The Incredible Benefits of Adding Composting Worms to Your Garden 

When we go fishing and have leftover nightcrawlers, I give them their freedom in my garden

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!👍👍

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.

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...

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!

Yes, I definitely learned something new in this video. I never would have thought of adding worms to my garden.

Omg the intro..... Luke, we can work on your intonation!! Too funny!😂

I did this this year and it has turned out great!

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!

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

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

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! 💜

I am learning a lot from this series, but I am especially enjoying the singing intro lol

Yes Worms Rule!!! 😊👍🏼🪱 Chop and drop will make them very happy. The cocoons will survive the winter even if the adults dont.

Still excited about the series.

This is going to be a great series. Thanks for doing it.

Luke can you please do a video on Asian jumping worms.. my garden is full of 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 😅

Looking for some worms today for my worm bin that I just received. Loved the "Bad Bugs " theme song!

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 😢

A cheaper solution might be to use a large tote or 5 gallon bucket to breed them then release into the garden.

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 include red wiggles in my grow bags. Have been surprised how well they thrive during SE Texas hot/cold and dry conditions.

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.

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

Enjoying the series - thank you so much

Can/should we put worms in our container gardens too? 🤔

I have a subpod and my plants do so well in there and use the red wigglers for composting..Patricia

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.

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'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.

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

Great video. I have a question; would it be harmful to the worms to add a Natural/organic fertilizer. Thanks in advance.

Neat

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.

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,

worms also need the microorganisms to help breakdown the organic matter into something they can consume easily

I found green tiger beetles in my yard the other day... pretty Lil critters

Do you have an online source for your red wrigglers?

Will they survive Texas summers that get to 100 and hotter even if beds are kept damp and mulched?

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

300 worms!!!?!!! 😦I freaked out when I found 1 in my container planter

Huh....I'm going to have to try this 😂 I'm all for free worm poo 😂

Can you do a video on the invasive hammerhead worm? We have them in Texas in our backyard gardens!! 😭

I have a Nova, too! She keeps the blackbirds away. 😅

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.

My garden is largely a container garden. Could I add worms to my pots?

Maybe put a worm tower in the bed too.👍🏻🤠

Hi Luke. Don’t see your link for the worms? Or did I Miss understand?

North America does not have native worms. All of them are brought in from other places around the world

We added coffee grounds from Starbucks one year and some fell on the ground. The next day they were there.

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?

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.

Luke, it appears you have missed your calling as a professional singer… 🎤😂

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

Hi Nova you are so cute nice garden by the way 👍

Good stuff keep it ip

What is live mulch?

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

Hi Luke Can the worms live in a soiless mix? Coco coir and peatmoss. Thank you

Where should we look to buy these worms?

Werè do you purchase the worms?

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 😇

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?

Are crickets good composters?

Fingers crossed you're gonna do a video about how to control ants lol my beds are all ants 😢

Where do I get those red wigglers do u have a website I can order

Is there a recommended brand or source for red wigglers? It seems like "Uncle Jim's" is a large seller.

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?

Where do I buy those worms?

where did you get th worms? Looks like you went to walmart for them.

7:24

Where do you get worms?

Was this the channel that posted RED WORMS yesterday? I was thinking what a title 😂 but not a grabber in the least. Composting including worms makes sense but the other title could've been lots of unpleasant things lol

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?

Won't the worms eat the veg?

I never knew that you could buy worms for the garden! Is there anything that eats slugs?

Where do you buy your Red worms?

Where can I buy red worms?

1st 🤪

Can’t watch this videos because your first words were “any worm is good for your garden” & that is a straight up false statement lol. I’m inclined to believe that you may not know what you are talking about now lol

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 RU-vid 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 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.

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.

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 have Asian Jumping Worms, not so good. :(

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)

Dumb question…. Will the worms eat your vegetables? Like if you had root vegetables?

I use red wrigglers compost in my garden

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