The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out: Worms and Container Gardens

This weekend was the first full nice weekend in the DC area and I finally got the chance to get my veggie sprouts out of my kitchen.  They were really starting to take over! Earlier in the year, I managed to build two container garden for the deck.  So we filled our gardens and our other planters with soil and got all of our little plant babies planted.

Growing up, we had always made sure to throw any worms back in the dirt because we were told that they were good for the garden.  Once this year's garden was planted, I had a question: would worms be a good idea?

Worms 101

Worms break up the soil by tunneling through the dirt, helping to aerate the soil and create drainage for water.  Also, worms eat organic matter and through their casings (or feces) they can spread the resulting microorganisms through the soil, creating a richer medium for plants to grow in.  Their tunneling also helps spread these microorganisms throughout the soil, rather than allowing it to remain in one place.

Bottom Line Up Front

No doubt, worms are great for gardens.  But for container gardens, their benefits are pretty meh.  Containers, typically do not have contact with the ground either due to the nature of the container, whether they are pots or beds, or because of their placement.  Depending on the soil, it may lack a solid food source, so no matter how many worms you place in your containers, the worms will leave in search of food sources. Additionally, the nature of container gardening means that a lot of the aerating and drainage is done by the gardener themselves through the replacement or churning of soil that comes with a new planting season.

So...no worms? 

If you have a container garden, here are some things you can do to get all the benefits of worms without buying all those wigglers:

• Buy soil containing worm casings and other organic fertilizers like kelp and composted manure.  We used Bumper Crop soil this year and it's niiiiiiice
• As you're filling up your containers and getting them ready for planting, till or break up the soil with your hands.  This allows small pockets of air to form which give your roots places to go and helps with water drainage
• Pay attention to the fertilizer needs of the plants you're growing and get them what they need.  Water will wash away nutrients from soil over time, so be sure to replace them! Follow the directions for the plants and fertilizer you have 
• After your growing season is over, add fertilizer to your soil to replenish the nutrients before next season

Hopefully, this post helps shed a little light on worms and container gardens!  There's some great information out there about worms, and I'll definitely be remembering all this stuff when I build out my raised beds! Comment below with any tips you have for helping your container gardens thrive!