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Worms glorious worms

coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
in Wildlife gardening
Back in the autumn I covered some ground with cardboard to stop weeds in one patch of the garden. Today I went there to remove the grotty mess. Underneath there were lots of fat earth worms so I covered it again. Now what shall I do? If I uncover them will they be cold? They seemed to be sluggish and not find their way in the soil. Or too fat! Do they eat cardboard then? 🤔

Luxembourg

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    No, they won't be cold.  They will be fine. Now you have disturbed the carboard they might dive down deep.

    Do you have room for a compost bin?
  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    I am thinking of making space for one. I did cover the creatures again although the cardboard is very soggy and coming off the ground in small pieces. No sign of them this morning 🤣🤣. Can I use shredded paper in the compost bin?

    Luxembourg
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - I put all my shredded paper in the compost @coccinella - plus toilet roll inners, cardboard boxes etc. Brown cardboard in particular, is excellent. It all breaks down and becomes part of the end  product, as long as it's all mixed with green material too. I don't put any shiny paper in it. 
    Worms aren't affected by cold - heat is far worse for them. That's why they'll bury themselves a bit deeper in hotter/drier conditions - same as slugs  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited March 2022
    Shredded paper and cardboard are both great in compost, particularly later in the spring/early summer when there's a lot of greens (weeds and grass clippings) but not much browns coming from the garden, and again in winter to mix with the kitchen peelings when there's not much of anything from the garden. If you're using cardboard boxes, try to get as much of the sticky tape off as you can first or you'll be picking it out of the finished compost later.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Someone on here a while ago took a course on composting,  they were advised, as we do to scrunch paper into balls for the compost,  it incorporates air.  No one will dive in your compost and read your documents.
    we collect newspapers from someone else to add in that manner. 
    The worms you need are the thin red ones,  they miraculously arrive on their own but you can buy them.  They multiply very quickly. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I tried scrunching the paper and it took longer to break down than shredded paper. Probably it depends on the temperature in the bin and what other ingredients are in there. Try both and see what works for you.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    Thank you all. This morning I heard the first blackbird. This is early for Luxembourg but I can't deny the joyful feeling I experienced. 
    Then I thought of the worms ... part and parcel and all that.

    Luxembourg
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Just watched the golden ‘Worm Moon’ disappear over the horizon … it’s that time of year … apparently … 🌝 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    You made me google Worm Moon Dove 😀. It is the last full moon of winter, I didn't know it had a name. I watched it yesterday and this morning around 5 am. But no blackbirds singing today. 

    Luxembourg
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