are those the nightcrawlers that eat up my Pototato bush? They are like huge moths when they grow and burrow in the soil? They were so destructive to all my flowering plants.
I want to get earth worms or ? to put in my composter. We let the lawn go the water bill was very high, so maybe I should just make a smaller area of grass? I have a Giant Composter, can you put earth worms in it and just turn the composter as usual? Any ideas?
Night crawlers are just a variety of earthworm. They do not eat your plants: they eat bacteria that grows on dead plant material and their gut kills bad bacteria, but they help beneficial bacteria. They do tunnel in the ground: as they do they allow oxygen to penetrate the soil which helps plants and the beneficial bacteria (aerobic, meaning oxygen users are typically good, while anaerobic ones are the ones that thrive without oxygen and cause the stink in stagnant water for example). The nightcrawlers also leave materials that are very good for plants for nutrition, drought tolerance, and pest resistance.
You do need to cover your ground with something. Bare ground is dead ground: it gets too hot for living things, becomes hydrophobic (repels water), blows in the wind, and becomes prone to erosion. A Japanese style dry garden is lovely and the rocks can protect the soil. Drought resistant plants are a good option (like the purslane I wrote about before, which grows prolifically in my gravel areas).
What you can do in your yard (and especially the front yard) may be dictated by your city or county ordinaces, or a Home Owners Association, if you have one. Be sure to check before you invest time, energy, and money!
If you can do it according to your local rules, many people are beginning to plant food gardens in the front yard. If you try to make it look pretty, neighbors are less likely to complain: use attractive pots and planters, use pavers for walkways, etc...
A guy called John has a youtube channel you should check out called "growing your greens". Some of his areas are more attractive than others, but he gives great info on container gardening. Containers are good because you can set them up to use far less water than gardening in the ground requires. Look up "wicking containers" or "wicking beds". Worms work very well with these because they retain moisture so well.
Using compost around any plant sets up a very nice situation for it: it helps retain moisture, keeps the ground cool, supports the worms, bacteria, and fungus that help enrich the soil.
So yes! Do it!
