yoyo wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:20 pm, wrote:
First time garden question....Have been reading about worm castings, and
seeking opinions......Some say pretty much the greatest fertilizer
ever...Others say home gardeners don't need fertilizer or just use composted
cow manure...I would like to get best result I can...my soil appears ok -
mostly black dirt, some clay though. Anyone here have experience with this
stuff? Which way will I get best results? Thanks

I used worm castings this year in several pots with tomatoes. Either I
did something wrong, or it's all hype, because 1:4 and 1:5 castings:
potting soil mixtures produced no increase in produce. In fact, when I
didn't have castings, the tomatoes produced more, but that might be a
fluke. Either way, although enhancing microbes is really important to
prevent diseases, you could probably achieve better results by
mulching with grass clippings (moisten before use, and water before
mulching to lock in the moisture). Compost works better than worm
castings, and it's cheaper too. I got a 30 lb bag for $20. Compost you
can make yourself or buy for much less.

For your situation, just amend the soil with compost and clippings,
and the microbes will come anyway.

Would it be true it requires some types of bacteria to break down the
nutrients in worm castings or other organic fertilizers?

I see some organic fertilizers specifically labeled for use in-ground
only. I would think that since most of the potting soil mixes have no
or very litter beneficial bacteria, this type of organic fertilizer
would not be helpful at all.

I did try to call customer service asking them about this in-ground
condition but I hung up the phone after being passed through about 4
departments.