it gets them deep enough to survive the winter with the warmth of the surrounding soil but then they are crushed by the weight of the dirt. That's my theory at least. All I know is I put some worms in a few years ago and my beds produce well and every time I plant out in the spring I find worms in each scoop.
I love having a worm bin or two in the house for worm castings, & I like that I don't have to walk all the way to the compost to get rid of a couple food scraps! & there's always many worms & eggs in the cartoons, that are them added to my garden! 👏 I don't heavily screen them to get out every last worm for that reason...
Also when putting in garden put some compost thru your blender and then cover with newspaper/drenched cardboard then put the worms in, cover, mulch. This allows them to start feasting immediately
Yes, I definitely learned something new in this video. I never would have thought of adding worms to my garden.
I did this this year and it has turned out great!
Last month I bought 350 worms! Half were Red Wigglers & the other half were Super Red European Worms. Unfortunately the 2 bags of worms weren't labeled, so I just put 1/2 in my compost bins and the other half in my raised garden beds.
Now, as I'm working the soil, I have a better appreciation for worms I see. (Sorry chickens, you're not getting worms treats anymore, these guys have a job to do!! Lol)
We used to have a vermaculture bed and I loved using the castings to make a tea for our garden. However, it was quite a bit of work and difficult to do here in the cold CO winters. I like your info on doing this in the raised beds. That's something that would be very viable for me. Ty for the info!
Red Wrigglers - how about that. So glad you gave us all this information, Luke. I know that worms are good for garden soil, but I didn't know about a specific type and everything that goes with it. Great how-to video!
Thanks Luke!
I guess I need to stop tossing so many to the chickens as treats.😄 But really, I've moved lots from the compost bin to the raised beds. 🙂
Blessings! 💜
Great video. Two questions:
1. If you direct sow seeds in your garden will the worms eat them?
2. Where did you get your red worms?
Thanks!
was wondering the same thing, also how come they don't eat seedling or the roots
Earthworms will not consume viable seed.
They only eat dead or decaying matter, so unless the seeds are dead or the plant is diseased, the worms will leave it alone. They don't have any hard mouthparts so they won't take a bite out of a healthy plant or seed.
They do not have teeth. They eat decomposed organic material.
Places that sell worms for fishing usually sell red wigglers
I was going to buy red worms years back but when researched I couldn't find a straight forward answer if it was a good idea. Then I transplanted into raised bed and found a big earth worm 😂. My raised bed right now is producing a lot
Omg the intro..... Luke, we can work on your intonation!! Too funny!😂
I can see him doing this as Karoake 🤣
This is exactly what I need to do! I just have to find a place to get them….I dig around, but I just don’t see many
Great info as always! I am looking to put something like this into my 5-15 gallon containers. Would they help my vegetables or is that too small of a chunk of dirt for them?
I recently planted Ashley cucumber and it sprouted in days in a new small raised bed. I'm super excited but on the look out for Ashley 😅
I am learning a lot from this series, but I am especially enjoying the singing intro lol
This is going to be a great series. Thanks for doing it.
I include red wiggles in my grow bags. Have been surprised how well they thrive during SE Texas hot/cold and dry conditions.
Yes Worms Rule!!! 😊👍🏼🪱 Chop and drop will make them very happy. The cocoons will survive the winter even if the adults dont.
Looking for some worms today for my worm bin that I just received. Loved the "Bad Bugs " theme song!
Still excited about the series.
I really love this series! I've wanted to do a worm bin for awhile now!
In NC I just baited worms into garden beds, my first year gardening in Florida… not a lot of worms in this fine hydrophobic sugar sand. I might have to import me some earfwormz
The regular earthworms are good but dont eat as much and arent as active as red wigglers
REQUEST. I really appreciate your videos. They are so educational. I would like to see you do one about controlling flea beetles organically. I have tried soap, neem and water mixture. They hop off before it hits them. I tried DE. But the powder doesnt stay dry long enouph to make a difference. Help! They are killing my tomatoe starts 😢
@organic north. There's a recipe online for a alcohol based spray for insects. It works wonders on killing flea beetles on contact. Take caution when spraying on the plants, it could damage the foliage if spayed in the sun. I would then I follow it up by covering the bed with DE. I've lowered my flea beetle population by 95% I suggest you try it. If you are worried about organic spray, I see this as a one time spray and I can lower the organic standards temporarily. Good luck!
Thank you Shirley. I'll look into your recommended spray.
@@organicnorth5492 You're welcome. I hope it works for you 🙂
I use a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled into it as a composting site for my garden. Buried 3/4 of the way into the ground. Worms come and go, make compost, leave castings.
That’s cool! How big and how many holes?
@@FlowerxLady The size and number aren't really critical. I tend to use 1cm so about 3/8 inch? holes and drill a few in the base and
2 rows around the lower sides. If the holes are big enough for the worms, they'll find their way in.
