The SFG Journey-vermicomposting, adding composting material and creating a earthworm environment https://youtu.be/Xlt8YQ-31Co

When I was a organic farmer for three years I used the sheet composting method to changed my soil. I used two materials for changing my red clay soil into rich black sandy loam soil that I could cut with a butter knife. Initially I used leaves and later changed over to grass, because it produced the results I was looking for in one season, not several seasons. It was amazing. At that time I would till the soil with my rear end troy bilt tiller. It was a lot of work, but it brought earthworm from all over and they begin to transform my soil. I learned this technique from the book The Joy Of Gardening" by Dick Raymond back in the 80's. 

I noticed that the worms would tilled the soil and go deep and produced "soil tunnels". This allowed the roots of my plants to easily follow these tunnels and produced very long deep roots which I discovered when I pulled them out of the soil for inspection. I also noticed that I didn't have a hard pan issue anymore and it could rain and rain and rain, but the soil never became waterlogged.
These products were free, but involved muscle.

Now i'm applying some of these principal to SFG beds and seeing the same results, except I started with good soil. my valve cover earthworms beds seem to be working, the addition of the compost with planting and the BTE mulched have brought in more earthworms and changes in micro soil levels by the micro organism. 

the video below summarized what I saw in my farm field and now in the SFG beds.

Sure enjoyed that captioned video has55

I bought a pound (maybe it was 2 lbs.) of red wigglers a couple of years ago and made worm towers in all my raised SFG beds.  They have multiplied and multiplied and... well they're just little underground rabbits!  

I have since continued to spread them into every garden bed and potted plant I have.  I sheet compost my in ground beds and the worms do amazing work.  They are my best little friends.  

I deep mulch as much of my yard as I can physically accomplish using ramial wood chips (trimmed branches with leaves and under 3 inch diameter).  Because of their depths, my SFG beds only have 2 or 3 inches of mulch, but by the end of the summer that mulch has been eaten and dispersed into my MM.  In one of my beds I thought I was seeing coffee grounds and realized they were all worm castings in a layer just under the wood chips.  Those beds just get better and better.  The wood chips also bring fungal activity to the beds.  I have abundant mychorizae at work as well.

audrey.jeanne.roberts wrote: I deep mulch as much of my yard as I can physically accomplish using ramial wood chips (trimmed branches with leaves and under 3 inch diameter).  Because of their depths, my SFG beds only have 2 or 3 inches of mulch, but by the end of the summer that mulch has been eaten and dispersed into my MM.  In one of my beds I thought I was seeing coffee grounds and realized they were all worm castings in a layer just under the wood chips.  Those beds just get better and better.  The wood chips also bring fungal activity to the beds.  I have abundant mychorizae at work as well.

One knows the worms have been active when there are "coffee grounds" where there weren't any! I bought 1/2 pounds and they have survived and multiplied. I didn't know how they would do with the beds raised off the ground this winter but they seemed to have done just fine. The free range box has "coffee grounds" that I need to harvest. I can't wait to weigh them.

The fresh wood chips? They are clumped together with fungi already! I can't wait to spread more chips and manure around the flower / shrub beds. No more groomed dirt!

Just like audrey ,back in Oct 2013, I had put paper, food scrapes and coffee grounds in my earthworm bins about 12 inches worth in layers. I quit adding food I think in june, because it had reached the top.. When I went back about a month ago, i thought I had coffee grounds and couldn't figure out why. Upon closer examination I found it was earthworm casting.
Sanderson, I'm really impressed about the rapid increase of fungi activity since adding the mulched, esp as I learn more and more of its signficance in the soil web.

I never needed to purchase worms although I have considered it at one time.
After loading up my compost piles with horse and cow manure they came out of no where.
I've picked up softball size balls of little red worms that are everywhere. Even in this cold weather, when I dig deep into the compost pile they are active.
There's a 1 foot space between my compost beds that I keep filled with nothing but coffee grinds, lots in there also.

"There's a 1 foot space between my compost beds that I keep filled with nothing but coffee grinds, lots in there also."


that's a great idea

this is one of the best and fun video I seen on earthworms. the music brings back the time of the 50-60’s TV show

enjoy

So CUTE!!!

Only gardeners would think a video on worms was cute!

I just loved the music. it brings back so many memories. The video guy had great imagination.

Here is a picture of that 1 foot space between my compost piles. I stirred it up today and, again couldn't believe the amount of worms, and what your seeing is after I had a cup of coffee , then went to get the camera.

Yup, Jimmy, that's what the edges of my piles look like too.  If the pile is a hot one they just hang around the fringes.  If it's lower temps they're all the way through them.  It's so fun to watch them go to work on a pile and turn it into black gold!!!!

awesome Jimmy. I love it. plenty of worms

Jimmy, thanks for sharing the photos. You have given me an idea about a shady spot near the orange tree! leaves + starbucks + water, then cover loosely with cardboard. They would probably be mostly earthworms as the free range worm box is 6-7' away.

I received the highlights from the 2106 Vermicomposting conference. Great info, esp the worm tea. I was not sure where to put this. I thought of putting in in Jimmie thread. " you got to see this" or something like that. If you think it better serve someplace else please bump it. Thanks.

2016 Vermicomposting Conference

Nice summation. Thank you for sharing. Only a gardener could understand how exciting the conference can be!