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propagation

Did the worms eat my seeds?

Hugo Morvan

gardener

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Location: France, Burgundy, parc naturel Morvan

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posted 9 months ago

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I have a hoophouse, in front of it, my neighbor farmer always dumps a load of biocompost in spring, in which i grow some Pepo's / courgettes during the season. End of season i wheelbarrow the compost in and seed in there. Works very well. This year more worms then ever are in the compost. And what i seeded didn't pop. Mostly salads. But other transplants do work.
I was thinking that the worms maybe ate my seeds.
All suggestions welcome.

Creating edible biodiversity and embracing everlasting abundance.

Jay Wright

Posts: 136

posted 9 months ago

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Do you ever look closely at your beds at night with a torch Hugo? I'd be looking for several culprits more likely to be doing the damage- below the soil as well as on top.

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

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Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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posted 9 months ago

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I don't think worms tend to eat living material much. If there were more worms than usual that implies there is something different about the compost - was it damper, more nitrogen rich? I'm thinking that maybe the seeds just rotted off (and then were eaten perhaps). Is there any sign of the seed cases, were there any signs of sprouts, or just nothing?

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Hugo Morvan

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posted 9 months ago

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No i've not been there with a torch yet.
@ Nancy yeah maybe that's it. Too rich. They were so abundant.

Creating edible biodiversity and embracing everlasting abundance.

Anne Miller

steward

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Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 9 months ago

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Harvester ants are usually responsible for missing seeds. Do you have those in your part of the world?

Was it an especially rainy season? Maybe the seeds washed away.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
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Melonie Corder

pollinator

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Location: Middle of South Dakota, 4a

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posted 8 months ago

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Anne Miller wrote:Harvester ants are usually responsible for missing seeds. Do you have those in your part of the world?

Was it an especially rainy season? Maybe the seeds washed away.

Harvester ants were my first thought upon reading as well. Something I knew nothing about my first season on the plains...now I seed extra for the ants. I also allow fairly benign plants like calendula, dill and carrots to drop so hopefully deter them from carrying off my intended lines.

Cute little box headed trouble makers. I'll take them over other variety of ants any day though!

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Cade Johnson

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Location: Naranjito, PR

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posted 8 months ago

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could be lots of critters that would come for the worms and take the seeds as a free bonus - small rodents, birds, several kinds of insects

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