As the material goes through their bodies, it changes from waste to fertilizer. A worm will eat the equivalent of its weight each day. As they produce 2,000 to 3,000 offspring each year, they can consume a great deal of waste product. Worms are present in all soil that has sufficient organic matter. A healthy soil should have at least ten earthworms in every square foot.
Earthworms play an important role in the soil ecosystem.
They are an essential part of healthy fertile soil. They are able to take organic material such as vegetable food waste, leaves, grass clipping etc. and produce organic humus in the form of castings. These castings have five times the nitrogen, six times the phosphorus, and ten times the potassium of most potting soils you would buy at a garden center. When this publication talks about earthworms it is referring to red worms or red wigglers, which are the best type of worms for composting. They have very big appetites and will consume large quantities of food waste.