Soil quality question for gardeners?

Question

1. Don't have money to buy soil.
2. Our dirt truly sucks.
I have heard from a friend that you can put worms in your dirt and their waste is full of nutrients, like they replenish it. Truth or not? Will they harm the plants?
and if it's not true, what do i do?!?

I should clarify a bit more.
Our dirt is very packed down and clay-like, and it's also not very healthy.

Answer 1

Earthworms are the best! They aerate the soil and provide nutrients in the waste. As well, the little creatures that work with the earthworms help the soil too, so working on a healthy soil balance is the key. I have a compost pile in my yard in to which I place plant waste, yard waste, coffee grounds and tea bags...anything organic...no meat or protein-based products or neighbor's yard waste that use chemicals on the lawn for sure. I turn and water regularly, as I might the garden, and within weeks in warm weather, have soil to return to the garden. It work beautifully!
If you frequent coffee houses, many will gladly give you the grounds for free( I put them right on the soil). Stables and chicken farms will give you bags or truck loads of mulch. Horse and cow manure can be used from the stall, but chicken waste must be composted...it has too much urea nitrogen and will burn your plants if used right off.
You may be able to use local university resources to get soil tests to see just what you are lacking in the soil composition. Colleges and agricultural extension services will tell you step-by-step how to test your soil. Utilize your local resources..gardening clubs, state-colleges and universities, organic gardening sites...etc. I find most gardeners love to share!

Answer 2

You really need to amend the soil if you want anything other than weeds to grow. Earthworms won't help unless you do that. Gypsum is often recommended to improve clay soils. Digging and turning the clay while adding compost will help get your garden going. Understand that if you only dig a 3 foot wide hole to start with, you will create a well where water will sit. That will rot the roots of anything you want to plant. You will need to think a bit larger to get your soil in better condition for creating planting beds. Raised beds might be a better solution for you in the long run. Good luck and happy digging!

Answer 3

You need to dig holes at least 8 inches deep and add kitchen waste. Cover up the holes when they are half full and start filling up the next hole. Use anything except meat and grease. I'm talking egg shells, coffee grinds, all veg and fruit peals. These little compost pockets will attract earth worms and will make your soil really nice. This will take a bit of time, but will have an impact within a few weeks.

Answer 4

Assign a portion of yard to collect clippings and leaf fall. Haul it in initially from grateful owners of better work yards.
Work the pile daily with shovel or pitchfork. Mix in the poor
soil as drawn up from below. Add worms first summer into
process. Work mixture until next spring planting. Introduce into previously spaded soil reasonably stone free within the
timbered confines of a raised garden bed. Think about roofing same with removable plastic covers for protection from birds and frost when planting begins. The more worms cultivated makes better soil. I see my coastal community fellow residents drag home ocean weeds to mulch into soil. Two years should see good garden footing underway.

Answer 5

You're actually thinking of worm castings, which is really their shedded skins. There are actually farms where they produce worm castings in already nutrient-rich dirt which creates perhaps the most nutrient-rich substance on which plants can thrive. Your best bet is to check 1800TOPSOIL.com to see if they have a member servicing your area. These guys are all over the country and they're good. You can also call 1-800-TOPSOIL and ask them if they have worm castings. If there's a member in your area, the call will get routed to them based on from where you're calling from. If you're planting vegetables, don't use this stuff. It will attract worms that could eat your veggies. If you're planting other stuff that you don't eat, use worm castings, or if they don't have it, use potting soil.

Answer 6

Our soil is also clay based. Fifteen years ago, we had nothing but rocks, clay and frustrated hopes. Loads of determination, loads of fresh imported dirt, loads of fresh sheep manure and loads of love has resulted in a garden that an older friend recently tagged as "an oasis". We have now pine, fig, apple, mirabella, cherry, and apple trees, grapevines, roses, and the most beautiful pumpkins in October you could imagine.
*Start a compost. Initially, keep your compost covered and sprinkle it slightly for moisture. The earthworms will come on their own. You may then use your compost material for planting. You can also mix the compost material with the sheep manure and fresh earth.
Practice patience, and imagine what you want your garden to be and it will be.
Peace.
-Nasturtium

Answer 7

My clay soil is the same way. I dig holes 3 times as big as I need every year for planting and add amendments and potting soil. It is getting better but I used pots for planting this year. Clay is harder to get moisture into but once there, does not want to leave and I ended up with rotted roots.

Answer 8

lettuce grows on top of the ground after the plant starts leafing out you should start seeing a small ball looking grow in the middle of the plants this will grow into a head in four to six weeks if it is the leaf only type of lettuce it to grows on top of the ground and is best picked when 6 to 8 inches tall as for the soil add equal parts of sand and bagged top soil together the plain bagged top soil is mostly clay is why it is so cheap is poor soil by itself for growing anything

Answer 9

add organics to the clay... composted bark, compost, sphagnum peat and spade it into the clay. it will raise the "life" factor of the clay and help it become more broken up.

worms.. yes, the will help, but they don't just eat dirt... they want some of the organic stuff to eat as well..

and no.. worms don't harm plants.

Answer 10

Vermiculture is supposed to improve soil and worms tdo the job of providing good fertilizer!