Earth worms are a gardener’s best friends.

Worms reside and labor mostly underground; unseen, unheard and often out of mind.  They engineer their network of tunnels  throughout our garden beds aerating the soil and leaving nutrient enriched casings (waste) behind. A few dozen worms introduced into your raised beds and container gardens will multiply into a hard-working herd of garden miners for many years

Introduce worm feeding tubes into your garden beds to ensure there is plenty of decomposed organic matter in your soil to sustain a large worm community.

Cut pieces (10-12 inches long) of 4 to 6 inch diameter PCV tubing. Tubing is inexpensive and can be purchased at any hardware store.  Drill 3/4 inch diameter holes in bottom 2/3 of tubing using a hand drill and 3/4 inch flat drill bit. Drill holes all around tube leaving an inch space between holes.

Bury the worm feed tubes

Near the center of the garden bed, dig a small hole deep enough to cover the holes in the tube when placed upright. Place the feed tube into the hole and gently push the soil around the tube. Cover the tube with a jar lid to prevent flies or bugs from entering.

Fill feeding tube with decomposing, organic materials (no meat or bones). Worms will graze through the feeder tubes while enriching and mining your garden soil. Refill tubes every three to four weeks. Night Crawlers and Red Worms can be purchased inexpensively in the sporting goods department of most retail box stores.