Garden Chat

from Mankato Magazine

by Free Press Media

This Day in History

By Jean Lundquist

Jumping worms?

They’re real, and you need to be aware of them

I’ve finally figured out that social media is a bad thing in many ways.

I limit myself to Facebook, but often find that, too, to be depressing. I follow some birding sites, and I’m distressed to see all the common and hoary redpolls at others’ feeders this past winter. Ditto for the pileated woodpeckers in other people’s feeders.

Alas, as winter wanes and spring springs hopeful, I turn to gardening pages.

Last year I started winter sowing some seeds, following what I thought were the rules. The rules called for milk jugs cut in half, soil applied, seeds implanted, milk jugs taped shut and … Voila! Super-hardy plants to put in the garden.

Nowhere did I see in those rules that those jugs were to be watered. I thought they took care of that themselves!

I was so naive.

But now, the average last frost date is upon us, and those outdoor beds are looking in need of attention.

My winter depression is lifting along with the seasonal affective disorder from not enough sunlight. I’m ready to rock and roll in the dirt! OK, soil. Remember: Don’t treat soil like dirt.

I want to remind you again about taking precautions against jumping worms. Someone told me I’m being too alarmist about jumping worms.

But they have been found here in Blue Earth County and surrounding counties. And once you have them, you keep them. As yet, there is no known way to get rid of them.

Perhaps we were not alarmist enough about zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borers, and look where it got us. How many elm trees are growing in your neighborhood?

When you get a plant at a nursery, fundraising sale, from a friend, yard sale or market, check the soil it is planted in. If it looks like coffee grounds, don’t buy it.

If you don’t see what looks like coffee grounds, it still

may not be safe. I know it sounds alarmist, but the University of Minnesota and others recommend you remove the soil from the roots of your plant, and rinse the roots in a sink that does not empty to the ground. Also, put the soil in the trash, not on the ground. Jumping worm eggs may be involved.

Another source of jumping worms is a worm composting bin. I kept one for nearly 20 years. Back in those days, I’d never heard of a jumping worm. Now, I know that they were in my bin the whole time.

Kids would reach into the bin and pick up a worm, and sometimes it would writhe violently. I thought maybe the kid had hurt it. I now recognize it as a jumping worm.

Use that compost in your house plants, but not in your garden. Almost all compost worm orders contain a jumping worm or two, so beware.

Although I have seen snow fall on Memorial Day weekend, most often snow is done and likewise frost by the middle of this month.

Your garden beds are prepared, and you’ve just brought home more flowers and veggie plants that you need. Be sure you handle them properly so they live.

Even if you purchased them from a nursery or store, don’t assume you can take them home and plant them in your beds that day. Seedlings need to be “hardened off.”

Hardened off means they are ready to sway in the wind, thrive in the sunshine and not need excessive amounts of water.

Instead of placing them in the garden right away, put them in a shaded spot, where the wind can make friends with them, and keep them well-watered. Do this for a week before you put them in the garden.

In my beginning years, I lost many a plant by not hardening it off. Back then, I figured if someone took my money for a plant, it was ready for the garden.

As we embark on the summer of 2022, remember that every garden is an experiment. Let’s see what we can learn this year!