Rainy Days are Here Again...

Man this song brings back so many memories from high school. No, not because I dressed up like a bumble bee and tap danced on-stage during the school play. Umm, it was actually a ladybug costume. But who's counting.

Seriously, this song from my high school years is  a fitting now. Today I heard a youngster (under 30) say, "I wish it would just stop raining so much."  In return I said, "do you like water to drink?" He said "yes, but we have a well at our house."

Hello, a refresher course about the water cycle: Precipitation, Evaporation, Condensation. Precipitation.....

Basically, to get water into your well, you have to have water in the ground.  With "No Rain," we have no water. 

So far we have a surpluss of rain for the month of April, but we haven't put a dent in the deficit from the past months. This week on Skytracker 7 Weather, we'll look at the rain deficit and what makes this year different from 2007.

Soak up the rain. --Meteorologist Brent Watts

Seedling Survivor

Cue the theme music. Ready, get set, plant! 

This year the weather garden is taking on a community feel. We've divided the garden in plots and have allowed fellow employees to take a spot and test their green thumb. I'm happy to report all the spaces are now full. 

We'll introduce the gardening members of our staff next week and let you know what they'll be planting. Each offers a different perspective. Several have gardened before, but others (like my 10pm news producer Cara) have never planted anything before. 

This should be an interesting experience.  We'll have gardeners in to critique their work throughout the growing season.

Make it a great weekend! We'll see you outside next week. 

--Meteorologist Brent Watts

Earthworms Galore

As we start the gardening process in the Weather Garden, we realized we were inundated by earthworms. You know, the squirmy, squishy creatures that stay hidden until you pull up the leftover plants from last year. Then they rear their ugly head...or is it tail? I can't tell the difference.

Anyway, when I think of earthworms in the garden, I think of these pesky things that interfere with the natural process of plants. Boy am I wrong. Earthworms are actually a sign that your soil is healthy. Here is some wormy information to make you crawl with excitement. :)



Some Basic Earthworm Facts
Earthworms are present in almost every type of soil but the healthier the soil the greater the numbers. A healthy soil permits lots of air and moisture, both of which are needed by the earthworm for a continued existence.

Earthworms have no lungs like you or me but instead breathe through their skin. Their whole skin absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. They also need moisture to assist them in respiration but too much moisture is not good for them.

There are four types of earthworm that you may run into: Nightcrawlers: 8 to 10 inches long and the fisherman's favourite. Garden Worms: 5 to 7 inches long and found commonly in damp soils. Manure Worms: 4 to 5 inches long and found in manure rich soils. Red Worms: 3 to 4 inches long and the most commercially available.

Why Earthworms in the Garden?
A garden without earthworms would miss out on all of the great benefits that they bring to it. Their first job is to till the soil by tunneling through it. Tunnels created allow air and moisture to pass easily through the soil, creating a healthy environment for plants. Tunnels retain water that the plants can take up and also hold air to help bacteria break down organic matter within the soil. After digestion earthworms produce excrement about the size of a pin head. This excrement is called "castings" or "vermicompost" and is an excellent soil conditioning material. It improves properties of the soil such as porosity and moisture retention, aids plant growth and helps in the fight against pests and diseases.

Increasing Earthworm Population in the Garden
How does one go about increasing the number of earthworms in their garden soil? Well the best way to do so is to add more organic matter to the soil. Earthworms cannot get enough of the stuff.and will seek it out wherever they can find it.

Finally...The earthworm is just as important to the garden as the gardener that maintains it because they till the soil and add a soil conditioner in the form of castings. They are as much a gardener as you are.

The next time you see one wiggling on the ground in front of you bend down and say "got any good gardening tips?" You never know it may answer.