Worm Tubes, "A Worms Buffet"

   While doing the 3 part soil series, I was asked many times more about the "Worm Tubes". So I thought maybe I should do a quick post to help explain a little more. They are really easy to make and install any they help attract your "Garden Champions". It's like making a "Buffet" in your garden for them, its up to you if you charge them or not, lol!
    First you will want to make a trip to the plumbing dept. of your favorite hardware store or if you have a "Habitat for Humanity Restore" in your area you can go there as well and probably get your supplies you need! (it doesn't have to be new)
    Here is this list you will need: 1) A piece of 3" or larger PVC Drain pipe. You can get the french drain pipe with the holes already in it or you can drill the holes yourself, (Holes need to be large enough for your worm customers to enter, lol). 2) You will need 1 cap to fit each worm tube that you are making. 3) If you don't have a saw to cut your pipe, you better swing by the tool dept. as well!

Pipe you need

Cap you need

 
   So you have your supplies, know for the fun part, unless you are like me and love to go to the hardware store! 

1. Cut your pipe into 3' sections or longer depending how much you want above ground.
2. At this point if your pipe doesn't have holes you will need to drill holes in it 3/4" or larger, (I feel larger if you can). Leave the end of the pipe that is barred cap free!
3. Dig down, in your garden area, 2' to 2 1/2' (use a post hole digger for a nice round hole) you can go deeper if you would like as well.
4. Place pipe in hole vertically into ground 2' to 2 1/2' into ground and back fill dirt.
5. Start dropping your kitchen scraps into the tube and put the cap on, so you can easily remove it!   Note: Follow the same guidelines for this that you would your compost bin. Don't put greasy foods, meats, ect. into the tubes!

  You can do this in a conventional garden or raised beds if you would like. A hint for conventional gardens: you could use a large trash can! Just cut the bottom out of it, drill holes in the sides and put it halfway or deeper in the ground. Use it the same way but with this one you could drop small amounts of leaves or grass clippings in as well!

  I hope you have fun with this and I am sure some of you will even come up with cleaver, artistic ways to  disguise them in your garden. When you do, please stop back by and drop us a link so that we can come see! Here is the finished product for you as well.

See them in the Corners?

More on soil:

"Black Gold and Other Soil Amendments"

"Garden Soil Part 1"
"Garden Soil Part 2" 
"Garden Soil Part 3"
"My Neighbors Raised beds"

Matthew 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

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"Hitchhikers on My Broccoli"

7 lbs harvested and more to come!

   Well I have started harvesting my daughters favorite veggie and that's "Broccoli"! Yes you heard me my kid loves what most kids don't. We all probably know about broccoli so I won't bore you with the facts on it but maybe we can talk about the "little hitchhikers" that road in from the garden. What are these little hitchhikers? They are broccoli worms! Larvae of the Broccoli Worm or Cabbage Worms prefer to feed on cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes, kale, lettuce and weeds of the mustard family. They chew holes in the leaves and usually eat their way into broccoli heads from the bottom.

Look Close you can see them! 1 dark and 2 green!

 Broccoli is frequently plagued by these guys and other worms, but don't worry they won't hurt you! They will only really hurt your plants when they are vary small, once they get bigger they should be okay.
   You should clean them real well after you harvest your heads. I did read of a way to get rid of them, if you don't want to just pick them off and eat them like I do, lol! Just kiddin! Bring your broccoli indoors and soak it in a water bath that is 1 part salt to 5 parts water, using cold water. Soak the broccoli for approximately 25 minutes and then rinse it under fast moving water. I tried it and it works great! I would recommend "swarshing" it back and forth. That is "Jethro Bodine" , for moving it back and forth in the water. Far dose of yall dat don't know why I callz myself Jethro sometimes, clink on da link given fur a good chuckle!

 Here is a little history on "Broccoli" from Wikipedia:

Broccoli was derived from cultivated leafy cole crops in the Northern Mediterranean in about the 6th century BCE. Since the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among Italians. Broccoli was bought to England from Antwerp in the mid-1700s by Peter Scheemakers.  Broccoli was first introduced to the United States by Italian immigrants but did not become widely known until the 1920s.

If you would like lots of Nutritional Facts on Broccoli Click Here!

Genesis 9:3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."


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