Good soil is a living and self-sustaining ecosystem made up of plant matter, earthworms, microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, and insects. To transform dirt into good garden soil, you just need to add the things that distinguish the two. Compost. Compost is the best path to healthy garden soil.

surface litter) is termed the A horizon. This is a weathered layer that contains an accumulation of humus (decomposed, dark-coloured, carbon-rich matter) and microbial biomass that is mixed with small-grained minerals to form aggregate structures.

WVCA – Soil Formation and Soil Horizons. Soils develop as a result of the interactions of climate, living organisms, and landscape position as they influence parent material decomposition over time. These five factors are called the factors of soil formation.

Soil Horizons (layers): Soil is made up of distinct horizontal layers; these layers are called horizons. They range from rich, organic upper layers (humus and topsoil) to underlying rocky layers ( subsoil, regolith and bedrock).

The crumble: Is your soil crumbly like a good coffee cake or dry, hard and cracked? The soil should be crumbly. If it’s dry and cracked, water will run off and not absorb into the soil like it should. Also, not enough water will make it to the root system and allow the roots to grow down in all that hard soil.

To survive, earthworms need moist soils that have sufficient residue or organic matter for food. They improve soil structure, water movement, nutrient cycling and plant growth. They are not the only indicators of healthy soil systems, but their presence is usually an indicator of a healthy system.

loamy soil

Signs of healthy soil include plenty of underground animal and plant activity, such as earthworms and fungi. Soil that is rich in organic matter tends to be darker and crumbles off of the roots of plants you pull up. A healthy, spread-out root system is also a sign of good soil.

Too many earthworms do not damage your garden and, in fact, improve soil aeration and nutrient levels. However, they are food for other animals, such as moles, that may cause damage.

A compost pile or bin that’s primarily run by worms can and does heat up sometimes, but generally vermicomposters are happy that the bins don’t heat up too much so that your worms don’t get killed off. If you really do have too many worms, you can divide them into two containers or piles and build your throughput.

You’ll likely only find earthworms in the soil of plants that prefer moist conditions; worms just don’t thrive in soil that dries out completely between waterings. Normally, earthworms aren’t harmful to plants.

Purchasing worms to add to the soil is not necessary, nor is moving them from one location to another, and such actions can end up causing more harm than good. While earthworms can benefit vegetable beds and compost piles, they can seriously damage natural ecosystems.

Worms breathe through their skin, aided by the layer of mucus that they secrete. If their skin dries out, they die. Worms don’t bite. They also don’t sting.

Worms help to increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. They break down organic matter, like leaves and grass into things that plants can use. When they eat, they leave behind castings that are a very valuable type of fertilizer. Earthworms are like free farm help.

What is the best composting worm to use for organic gardening?

• Red Wiggler Worms. Although nightcrawler worms can also be used for vermicomposting purposes, red wigglers are typically the most preferred as they’re most effective when processing organic scraps.
• Where to find red wiggler worms.
• A gardener’s best investment.
• Make the most out of these earth wonders.

The best kind of earthworms to use are red worms, also known as “red wigglers” and “manure worms”. These worms thrive in decomposing organic matter such as leaf piles, compost heaps and old manure piles. They are smaller than nightcrawlers and are reddish brown in color.

Red Wiggler Worms in Gardens Although you can add red wiggler worms to any vegetable garden, adding worms to raised beds helps keep them contained.

Generally speaking, there is no need to add worms in raised bed garden! Worms will find their way to the raised bed garden through the cardboard. But if you just built a new bed garden, it will take some time before worms find the way to your new bed. So it is good to cheat for once, for your bed.