Gardening Articles - Home Vegetable Gardening: Vermicompost
Extensive studies have shown that adding vermicompost to your soil (more on that in a moment) helps improve it's physical structure, enriches the soil with micro-organisms, increased of microbial activity by more than 20 times than other forms of compost, and improves your soil's water holding capacity which leads to savings on water since you do not have to do it as often.
When vermicompost has been mixed in with soil, studies have shown that germination is a bit faster, plant growth is stronger and crops yield more. The root structures of plants are shown to be stronger than plants not grown in a vermicompost mix and the growth of roots are more defined.
The best way you can add vermicompost to your soil is by burying your food scraps and leftovers at least eighteen inches deep. When you do this, worms in your soil ingest the food scraps, and their castings create vermicompost. Most worms can eat as much as their own bodyweight every twenty-four hours. There is no need for you to run out and buy worms (unless you are maintaining a vermicompost bin) to add to your garden, although it will speed up the process. Worms live naturally in the soil under your feet and when you bury food waste they will find it.
By continually burying your food waste throughout the year in your soil you are constantly adding nutrients back to your soil and when it comes time to plant your vegetables, your soil will be ready with everything your plant's need to grow and thrive.
I recommend keeping a Tupperware bowl with your food scraps until and not burying the contents until it is full or a slight odor begins to form. Don't worry about the odor that is the bacteria breaking down the organic matter. Do not put a lid on the bowl as that will create an atmosphere for anaerobic bacteria and that is not what you want. Without the lid, oxygen is getting in and that gives you the aerobic bacteria which is much better.
Once the bowl is filled, dig a hole in your garden, dump the contents of the bowl into the hole and cover with dirt. Repeat this process picking a new spot in your garden, not repeating the same spot until every area of your garden has been accounted for with organic matter being buried below it. On a side note, never bury dog or human waste, or charcoal ashes in your garden. They are toxic to plants and worms. Cow and chicken manure are fine.
So before you toss out that leftover bowl of spaghetti into your trash can, consider feeding it the worms that live in your soil. They will thank you for it by returning to you wonderful vermicompost that your home vegetable garden will absolutely love. About the Author
Mike is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the Rest of Us, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and where ever gardening books are sold. For more tips on vegetable gardening, Mike can be reached at his website: AveragePersonGardening.com.
Related Tags: garden, home, organic, vegetable, compost, moisture, manure, mulch, lime, nitrogen, vermicompost
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Decorative Garden Fence Materials
A decorative garden fence is more than just a boundary, it can provide protection for your precious - If You Like Gardening Orreally Would Like To Raise Your Own Vegetables, Gardening Organically Is A Useful Method Safe For Your Family And The Environment
Natural gardening is a key part of sustainability for our Earth and for ourselves. Gardentoad needs - Fresh Herb Gardening Is A Sure Winner For Delicious Meals
Fresh herb gardening is a marvelous way to spice up your cooking bringing a bouquet of tang to your - Contemporary Planters For Outdoor Dining Spaces
Restaurants come in different styles and dining themes: Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Classical, Conte - Where Do You Put Your Greenhouse?
Sighting and orientation are two of the most important decisions you need to make before you pour th - How To Use Orchid Lights
If you are planting orchids indoors, then lights is necessary when there is less light during the se - Experts At Diy Matters Warn Gardeners To Protect Their Plants From Cold Weather
For avid gardeners, the looming cold weather can mean tough times ahead.So, as the new season approa - Have You Noticed These 3 Warning Signs Of An Ineffective Compost Pile?
When it comes to composting, I tend to believe there's a bit of an art to it. Yes, there's plenty of - Flowers May Be One of Nature's Greatest Gifts
The world is changing. Everywhere you look things are more modernized. Every year there is a new typ - Wormery Inventors Expand With New Warehousing Space
(September 30th 2010) Rural Devon based Original Organics Ltd, inventors of the Wormery, grew their
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Pondless Waterfalls: Why Pondless?
Who built the first pondless waterfall? If I had to venture a guess, God did. What exactly is a po - Pondless Waterfalls: Concrete Vs. Pond Liner
The get-rich-quick factor in the pond liner industry has forced up the price of pond liner kits to e - Ponds & Waterfalls: Layout & Excavation
First of all: know what you want. If you need some ideas, visit the library or your local book stor - Koi Pond or Pondless Waterfall: Where Do I Begin?
1.) Have you thought about A Water Feature?-- Is it true that a water feature will add equity to my - Koi Pond: Finding a Contractor - 18 Important Things to Know
Because there is such a wide range of information to be learned on this topic of koi pond and waterf - Koi Pond: Which Pump to Use
When I started in the waterfall and pond design & construction business in January of 1982, I was as - Why You Should Settle for A Frog Fountain
The natural habitat of a frog is usually next to some pond or anywhere there is usually a good suppl - Get Your Garden Cooking With Friable Soil
Oh sure, fried green tomatoes are ok; but I'll take an extra helping of friable soil any day! This - Vegetable Gardening - A Rewarding Hobby
More and more people are taking up vegetable gardening as it is gaining popularity. Vegetable garden - When Miniaturizing Your Bonsai Tree
When miniaturizing the bonsai tree, it is important that know how to prune your tree. The major part