We've set up 4 raised beds so far this year, they're filled with peatmoss, cottonseed hulls and soil from the bottom of the pasture that I sifted through. Can I stop at the local bait store, buy some earthworms and toss them in? Or is there more to it than that?
You didn't really state your purpose for the worms but here's a little info I hope helps. Two main types of worms available in the baitshops around here (NW PA) Nightcrawlers and redworms Nightcrawlers are soil dwellers that maintain a deep tunnel. They can live pretty well in a garden soil that doesn't get tilled up too often Redworms are normally found in garbage, manure compost piles (after they've completed their hot decomposition stage) or other rich sources of organic matter. They wouldn't live well in a typical garden soil. Although your soil sounds pretty well amended. From most of the worm reading I've done you're probably better off providing the proper habitat and letting the local worm population grow than stocking worms if the conditions aren't right Good Luck
I just want them to help the soil along. At some point I want to learn how to raise them as well, but for now I wondered if I might just dump some into the beds, they don't get tilled, it's very loose soil.
You probably dont even need to get any worms. They will find the great soil you've mixed, make it their home and multiply. If you were creating a worm bin, or some sort of bed that had no direct contact with the regular soil, then I'd say consider getting them, but with what you have described, you shouldnt need to add worms. I started my current veggie garden several years ago. The worms quickly found the compost, hay and leaves and multiplied. My compost bin is the same way. last year when i started removing finished compost from it, there were tons of red worms in it. I was so surprised, but excited too, to see I was doing it right!..
