Worms - the hardest working gardeners in the world

Working day and night worms help keep your garden soil in tip top condition. Their main job is to eat dead plants and leaves which helps incorporate them backing the soil. Whilst digging tunnels to move around under the soil which help with drainage and getting oxygen into the soil.

Studying them at home is easy by making a simple wormery at home in your garden.

To make a Wormery

Using plastic drinks bottle with the top and the neck removed and some drainage holes make in the base. Fill it two thirds full using three layers of soil. The bottom layer being soil mixed with 50% sand, the middle layer being ordinary topsoil and the final layer soil mixed with 20% fresh leaves.

Finding Worms

Worms are not too hard to find in the garden. First look for a shady spot of soil and with a small spade or border fork you should be able to find some worms. If the weather has been hot and dry a good tip is to water the area you are intending to look and leave it for a few hours, this encourages the worms to come to the nearer to the surface. Once you have 3 or 4 worms drop them into the top of the wormery, lightly water and cover them with a few garden leaves.

Activities to do with your wormery * Make a picture of the wormery once you have finished and see if it changes after a few weeks?

• Try feeding your worms by placing some fresh potato peelings on top of the wormery
• Some people say they can call worms out of the soil using music. Play them a radio for a few hours and see what happens?
• After 8 to 10 weeks empty the wormery out and count the number of worms and look for eggs. Place the worms back into your garden to get on with the important work of improving your soil.

We would be interest to hear how you get on so do not forget to email us with your observations at wormproject@gardenadvice.co.uk