Worm food

Fall is a great time to put all those fallen leaves to good use. I raked up all the leaves from our yard and spread them several inches thick on top of the garden. Then we took the lawnmower and chopped them right into the soil. Adding leaves is another way to add organic matter to the soil as well as trace minerals that plants need. Trace minerals are found deep in the ground and are absorbed by tree roots and eventually make their way to the leaves. By speading the leaves on the garden, the trace minerals make their way back to the soil where they will nourish this season's plants. I watered the leaves in to prevent them from blowing back into the yard and to let the worms know that there was a party going on. The worms will spend the next several months eating the leaves and nurturing the soil in the process. The castings that the worms expel will greatly improve the soil structure. The worms will make tunnels between the soil layers that will help water, air and nutrients to move freely and will allow plenty of space for deep root growth. I will do an informal worm count in the spring. If all goes according to plan, the worms will spend the winter munching, tunnelling, and making more worms which will in turn make my soil healthy.