Worm Friendly Seed Starting

Feb 05, 2012 11:13:16

I know this might be taking things a little too far. I brought in some compost today from the bin to start my seeds. When I started putting the compost into the seed trays I noticed that every square inch contained many worms. I felt a little uneasy knowing I was killing hundreds of worms to start my seeds off. Do you have any ideas about how I could make this process a little more worm friendly? My only thought has been to keep a small cup and collect the worms as I find them. Then take them back to the bin when I'm finished. I appreciate the amazing job the worms do with my compost. Thanks for your ideas!

Side note - Compost seems to not get that damping off mold like miracle grow seed starting mix or any other mix for that matter. My seeds really love it!

Feb 05, 2012 12:18:32

I feel your pain Chris! I pass my comost through a drum sieve before using for seedlings, so I'm actually squashing and abrading the poor sods to death

I just chuck them onto the garden in the hope that they'll join the rest of their compost worm friends under the mulch, or get eaten by the birds as payment for their insect patrols.
While it feels a bit brutal, I know there's a zillion more breeding right now in the bin.
If I wasn't sieving the compost, I think I'd just leave them in. Worms only eat decaying stuff, so the seeds are fine.

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