I lived in Canadas Artic. I harvested my compost one winter and put it outside in minus 40 to minus 50C temperatures. The worms died off but not the eggs which I discovered when they hatch out in an indoor planter
Yes keep doing these.
Will the red wigglers exist along with the regular earth worms? I have a lot of earth worms, when I plant something, a lot of worms come up. I keep 2-4" of ground leaf mulch on the beds almost year around. In December, I rake most of the mulch off, put it into bags, and cover the beds with black weed block and plastic. I'm trying to warm the soil faster. I planted lettuce and radishes Feb. 1 to Feb 20. Wow what fantastic crops I got! Radishes now finished, Most of the lettuce is still going. 2 varieties are bolting. 25 varieties lettuce, 36 varieties radish.
Thank you for your videos!
Can/should we put worms in our container gardens too? 🤔
Do you have an online source for your red wrigglers?
Enjoying the series - thank you so much
I use red wrigglers compost in my garden
Great video. I have a question; would it be harmful to the worms to add a Natural/organic fertilizer.
Thanks in advance.
Interesting I am trying an experiment. My worm bin is sitting on a rack/shelf over my compost bin so all the liquid drains out of the holes in the bottom into the compost.
I had some potting soil in my room over the winter in a bin. Poured hot water on top to kill back any fungus gnats. Well one day I went to pot up something and it was full of red worms. Once got hard to sift them out , I just let them have it. I was going to use it as a worm farm but someone told me I should use compost specific worms for my worm farm. So when it got warm enough I put them with the soil in a garden bed. 🤷🏼♀️ 🤦♀️🤦♀️
A cheaper solution might be to use a large tote or 5 gallon bucket to breed them then release into the garden.
Luke can you please do a video on Asian jumping worms.. my garden is full of them ☹️😭
They are horrible and rapidly spreading across the US.
Hi Luke. Don’t see your link for the worms? Or did I Miss understand?
Last yr I left two onions in that I started from seed. I want them to bolt this season. They have over sintered and come back beautiful. The bulbs are nice and large the leaves now laid over. Will they bolt?
I'm using small trashcans with lids. I drilled holes in the sides and bottom and buried the trash can. When I want to put food scraps in it, I just lift the lid.
Great video!
in the early spring, I can -hear- the "nightcrawlers" moving in the leaves in the evening. They are prevalent around the house but not so much in the garden, The compost piles have tons of worms once the pile has cooled off. Heavy clay soil here, when we get a decent rain, they will come up on the driveway, and into the garage (assuming trying not to drown) , I can't imagine =buying= worms,
I couldn’t imagine buying them either and then I moved to florida
I have a worm compost bin that I feed, but I have never added them directly to my raised beds. I noticed you fed them when you released them, but do you keep feeding them when they are in the garden beds or do they get enough just working around the existing plants and soil after that?
As well as having a contained bin you can integrate another bin in a garden bed where worms can come and go as they please. I believe people call them worm feeding station.
I found green tiger beetles in my yard the other day... pretty Lil critters
That was great! Thanks!
I have a Nova, too! She keeps the blackbirds away. 😅
Will they survive Texas summers that get to 100 and hotter even if beds are kept damp and mulched?
Oh man…I’m in Zone 6 b. No wonder I don’t have a great worm colony. Also, the soil will be hot…lots of sun
My garden is largely a container garden. Could I add worms to my pots?
Hi Luke
Can the worms live in a soiless mix? Coco coir and peatmoss. Thank you
Probably not the best. They are better off in the compost pile or garden bed.
Hi, been subscribed for about 4 months since I found ur channel. Enjoy ur vids!
Quick question if you or anyone can answer,...is it possible and helpful to dissolve a few probiotics into about 5 gallons of water to increase the good bacteria in potted vegetables? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Can you do a video on the invasive hammerhead worm? We have them in Texas in our backyard gardens!! 😭
We've got them here in Georgia too. I've seen several articles spelling doom and gloom for our regular earthworms due to the hammerheads, but the director of our local extension office said that its all overblown. While they do predate on the good worms, apparently they prefer the "jumping" ones that can also be a nuisance.
@@Firevine I have found several dead red worms in my yard… I worry it’s the hammerhead. I garden in raised containers but now I’m worried about my containers that are touching the ground. I’ve worked hard to create living soil in such a small space.
We need a video on invasive jumping worms too, which are spreading rapidly across the US and ruining gardens and ecosystems.
I can’t put my worms in the raised bed because I’m too attached to them and I feel responsible for their well-being. lol.
Good. It would actually kill your red wigglers. He’s using the wrong type of worms 😮
@@starkeyfarmsteadno he’s not ! You’re wrong and so is your video that you made saying that it is. Many of us do and have no issues with them surviving and thriving. 🙄
I love your videos!
Very helpful.
Could you do a video on releasing beneficial insects to help with aphids etc?
Thank you for all of your information.
I review videos as needed.
There was a prior vid re: ladybugs.
