By improving soil structure naturally, worms reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. While many vermiculturists keep their worms in special bins, I've devised a containerless method that works just as well or better. What follows is my plan for an earthworm lawn and garden. The plan requires some effort, but no real heavy work and no expensive equipment. To reap the full rewards of vermiculture, you'll need to know a few basics so that you can help your worms to thrive in their work.
Earthworms breathe air through their skin, absorbing oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide.
Water can block the movement of air through the skin, causing the worm to suffocate. They feast not on live plants, but on decaying organic material. Earthworms are sensitive to light and spend most of their days underground, carving tunnels that admit the air and water they need. As a rule, they don't appreciate heavy farm machinery compacting the ground they're trying to tunnel through. Earthworm populations will expand or contract depending on food supply, temperature and moisture.