In the northeast, weather has been summer like and thoughts go to fishing. If you have ever fished, one of the time and tested thing to use is the earthworm. If you have a lawn if you want green grass, the easiest way to do is ensure their are earthworms in the lawn. If you have no birds walking around looking for earthworms, then whatever chemical enhancement you use, the lawn is not going to stay that way for any length of time. The earthworm is one of those overlook creatures. It effectively ploughs the soil, fights plant diseases, cleans up pollution and turns ordinary dirt into fertile land. What it does as it looks for food is to eat the earth – breaks down the soil and in its castings allows the plants to easily absorb the remaining nutrients.  There is a wonderful book about the earthworm called The Earth Moved – On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2004.

Charles Darwin in his later life studied earthworms for he believed the earthworms were intelligent in the methods in which they bring leaves and other items into the tunnels they build. Earthworms are the whales of the ground, they feed on the microscopic bugs that do the same thing and earthworms help. It is a balance and the bacteria is needed. If you begin to think what would the earthworms and bacteria like, then they can do their stuff, your earth will be a better garden.

Many of the techniques practiced by organic farmers are designed to support a healthy earthworm and insect population. A border of flowers attracts bees and ladybugs. A thick layer of mulch holds in soil moisture and feeds the creatures living underground. A scattering of lime helps correct acid soils; crops are rotated so the soil-borne diseases do not accumulate in the ground. Every few years a crop of clover is planted to stabilize the soil and protect it from erosion. In spring, the crop is chopped down and left to decompose and clover adds nitrogen which attracts earthworms. Nitrogen is needed by plants.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, when you begin to think about the benefits of the earthworm, you begin to see your garden or lawn differently. There are billions of bacteria out in the garden and many of them can help you garden better, the trick is to encourage it. We as a society often treat one part without thinking about the ecosystem or the whole, it is natural and we see it in our health systems. How do you treat as a whole? It is harder, but more rewarding. Sometimes, the ideas that seem to out there, really are not and there are ways of either capitalizing on it or ensuring the sustainability of the model.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.