worms, cover crop and winter's here...

In preparation for the cold winter months, we had to get the soil nice and fed so that it would be fertile and healthy by the time we planted our crop in the spring. We did this by weeding away all of the native plants that had taken over the beds and mixed them into the soil so that their nutrients cold feed the dirt.... Then we used the help of worms!

Worms help to increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. They break down organic matter, like leaves and grass into things that plants can use. When they eat, they leave behind castings that are a very valuable type of fertilizer! Hurray for worms!

                   The trusty worms, here to do their job!
The three major benefits of earthworms to our soil:

• Biological. In many soils, earthworms play a major role in converting large pieces of organic matter like dead leaves into rich soil, and thus improving soil fertility. This is achieved by the worm's actions of pulling down below any organic matter either for food or to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the worm will shred the leaf and partially digest it, then produce a worm cast. Worm casts can contain 40% more humus than the top 9" of soil in which the worm is living. 
• Chemical. As well as dead organic matter, the earthworm also ingests any other soil particles that are small enough—including stones up to 1/20 of an inch across! When the worm excretes this in the form of casts which are deposited on the surface or deeper in the soil, minerals and plant nutrients are made available in an accessible form. 
• Physical. By ts burrowing actions, the earthworm is of great value in keeping the soil structure open, creating a multitude of channels which allow the processes of both aeration and drainage to occur. The earthworm not only creates passages for air and water to traverse, but is itself a vital component in the living biosystem that is healthy soil. Earthworms continue to move through the soil due to the excretion of mucus into the soil that acts as a lubricant for easier movement of the worm. 

Then we planted a cover crop of red clover.....

A red clover cover crop has several benefits, including:

-Contributing up to 120 pounds of soil nitrogen for the following crop rotation
-Reducing soil erosion and surface water pollution
-Increasing soil organic matter, improving soil tilth and increasing water holding capacities
-Reducing grass pressure on soil

and, low and behold, just days later the sprouts emerge....