Watching one channel regarding worms in the garden and he discourages against putting worms. The reason was that eventually your garden will not do well and won’t produce. He recommended inoculating from an area where worms already exist and bring them to your new area. What do you feel regarding this theory
Why would the garden not do well?
Where do I get those red wigglers do u have a website I can order
Good stuff keep it ip
I've seen several people express concerns over the invasive jumping worms. While you shouldn't intentionally introduce jumping worms to your garden, you also shouldn't panic if you happen to find them. Yes there are methods you can use to get rid of them, but these will also harm other earthworms, and it's impossible to completely get rid of jumping worms. Yes they can cause problems with the ecosystem, but the common earthworms in North America are also technically an invasive species that have caused ecological issues in wildlife habitats. Therefore it's probably best if you find ways to work with them as best you can, like we have with common earthworms.
Jumping worms tend to stay near the surface and move laterally. This can cause problems with topsoil degradation, but what you can do is add a layer of woodchip mulch or unfinished compost. Jumping worms are particularly good at breaking down woodchips, and the woodchips will prevent your topsoil from eroding. Since jumping worms are fast and voracious, they should break down unfinished compost relatively quickly as well.
And if all else fails, use them as feed. But don't do anything that involves carrying them to another location, and definitely don't acquire them on purpose for use as fishing bait.
You absolutely should not use jumping worms as bait. It increases the chance of spreading them into areas where they might not be. One could argue that it's only a matter of time before they're everywhere, but it's best to not hasten that time.
@@ExplodingPsyche Good point, you wouldn't want to drop them in an area where they haven't already spread. I was thinking locally, if you're not traveling very far from your home to the fishing site.
DO NOT use jumping worms as fishing bait. This is one way they are spreading.
Also, they don't stay near the surface. Josef Gorres at UVM confirmed they burrow at least 12" deep. Adding mulch gives them more food. However, it does protect the damaged, granular soil from drying out, so its a win-lose situation. I have AJWs and I do mulch.
@@warrenschwartz5653 I'm going to edit my OP to say that.
@@FrozEnbyWolf150 Thanks bud.
Is there a recommended brand or source for red wigglers? It seems like "Uncle Jim's" is a large seller.
I like nature's good guys.
Avoid Uncle Jim's. They told me I was getting Red Wigglers and they sent Red Composting Worms.
The picture was ONLY for advertising ( per their own admission in an email) as the worms had just hatched:(...
You will not get pure Red Wrigglers from UJ
Huh....I'm going to have to try this 😂 I'm all for free worm poo 😂
Maybe put a worm tower in the bed too.👍🏻🤠
worms also need the microorganisms to help breakdown the organic matter into something they can consume easily
Where should we look to buy these worms?
I'm trying to think of a reason to have a worm farm at all, if you can put them in the compost pile or garden.
Going to be that guy. That guy comment incoming...
Worms are actually not Insects. They are Annelids. fun fact Insects have exoskeletons, six legs, and two antennae. Anything outside of that classification is something else but we tend to still call them insects or bugs.
Worth it to hear him sing "bad bugs" though.
Nothing wrong with educating us! Always nice to read respectful comments….thanks! 😄
I can’t stop calling them my bugs😂! I know they were never bugs but, that’s their nickname
Where can I buy worms on quantity like those?
Are crickets good composters?
As a person who cannot stand worms, can I garden without worms? In raised beds without worms. Can I still have a successful crop? What are the alternatives to no worm gardening?
You can. But they’re awesome in the garden.
We added coffee grounds from Starbucks one year and some fell on the ground. The next day they were there.
What is live mulch?
Werè do you purchase the worms?
Where can I get worms?
I have some worms in my survival garden. Perhaps I should add more.
I ordered a pound of red wigglers by mail and they are backordered for two months out. What is the best place to get these worms?
Don’t order from UJ
I thought red wrigglers were for worm farm systems as they are good compost munchers what are the worms already in the garden then???? I also dug a hole and put in an old paint bucket with 1/2" holes and put the compost in there so the worms go in and out
Where do you get worms?
Where do I buy those worms?
where did you get th worms? Looks like you went to walmart for them.
Neat
I never knew that you could buy worms for the garden! Is there anything that eats slugs?
Try nematodes
Let's talk about that bad bugs song...😂😂
I hate that I'm better at buying big box store plants and having amazing success than starting seedlings and harvesting from them. I will get better 😇
Where do you buy your Red worms?
Natures good guys
North America does not have native worms. All of them are brought in from other places around the world
Whoa for real? Does this mean we shouldn’t use them in North America?
Dumb question…. Will the worms eat your vegetables? Like if you had root vegetables?
@Nicole Sobol. Worms don't eat growing root vegetables unless they have started to rot/decompose. Go easy on yourself, the only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked.😊
300 worms!!!?!!! 😦I freaked out when I found 1 in my container planter
Hi Nova you are so cute nice garden by the way 👍