When to Welcome Earthworms to Your Southern Garden

 

 In the South, we don’t just grow plants — we grow soil. And there’s no better partner in that work than the humble earthworm. These quiet tillers turn clay into crumb and leaf litter into living loam, feeding your garden from the ground up. But timing matters when you invite them in.

The Right Season for the South

For most of the Southeast, the best time to introduce earthworms is early fall — after the worst summer heat has passed but before the first frost. The soil is warm, the air is mild, and autumn rains soften the ground just enough for worms to slip comfortably into their new home.

Spring works too — once the soil warms past 50°F and isn’t waterlogged. Think dogwoods blooming, azaleas flaring pink, and soil that feels cool but not cold to the touch.

Avoid midsummer, when Southern clay bakes like brick, and winter, when the ground sleeps too deeply.

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A Few Southern Secrets

• Loosen your soil with a fork and water it lightly the night before release.

• Add leaf mold, compost, or shredded mulch — that’s worm food.

• Set them free in the evening or on a cloudy day so the sun doesn’t drive them off.

• Never add worms to soil treated with chemicals — it’s like setting out a banquet in a poison garden.

Once they take hold, they’ll stay — multiplying in the shade of your collards and the roots of your roses.

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The Living Soul of the Garden

A healthy Southern garden hums below the surface. Earthworms breathe life into red clay, making it loose, rich, and fragrant. They’re proof that every good garden begins with patience, humility, and the quiet work of the unseen.

Bring earthworms home this season — and let your soil come alive.

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Locks for the Land - How Savannahians Used Human Hair as Fertilizer in the 1850s

 

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Hair Today, Fertilizer Tomorrow A Weird Garden Hack from the Past

What is this strange thing?

 

I asked that question about 40 years ago of a retired County Agent. "I dunno", he said. Then he commenced to cut it up into tiny pieces with his secateurs.

Sad.

This is a pair of Praying Mantis egg cases. You might find them hidden in your shrubs, small tree branches or vines. Some folks find them in their Christmas trees. They don't present a danger to yourself or your family. They are dangerous to other insects, and that can be a good thing.

The name, Praying Mantis, is derived from their prayer-like posture. While they are considered beneficial insects by humans because they hunt and eat insect pests, they are an unholy terror to little creatures. Not only will they eat other insects, they will even eat small lizards, tiny birds and other beasts small enough to be grasped in their strong forelegs. 

Here are some more interesting facts about Praying Mantis:

They are solitary, stealthy, lightening fast hunters. When waiting for prey, they either remain motionless or slowly stalk until the target is within reach. Then, like a flash, they seize it with their strong forelegs and eat it alive!

They can rotate their heads 180 degrees.

They are cannibalistic. Females will eat males during or after intercourse. Not surprising, then, that the females live longer than males. As you can see below, females are larger than males.

 

Poor unsuspecting fella.

 Photo Credit: I, Zwentibold, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

They have one ear on their stomachs, and they can hear ultrasound.

They assume a threatening pose before approaching danger by rearing up on their hind legs, spreading their wings and displaying their forelegs.

They are distantly related to roaches.

They are not native to the United States, but were introduced in the Northeast over a century ago for agricultural pest control.

Some Chinese martial arts strategies are based upon praying mantis hunting techniques.

Some folks keep Praying Mantis as pets.

What should you do if you find egg cases? That depends. If you find them outdoors, leave them alone. Know that the the hatchlings will come to your aid when the weather warms and reduce the excess pest population. If you find them on plants brought indoors - like your Christmas tree - snip off the branch where they are deposited and place them outdoors somewhere out of the way. If left to hatch indoors, you might find dozens of little hunters around the house. It's okay to pick them up. They won't hurt YOU.

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Small-scale Composting for a Raised Bed Patio Garden

Q. I want to make compost for my raised bed patio garden. I live alone, so I don't produce many kitchen scraps. I live in a townhouse with almost no yard. How can I get enough stuff to compost?

A. It seems to me you only need to compost on a small scale. A compost heap or bin will probably be impractical, taking too long to fill, taking up too much space, and possibly offending neighbors. I suggest you chop your fruit and vegetable scraps, pulverize egg shells, then store them in a lidded plastic container - the 45 oz. size like buttery spreads come in - until it's filled. Then bury the contents directly in one end of your patio garden. Cover immediately with a few inches of soil. The next time you have a full container, bury the contents beside the first batch. Eventually you will have a row of compost in the making. As you collect more material, begin your second row, and so forth. Within a few months, you should be able to plant vegetables or annuals directly in your first row of finished compost, then later into the second row, etc. As time goes on, you should have a very fertile patio garden.

Is "pot liquor" good for plants?

Vegetables for cooking in water

Q. I read at an organic gardening web site that vegetable water is really good for plants. Is that true?

A. This strikes me funny because vegetable water is often known as "pot liquor" or "pot likker." But I'll comment on that later.

