manure with worms or without?

[VJay]

There's a guy close to me who has a pile of rotting manure stacked the height of a car. I can take as much as i like, but its packed full of worms. Would I be best to take the worms out as I plan to mix it in with the soil before Christmas?

[Liza]

Bung it on top of the soil and let the worms dig it in for you.

[VJay]

Would the worms eventually eat all the nutrients for the growing veg next year? There's loads of them, never seem so many worms in one fork-full

[zazen999]

Worms are the best thing for soil - it's them that GIVE nutrients to the soil, not the other way round.

[stella]

Wish I could have a few, worms in compost that is

[VJay]

I grow most of my veg in containers, would the worms be good for the veg in there?......

[ginger ninger]

Definitely worms in, there fantastic little critters. As Zaz said they help give nutrients to the soil, they aerate it. Just pile them and the manure on as deep as you like and let the worm do the rest, you'll not even have to dig the manure in yourself. Don't worry about the worms in the winter...they'll burrow deep down in to the soil and stay there until spring.

[Paulottie]

Muck heaps contain mainly brandling or red worms in the upper layers. These are composting specialists and are not found much in the open plot except in thick lumps of composting stuff or detritus....Without being too concerned, I will throw them back when riddling or if I see them on top of the barrow. Your local robin will be round to get a few! Their 'casts' are an incredibly rich fertilizer.

The lower parts will contain a couple of types of the grey pink earthworms too, these ladyboys (worms are hermaphrodite) can burrow down to about two metres. They bring nutrients up, aerate and digest organic matter making the nutrients available to plants. Any healthy loam will contain a good population.

Your plans seemed a little unclear Vjay but...

If you've got veg beds spread a load of muck on the weeded uncompacted land and the worms sort it and themselves out... as said above. Watch out for any obvious weed roots.

If you want this muck for enriching a potting compost you need to stack it with a cover for winter....again those wrigglers will be working away for you....needs to be very rotted and then mixed with maybe leafmould and topsoil.

[VJay]

Its brandling worms, I used to fish with them.

Once I use the leeks in the containers (shown below), I'll add a layer of the manure on top, put the container in the greenhouse and let the worms do their thing.

This is going to cut out alot of work for me, Thanks!

[Two_Sheds]

I'll add a layer of the manure on top, put the container in the greenhouse and let the worms do their thing.

Just try keeping them out: you can't, they seek out compost material like sniffer dogs. I leave my compost in carrier bags overnight, and in the morning there are brandlings huddled underneath the bags.