Hello all,

I starterd my raised beds last fall and have a couple of questions.

I framed my new beds and added manure/hay tilled into my beds early last fall. My crops have produced beyond my expectations compared to my traditional bed. I interplanted canola rape in one of my beds with early season crops and hairy vetch with my tomato plants in the other bed.

I have little to no worm activity in either bed. Should I cut the cover crops down and mulch heavily with leaves and compost this fall or till the cover crops in and mulch with leaves and compost?

Thanks for your input-Salem Hokie

If there were no earthworms in your soil originally it will take time for them to appear after you amend it with sufficient organic matter, it does not happen in a year or two and will take longer. Just keep on doing what you have been doing and the earthworms will appear, eventually.

If you want to spend the money to speed things up, you can go to your local fishing store and buy a package of local redworms. Being a fisher myself. I tend to dump my excess worms in my garden. I am reworking a garden that hasn't "been" for almost 2 years. It has recently been home to some moles and I am retaking it from them (slowly, but surely). I plan on buying worms for my fishing for another year or twon. But, from then on, I should be able to get all I need from my garden.