Well, it appears the advisor is talking about water left over from boiling or steaming vegetables. If the water has cooled, it should be good. Don't pour hot water on your desirable plants. But why don't you use the vegetable water for yourself?

• You can drink it when it has cooled enough;
• You can mix it in your Bloody Veggie;
• You can add it to smoothies;
• You can use it as vegetable broth.

Where I come from, people who actually drink the vegetable water are considered desperate, and derisively called "pot lickers" or "pot likkers." But most everyone does it nowadays. Not just here.

If you have anything left after the smoothies and broths, give the rest to your plants. They should respond well.

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A question about organic fertilizer for a planting of Ophiopogon.

Q. I received your call (John) last week about the dwarf ophiopogon that I ordered.  I planted them the next morning.  They arrived in good shape.  Do you have suggestions on encouraging root growth and fertilization?  (organic)  Thanks!

A. Of course, organic compost is fine, but it can't be worked into the soil at this point. A light application over the top is okay, so long as it doesn't cover the blades and crown.

Milorganite® is would be a good choice if you want to use a granular fertilizer. It is made of dried, pelletized microbes left over from waste treatment. Contrary to what some believe, Milorganite® is NOT made from human waste.

Another method would be to spray fish emulsion over the planting. Fish emulsion is just that...kind of like the stuff made with the Bass-O-Matic by Dan Akyroyd on Saturday Night Live (years ago). In addition to fertilizing the soil, it is a good foliar spray. It does smell somewhat.

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What is diatomaceous earth? Will it kill beetles?

Diatoms - Public domain

Q. Little beetles are clustered on my peas, cabbage, and other plants. I've even seen them clustered on wooden posts! I've read that diatomaceous earth is a safe, natural insecticide. What is it? Will it kill them?

A. Diatomaceous earth consists of the fossilized, shell-like remains of gazillions of itty-bitty creatures called diatoms. They might have been algae or they might have been critters, or maybe both. I'm not sure. Diatomaceous earth looks safe, like white powder. For you, it's safe.

But, in a "who shrunk the kids" kind of way, diatomaceous remains are like teeny-tiny razors. Sharp and awful. Tiny soft-bodied creatures that crawl over them are cut to shreds. Their bellies are burst asunder, their liquids drain out, and they die. That's what we mild-mannered gardeners, naturally inclined, hope for.

Unfortunately, all pests are not soft-bodied. Some have hard shells. Beetles have hard shells. You might need something stronger.

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What Is Companion Planting?

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Companion planting is a gardening practice that operates on the idea that certain plants benefit one another when grown in close proximity.  The benefits can be one or several, and they fall into the following categories:

Distraction - Some plants are so attractive to certain pests that they draw the pests away from another crop.  The crop that is desirable to the pests is planted as a diversion and considered expendable so that the crop desired by the gardener is left alone.  It's like throwing ears of dried corn on the ground to keep squirrels out of your bird-feeders.

Suppression - Certain plants produce chemicals that repel pests, so they are planted in close proximity to desirable primary crops to ward off intruders.  This is like surrounding your home with an electric fence or poison ivy.

Symbiosis - Some species benefit mutually by the presence of another.  Interplanting pole beans and corn is a traditional example.   Beans fix nitrogen in the soil that benefits corn.  Corn provides support for the beans to grow upon.  It's kind of like a good marriage.

Nursing - Stronger plants may provide some protection to younger, sensitive crops until they can manage for themselves.  Here in the south, homeowners often plant annual rye grass along with centipede grass seed.  The rye grass germinates very quickly and provides some cover and erosion control until the centipede seed germinates several days or weeks later.

Physical Interaction - The physical characteristics of certain species may be mutually beneficial.  For example, tall-growing species may benefit from cooler soil temperatures provided by low-growing species growing below, while the low-growing plants benefit from the shade of the taller.

Diversity - Perhaps you've noticed while driving through farmland fields sown in strips of alternating crops.  Some farmers have learned that planting many acres of a single crop (called mono-cropping) presents pests with a huge, highly-visible target.  More diverse cropping can attract fewer pests.  The same principle holds true in your garden.

Refuge - Crop-eating pests are generally gluttonous creatures and thoughtless, "whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly."  (Philippians 3:19)  Too intent on the next meal, they aren't very mindful of dangers that may lurk.  Beneficial insects devour crop-eaters, and they lurk.  (That's why we call them "beneficial"; if they were bigger than we, they would be called something else.)  By growing plants nearby that provide habitat and hiding places to beneficials, the crop-eaters may meet their doom.

Companion planting requires some planning.  First, you need to know which plants make good companions; not all do.  Beans, for example, don't get along with onions, but tomatos and onions cooperate.  (Beans finally reconcile with onions in the pot, along with marjoram, lemon juice, olive oil and a dash of salt.)

Other important considerations include growing seasons, germination rates, and harvest times.

Companion planting will introduce you to a new way of gardening that can result in better yields, healthier living, and a lot of pleasure.

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