All the Dirt on Gardening

Here's an interesting tidbit you may have missed. The Weed Science Society of America released this report. Weed scientists discovered that “underground gardening” by earthworms is contributing to the spread of giant ragweed, a plant that causes sneezes and sniffles and is one of the nation’s most irritating weeds. Earthworms help ragweed thrive by systematically collecting and burying its seeds in their burrows, said weed ecologist Dr. Emilie Regnier of Ohio State University. In fact, we’ve found that more than two-thirds of all giant ragweed seedlings emerge from earthworm burrows. The study focused on Lumbricus terrestris worms – commonly known as nightcrawlers. Until now, nightcrawlers have had a stellar reputation among growers since their burrows promote water filtration and their eating habits help make nutrients more available to crops. The worms feed on plant litter they collect from the soil surface and store inside their narrow, underground homes. As the litter softens ...

At 60-degrees and sunny this could be called a perfect day for being in the yard. I must admit that digging out weeds is getting old though and I can't wait for something that seems more productive, like seeing seeds sprout. Where do the creatures go in winter? W e rescue turtles from the neighborhood dogs' mouths and babies are born here. But where are they now? I crawled around flower beds to seek and destroy weeds, move leaves and flower stalks but I found no wildlife anywhere. COMPOST WORMS For Earth Day this year I'm going to give away composting worm kits, so gardeners and kids can see how food scraps can become good earth for growing plants. So, I've been reading worm blogs on the Internet and searching for compost worm articles. Did you know that 25% of landfill is food scraps that could be composted to make rich garden soil instead? I found worm cartoons on You Tube. Here are some interesting sites about composting with red worms: Red Worm Composting Earth W...