Nachum showing how to start a worm box

The earthworm is one of mankind's best friends. Hard at work 24/7, this lowly creature makes it possible for human and plant life to exist. Without the earthworm we would have little to eat, our world would be flooded by snow and rain, and environmental pollution would be greater than it is today.

The earthworm is a natural tiller and a prodigious earth mover. Making its way through the soil it churns the earth, loosening the subsoil and creating microscopic tunnels that allow water and oxygen to reach the root system of plant life. As it burrows, the earthworm mixes and sifts the soil, breaking up clods of dirt and burying stones.

The earthworm uses the tunnels it constructs to bring healthy organic matter deep into the ground and healthy minerals to the surface where they are most needed. These tunnels also help in water absorption. With earthworms the ground can absorb rain and snow four to ten times faster than areas without these passageways. This reduces flooding, restores groundwater and helps to retain moisture for dry seasons.

In the course of the earthworm's movements, it eats, daily, close to 100% of its bodyweight in decaying matter and soil. Passing through the length of the earthworm's body, chemical reactions convert this matter into a super-nutritious dark, earthy substance, full of soil-enriching compounds known as "castings". They are chock-full of phosphorous, potash, magnesium and calcium. Earthworm castings are no less than five times more beneficial than the finest top soil found anywhere in the world. They contain micro-organisms that fight harmful bacteria, pests and disease in the soil.

Plants and trees grown in an environment with large numbers of earthworms tilling the soil produce healthier, tastier and more bountiful harvests of food. More can be grown in smaller spaces. Land considered unsuitable for growth can be converted into productive soil. The time required for the produce and fruit to ripen is shortened. The need for harmful chemical fertilizers is dramatically diminished. Less water is needed for the growing food.

From the moment it is hatched the earthworm begins its lifelong task of turning organic matter into castings. No one knows for sure how long an earthworm lives, but in one study a group of earthworms was observed for fifteen years. At the end of this time the earthworms were found to be young, healthy and as vigorous as ever. The earthworms do not carry or transmit diseases. All they ever produce are castings and more earthworms. An earthworm can produce more than one thousand offspring annually. One thousand mature breeders can produce a million earthworms.

The earthworm has no eyes. Light sensitive cells on the skin enable it to maintain its course and avoid danger. These cells are also sensitive to touch. The earthworm has no lungs, taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide through its highly permeable skin. It has five hearts that pump blood through its body and works in a similar way to the heart of a human. The earthworm has a mouth but does not chew its food, it swallows any piece of organic matter that enters its mouth from where it passes into the gizzard, similar to that of a bird. There it is ground up with the help of tiny pebbles or grains of sand that serve as a millstone. The earthworm absorbs the nutrients it needs for survival and passes the castings out of its anterior.

The earthworm is an invertebrate, meaning that it has no backbone. The absence of protruding appendages increases mobility. Lubricating mucus on its skin further allows the earthworm to pass through the roughest ground and escape the grasp of predators. An earthworm has the power to easily move stones that are fifty times its body weight.

Earthworms live off our leftovers. They devour fruit and vegetable peels, animal manure and the leaf and grass clippings from our backyards. Fallen leaves in an orchard or forest that might need years to decompose are easily consumed by the earthworm. More than 50% of the contents that fill our garbage heaps is food for the earthworm. So much of the trash that packs our landfills, dirties our oceans and lakes and makes the air less pleasant to breathe can be converted into castings.

In earlier times the importance of earthworms was recognized. The fertility of the Nile Valley can be attributed to the earthworm. Today, there is a growing appreciation of the work that the earthworm performs, both as a means of growing food and for recycling waste material. Many countries throughout the world are reducing their use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by converting animal waste and organic matter into castings. Local governments are using earthworms to alleviate the problems of overcrowded landfills. Earthworms can produce more compost in a shorter amount of time and with less effort than any other recycling method.

Raising earthworms is an easy thing to do. You can do it in your own home. Besides being a wonderful hobby it is an educational tool. If all you have is a small porch and a few house plants, you too can have your own earthworm bin, converting your fruit and vegetable waste into castings that will enrich your plants, lawns and gardens. It is a great way to protect the beautiful world that Hashem created.

Have you ever considered how much garbage you dispose of each day? How many pounds of carrot and potato peels did you throw away last week? What did you do with your apple cores, melon rinds and cucumber peels? These items didn't just disappear from the face of the earth.

If everyone in Israel fed one kilo of food waste to earthworms in one year, six million kilos less garbage would blight the beauty of our land. Four million castings would fertilize our fields, orchards and gardens. 

"Ein lanu eretz acheret - we have no other country" . And even for those who live somewhere else, we have a responsibility to protect our environment. With the help of the earthworm we can do a better job.

Nachum Hirschel lives in Beit Shemesh where he operates Eretz HaKodesh Earthworm Farm. He sells earthworms, castings and bins. He also lectures extensively on earthworms. Nachum can be contacted at nhirschel@gmail.com or at 052 714 3154.