Charles Darwin once theorized that every particle in the soil had at one point passed through a worm, who were responsible for turning organic material on the surface (like leaves) into that hummusy top soil our plants love. 

Every particle seems like a stretch, but Darwin understood the role of worms and what ‘passed through them’, which is an incredibly formal way to describe their poop. 

Worm castings (our own formal way of saying poop) is rich in microbial life, that when applied to your own garden, can inoculate your soils with bacteria and fungi that improve nutrient availability to plants and help foster a sustainable soil ecosystem. 

Castings are made by feeding worms a mixture of organic matter like compost and veggie scraps. Worms shred this organic matter, creating surface area for bacteria and fungi to colonize on the material and break it down. Worms then eat both the organic material itself AND the microbes who have broken it down. Worms digest this delicious medley of flavor with the help of more bacteria that live in their gut (worms have no inherent way to digest food without the help of bacteria). 

After the worms take a small portion of the consumed nutrients for their own needs, they poop out the majority of the nutrients and microbes they ingested, along with plenty of the bacteria that line their gut. These layers of microbes who just went on a joyride ride through the worm, now find themselves in a poopy stew rich in accessible nutrients, moisture and oxygen. This triggers a feedback loop of further microbial growth, and further food for worms, and more growth. In good castings worms provide layers of inherent microbes, but they also create conditions that allow the beneficial microbes from the compost you feed them to thrive as well. 

We have two separate worm species that are fed foods to their liking, creating diverse sets of microbial populations for your soil. Both are standalone products, but they can also be brought together for maximum microbiodiversity in some of our offerings. Mix these castings into your potting or raised bed mix to improve nutrient availability to your plants.