AS EVERY gardener knows, the secret to great growing really IS in the soil.

Without healthy soil, unless you are a farmer relying on chemicals, crops will not flourish.

Key to that soil conditioning are the creatures that live in it.

In return for a healthy home provided by liberal application of manure worms improve the structure and add to its nutritional value through aeration — and their waste.

Worm composting is a way of accelerating the process, producing both solid compost and liquor that can be diluted as a fertiliser and added to the soil.

Years ago, I was lucky enough to be given a Wiggly Wigglers worm composter and it has provided loads of both, for free, predominantly from leftover green waste — peelings, leaves and the like.

It is made from three interlocking compartments and a tap at the bottom for drawing-off the liquor.

Fill the bottom one with some horse manure containing the red brandlings which create the magic, lots of wet, shredded paper and green waste and they will set to work producing nutritious compost.

As the compartment fills and the worms run out of feed and space, fill the one above and the worms will move up a floor.

You don’t need the degree of sophistication of a purpose-built kit, though, you can easily make your own with a couple of tubs, the one above drilled with holes in the bottom and a lid.

Drill a few holes in the sides of the tubs too so the worms can breathe. The worms will not try to escape their moist habitat — they are surprisingly bright.

There should never be standing water in the bottom of your homemade worm bin. Drain off the liquor and use it.

Remember worms are vegetarian, so don’t feed them any meat or dairy. Start with a small amount and monitor how fast they eat before adding some more and a couple of handfuls of soil.

The soil, or compost, will give them the grit and sand they need to use to grind up the food scraps that you will feed them — your little slaves helping you dig for victory.

                                                                      TOP TIPS

  • Deadhead hydrangeas before new growth appears. Cut to about one third of last season's growth.
  • Now is a good time to plant native hedges to encourage wildlife.
  • Cut out the top rosette of leaves from mahonia shrubs after they have flowered, to encourage branching. Without that it is a shrub that can become leggy.
  • Feed roses with specialised feed or a balanced fertiliser as they come into growth. Prune them now to encourage strong growth.
  • Fertilise beds now your soil is workable. Dig in a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure into your beds or work in a general-purpose fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure, or blood fish and bone.
  • Early March is a good time to plant seed potatoes even if you haven’t been able to ‘chit’ them first.