Persephone wrote in message news:htydnZM3-
On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you
have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine,
and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Yes. It comes in all sorts of varieties (eg wheaten chaff, lucerne
[alfalfa] chaff etc) and is basically straw that is chopped up very fine so
it is very good for both feeding the soil and not covering fine seedlings.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.
:-)))