Today is Earth Day. It's cold and snowy here in the Catskill Mountains. My newest garden bed looks like a giant chocolate sheet cake dusted with powdered sugar. I won't get out my fork and dig in today, even though I know the soil under that dusting is just as delicious as any cake. It's delicious to the worms who are digging around in the ground right now. I love worms and the wonderful work they do!
The red wiggler worms in my compost heap help turn my food scraps into beautiful soil, perfect for planting my seeds. And the earthworms in my garden beds chew and chew their way through the soil and other goodies (eg. dead leaves) on and in the ground, making the soil even more nutritious (just right for plants!), digging tiny tunnels as they go. Those tunnels also help the plants, by making room for water, air, and plant roots under ground. It all sounds like magic. But it's just one of the many wonderful ways the natural world works.
Even if you don't have outdoor space, you can plant seeds and enjoy the magic of growing plants right in your own home. One little pot near a window, some soil, a few seeds, and water will do the trick. Bean seeds are fun; lettuce and radish seeds, too. Or perhaps try some flower seeds, like marigolds or zinnias.
Here's a little video I filmed the other day, when it was warm and sunny out there. In this video I dig in the dirt and sing a song, "Wonderful Wiggly Worms", which was written by a lovely musician named Lisa Atkinson. I hope you enjoy singing along!
The lyrics for the song are here:
Down in the dirt they are working so hard
Tunneling around in your own backyard
Hiding underground where they can't be found
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
Those worms help plants in a special way
Making good soil every day
Munching up dirt and they never do stop
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
No teeth, no ears, no eyes, no clothes
No feet, no bones, not even a nose
But they've got a mouth and they chew and chew
'cause that's what those worms are supposed to do
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
When you're digging in the dirt and you happen to see
One of those worms, just let it be
Thank it for the work that it does each day
And sing this song as it wriggles away
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
Those wonderful, wiggly worms
"Wonderful, Wiggly Worms" by Lisa Atkinson
The red wiggler worms in my compost heap help turn my food scraps into beautiful soil, perfect for planting my seeds. And the earthworms in my garden beds chew and chew their way through the soil and other goodies (eg. dead leaves) on and in the ground, making the soil even more nutritious (just right for plants!), digging tiny tunnels as they go. Those tunnels also help the plants, by making room for water, air, and plant roots under ground. It all sounds like magic. But it's just one of the many wonderful ways the natural world works.
Even if you don't have outdoor space, you can plant seeds and enjoy the magic of growing plants right in your own home. One little pot near a window, some soil, a few seeds, and water will do the trick. Bean seeds are fun; lettuce and radish seeds, too. Or perhaps try some flower seeds, like marigolds or zinnias.
Here's a little video I filmed the other day, when it was warm and sunny out there. In this video I dig in the dirt and sing a song, "Wonderful Wiggly Worms", which was written by a lovely musician named Lisa Atkinson. I hope you enjoy singing along!
The lyrics for the song are here:
Down in the dirt they are working so hard
Tunneling around in your own backyard
Hiding underground where they can't be found
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
Those worms help plants in a special way
Making good soil every day
Munching up dirt and they never do stop
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
No teeth, no ears, no eyes, no clothes
No feet, no bones, not even a nose
But they've got a mouth and they chew and chew
'cause that's what those worms are supposed to do
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
When you're digging in the dirt and you happen to see
One of those worms, just let it be
Thank it for the work that it does each day
And sing this song as it wriggles away
Those worms, worms, wonderful worms
Those worms, worms, wiggly worms
Those wonderful, wiggly worms
"Wonderful, Wiggly Worms" by Lisa Atkinson
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