A GROWING CONCERN: Worm your way into spring gardening

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 7, 2026

SINCE LAST WEEK we gave out chores you need to do this month, and since many of those chores produce green, leafy debris, and since you eat daily, let me give you a chore — become a “worm farmer!”

Vermiculture is also known as vermi-composting. Both of these $10 words share the root “vermi,” meaning worm, and thus these wigglers are the essence of this fabulous garden technique.

This fact was made crystal clear to me because everywhere I assisted in planting, numerous worms would squirm about as the soil was disturbed in preparation for the new plant, herb, tree or vegetable.

Numerous studies by various researchers have confirmed and demonstrated that worm castings (vermicompost) provide for greater aeration, porosity, more moisture holding capacity (field capacity), better drainage, and the improved soil structure over soils that are conventionally tilled or are composted normally.

In 1980, the first extensive research program into the subject was conducted by Clive Edwards and Ian Burroughs, examining worms and their castings and their effect on plant growth and as a plant medium. The conclusion was vermiculture provides for a superb and superior plant growth medium, especially when mixed with peat or other organic products in order to change the slightly alkaline worm compost to ever so slightly acidic (PH 6-4-7-8) conditions that many garden plants prefer.

Flowers bloomed earlier, production of edibles was significantly increased and the soil was greatly improved by using worm castings over regular compost. The benefits didn’t stop with greatly improved topsoil. Rather, they expand out to your home, community and planet as well.

Using worms to decompose food waste, garden clippings and your lawn waste reduces garbage disposal cost, saves, stores and conserves water, decreases odor and pestilence, and reduces carbon emissions and gas consumption by not having your material trucked off or your gas used in pick-up and delivery of soil additives.

It will also greatly reduce or completely eliminate the fertilizer you need, and the nutrients from vermiculture run off less freely into our waterways than conventional fertilizers.

First, one must decide on a box or tray to be used. Wooden boxes are the best for a variety of reasons, most importantly because they will keep the worms cooler in summer, warmer in the winter and, with being porous, will breathe, which is highly beneficial.

A wooden bin should be constructed using untreated, non aromatic (no cedar please) lumber. The size of the bin also varies with the amount of food or waste your household or contributing neighbors have to donate each week to the hungry worms.

A very general rule to observe is one square foot of bin surface area for each pound of organic garbage produced per week. An average family unit of two people produces about 4 pounds of garden waste per week, so a bin with dimensions of 2 feet by 2 feet by 10 inches would be adequate.

The easiest method for beginners is the culture box method, and one will need several boxes stacked on top each other, with a good 6 inches of space between them for proper ventilation. Good drainage is a must, and therefore, numerous holes should be drilled in the bottom of each box, being around one quarter-inch in diameter. Preferably, stack four or five boxes high for varying stages of decomposition and to accommodate your worms from babies to breeders and then the surplus population for seeding in and around your plant beds and gardens.

Next week, we will wrap up the slithering topic by going through how to mix and prepare your worm-growing medium, how to add garbage waste and how to use the various boxes and maintenance.

But for now, one needs only to decide if they want to conserve the Peninsula, enhance their soils, grow better plants and have ample bait for a fishing trip with your kids or grandkids.

These will all help you … stay well!

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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).