Learn more about the benefits of earthworms for composting with FDK Organic Fertilizers.

The organic fruit and vegetable market in South Africa has grown tremendously over the last 4 years, and with good reason.

What does organic fruit & vegetables mean?

What makes organic fruits and vegetables different is the way they are grown. For example, only fertilizers like compost or manure can be used; chemical fertilizers are not allowed, nor are most synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. Thus, there is a big environmental benefit to organic produce Every mom wants to be able to feed her children organic fruits and vegetables. Many of us have even started our vegetable gardens during the lockdown and now searching for organic matter to enrich our soil and keep the gardens organic. In the world of organic gardening, earthworms play an important role in the overall structure of the soil. But why are earthworms so beneficial? Most of us, start planting in soil that doesn’t contain enough nutrients for the fruits or vegetables to grow. But turning unhealthy soil into healthy soil is rather easy.

Benefits of earthworms for composting:

• Loosen the soil – This is an important aspect we often tend to forget. Loose soil is aerated. Loose soil enables the plant roots to grow deeper to access more resources deep within the soil which in turn, produced bigger better fruits and vegetables.
•  Turn unwanted garbage into usable, rich compost. Earthworms tunnel in the ground and eat organic matter in the ground and excrete as castings. These castings are highly beneficial to the soil and the plants and contain many different nutrients.
•  Ability to hold and retain water. Often we underestimate the amount of water that can be held by our soil. Ideally, your soil should have small and large particles. Some soils cannot hold any water.  Organic matter encourages the formation of the aggregate, or crumbs, or soil. Organic matter absorbs the water and the ability to retain the water until they are needed by plants and their roots.
• Increased nutrients in the soil. Having readily available nutrients in the soil is one of the best resources for plants. With normal compost, these nutrients break down slowly and are not readily available to be absorbed by the plants.
• Curbs certain plant diseases. Earthworm compost help prevents root and crown rots and wilt disease, and inhibited some insect pest including mites, aphids, and mealybugs.

Feeding your seedlings and crops with earthworm compost enables these plants to grow larger fruits and vegetables and without the frequency of needing new nutrients as with other types of compost. Earthworm compost benefits the plants and the soil. It replaces all microbes into the ground that have been lost over the years, making it the ideal planting soil. Order your organic earthworm compost from FDK Organic Fertilizers today FDK Organic Fertilizers, your one-stop fertilizer shop.