How much worm castings should I use?

For most garden beds, incorporate worm castings at 5–20% by volume into the top few inches of soil. For container plants, mix 10–25% into potting soil. Smaller amounts can be applied as a top dressing during the growing season.

Can worm castings burn plants?

No. Properly matured worm castings are low in soluble salts and release nutrients gradually, making them safe for seedlings, transplants, and established plants.

Are worm castings better than compost?

Worm castings are often more biologically concentrated than traditional compost, typically containing higher microbial activity and more plant-available nutrients.

Do worm castings replace fertilizer?

Worm castings improve soil biology and nutrient availability. They may reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers but are commonly integrated into a broader soil fertility program.

Building the Oakley Property: Three Projects That Will Shape the Garden This Fall

By Delta Worms | August 13, 2026

Just a few weeks ago, Robin and I started unpacking our moving boxes after returning from our six-week “Vagabond Tour.” We knew there was plenty of work waiting for us at our new Oakley property, but we didn’t expect everything to happen at once.

What started as a simple plan quickly turned into three major Oakley garden projects, each depending on the others. Together, they’ll become the foundation of everything we hope to build here.

What started as a simple plan quickly turned into three major projects, each depending on the other. Together, they’ll become the foundation of everything we hope to build here.

This isn’t just about creating another garden. It’s about building healthy soil, growing nutritious food, and creating a place where people can learn, volunteer, and share in the harvest.

Project One: Building the Compost & Worm Station

Before leaving on our trip, two wonderful friends volunteered to foster our composting worms while we were away. Their generosity allowed us to travel without worrying about our worm herd.

When we returned, reality set in. Customer orders needed to be filled, so the worms came home. Now it’s time to feed them, help them recover from the move, and establish a new breeding bed for the future.

The compost and worm station will become the biological heart of the Oakley property. Every handful of compost and every worm casting produced here will eventually find its way into our gardens.

Project Two: Robin’s Herb Garden

Robin has been dreaming about an herb garden, but August weather in East Contra Costa County has other ideas. With daytime temperatures climbing into the triple digits, this isn’t the time to plant delicate herbs.

Instead, we’re investing in the soil.

We started by spreading a layer of Delta Worms Premium Worm Castings, followed by compost, and finished with a protective blanket of mulch to help conserve moisture and encourage soil life. Our next step is to broadfork the existing beds, loosening the soil without disturbing the biology we’re working so hard to build.

Healthy gardens always begin with healthy soil.

Project Three: A Winter Garden… Already?

Then came the surprise.

I stopped by Berry Best Family Farm to catch up and discovered that their winter vegetable starts were arriving the very next day. They generously offered us about one hundred plants to help launch our first winter garden.

There’s only one problem.

Our garden isn’t ready.

The beds still need final preparation, irrigation needs to be installed, and there’s plenty of work to do before those seedlings can go into the ground.

Sometimes gardening has a way of reminding us that nature doesn’t wait for our schedule.

Building More Than a Garden

These three projects are happening at the same time, and because of the August heat we’ll be working early mornings before the temperatures climb.

It will be a busy few weeks, but that’s part of the adventure.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll share each project in detail—the successes, the challenges, and the lessons we learn along the way. If you’ve ever started a garden from scratch, I hope you’ll find ideas you can use in your own garden.

Would You Like to Help Build It?

Robin and I have been talking about something new.

We’re considering inviting a very small group of three to five local gardeners to become the Oakley Property Founding Garden Team.

Together, we’d spend three Saturday mornings building the compost and worm station, preparing the herb garden, and planting the first winter vegetable garden.

This isn’t a formal class. It’s an opportunity to learn by doing, ask questions, enjoy good conversation, and help build something from the ground up.

As the gardens begin producing, Founding Garden Team members will share in the harvest and become part of the Oakley property’s story from the very beginning.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, let me know in the comments or contact me through the website. We’re still working out the details, but we’d love to hear if there’s interest.

The Oakley property is just getting started, and we hope you’ll enjoy following the journey with us—one project, one season, and one harvest at a time.

Posted in Oakley Property and tagged composting worms, East Contra Costa County, healthy soil, Herb Garden, Oakley Property, Winter Garden, worm castings