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Unlock the secrets to a thriving garden with Goldfinch Hill's expert garden consultation service. Whether you have questions about food gardens, cut flower gardens, pollinator gardens, or landscaping, our knowledgeable team is here to help. Before your in-person consultation, we'll have a quick 10-20 minute phone call to discuss your needs and ensure a personalized experience. At Goldfinch Hill, we're dedicated to providing tailored advice and guidance to help your garden flourish. Embrace the beauty of nature with our tailored gardening expertise. ** Client site within 30 minute driving distance of 62208. Travel fee will apply for sites outside of this distance. Virtual consultations are also available. Please note: Our consultation will not include a detailed plan drawings or plant lists. The primary focus is to offer solutions and expert advice to issues you are facing in your environment and to help you see new possibilities for your outdoor space. Whenever appropriate, we will give general guidance on types of plants and solutions to address your space. Custom design packages are available should you require more detailed planning and plant lists. Each consultation will receive a follow up email with a summary of what was discussed.

Not sure if you need a garden consultant? No worries, just schedule a quick, no obligation phone call with me and we can discuss your gardening questions and what you are looking for help with.

Book the farm for your private U Pick party! This fee reserves the fields for your group exclusively for a 2 hour window. Includes admittance for up to 30 people. Flowers are not included, you must purchase them at the event.

If you're looking to boost the health of your plants and soil, worm castings could be the natural solution you need! These nutrient-rich organic fertilizers come from nature's incredible composting machine – worms. This guide reveals how to effectively use worm castings, available in various sizes on our website, along with an easy process for brewing nutrient-packed worm tea to supercharge your plants. What Are Worm Castings? Worm castings are the nutrient-rich droppings produced by earthworms after they digest organic matter. Packed with essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, worm castings also contain beneficial microbes and enzymes that support plant growth. Unlike conventional fertilizers, they enhance soil structure while promoting the development of helpful microorganisms. Whether you’re nurturing houseplants, tending to a vegetable garden, or enhancing your lawn, worm castings can provide remarkable results. Let’s explore how to use them effectively in different settings. Rich worm castings for optimal plant growth. Using Worm Castings for Houseplants For houseplant lovers, worm castings are a fantastic addition to your potting mix! Instructions: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of worm castings into the soil of each pot. Repeat this process monthly to maintain a steady supply of nutrients. The slow release of nutrients from worm castings helps your houseplants thrive without the risk of over-fertilization. Research shows that plants treated with organic fertilizers like worm castings can grow up to 30% faster compared to those using chemical fertilizers. Vibrant houseplants benefiting from worm castings. Enhancing Garden Beds For garden bed enthusiasts, worm castings can significantly improve soil health! Instructions: Apply a ¼ - ½ inch layer of worm castings to your garden bed. Integrate it into the topsoil before planting or during soil preparation. This method not only improves soil structure but also enhances moisture retention. A study found that soil enriched with worm castings can retain up to 20% more moisture , reducing the need for frequent watering. Brewing Worm Tea One of the simplest and most effective ways to utilize worm castings is by brewing worm tea, a nutrient-dense liquid fertilizer that provides a quick nutrient supply! Instructions: Steep 1 cup of worm castings in 1 gallon of de-chlorinated water . Allow the mixture to sit for 24 hours so that nutrients and beneficial microbes leach into the water. Use this tea as a foliar spray or soil drench for your plants. This nutrient-packed solution feeds your plants instantly and supports their overall health. Always use de-chlorinated water, as chlorine can kill beneficial microbes essential for plant growth. Lawn Care with Worm Castings Want a lush, thriving lawn? Worm castings can enhance your grass health! Instructions: Distribute 10-20 lbs of worm castings across 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Spread them evenly and rake into the top layer of soil. Your lawn will love this natural boost, and you’ll likely see an improvement in its color and density. Proper lawn care with worm castings can lead to a 50% improvement in growth rates compared to untreated areas. Seed Starting Mix Give your seedlings a head start with a nutrient-boosted mix using worm castings! Instructions: Combine 1 part worm castings with 3 parts potting soil in your seed starting mix. This blend provides young plants with the essential nutrients for strong and healthy growth. By ensuring your seedlings start off right, you set the stage for a bountiful garden in the future! Wrapping Up Worm castings are a versatile and effective way to enhance soil health for various plants. From houseplants to garden beds, and even lawn care, the benefits of using worm castings are extensive. Plus, brewing worm tea is a simple yet impactful practice that can provide your plants with the nourishment they need. So whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting your journey, consider making worm castings a key part of your plant care routine. Your plants will not only look better, but they’ll also grow healthier and become more resilient! Enjoy experimenting with these natural fertilizers and watch your gardening skills flourish. Happy planting! Feed Your Soil, Feed Your Plants, Feed the Earth.

If you're a home gardener or someone passionate about sustainable gardening, you may have heard about worm farming—or vermicomposting—as an eco-friendly way to enhance soil health while reducing household waste. For me, worm farming started as a way to support my wife’s love for flower farming and our shared commitment to sustainability. What began as a small effort to improve our garden soil quickly became a mission to help others do the same. Boosting Soil Health Naturally Healthy soil is the foundation of any thriving garden. Over time, traditional gardening methods can strip soil of essential nutrients, leaving plants struggling to grow. That’s where worm castings—commonly known as black gold—come in. These nutrient-rich castings contain essential elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as beneficial microbes that enhance soil fertility. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, worm castings release nutrients slowly, preventing over-fertilization and runoff, which can harm local ecosystems. Adding worm castings to your garden improves soil structure, increases moisture retention, and fosters beneficial microbial activity. Plants grow stronger, produce more blooms and vegetables, and become more resilient to pests and diseases. It’s a natural way to keep your garden thriving without relying on chemical additives. Reducing Household Waste One of the biggest benefits of worm farming is waste reduction. Every day, food scraps like vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells end up in landfills, where they contribute to methane emissions. By feeding these scraps to worms, we transform what would be waste into valuable compost that enriches the soil. At Goldfinch Hill, we’ve significantly reduced the amount of food waste that leaves our home. Instead of tossing scraps in the trash, we let our red wrigglers break them down into a nutrient-rich amendment that goes right back into our flower beds and vegetable garden. This closed-loop system helps us live more sustainably while giving our plants the nourishment they need to flourish. Supporting a Passion for Flower Farming My wife’s love for flower farming played a huge role in my decision to start worm farming. Flowers require nutrient-dense soil to produce vibrant, long-lasting blooms, and synthetic fertilizers often fall short in delivering the organic matter that plants truly thrive on. With worm castings, we’ve been able to enhance the health of our flower beds naturally, producing stronger stems, richer colors, and longer vase life for our cut flowers. Beyond the beauty of the flowers themselves, worm composting has deepened our appreciation for the natural cycles that sustain life in the garden. It’s a rewarding process to watch waste turn into nourishment and to know that we’re working with nature rather than against it. Join the Worm Farming Movement Whether you’re a home gardener, flower farmer, or someone simply looking for a sustainable way to manage kitchen waste, worm farming offers a simple yet powerful solution. By incorporating worm castings into your garden, you’ll not only enhance soil health but also play a role in reducing environmental waste. Plus, watching worms transform scraps into rich, dark compost is surprisingly satisfying! At Goldfinch Hill, we’re passionate about helping others start their own worm farming journey. Through our website, we offer vermicomposting supplies, training, and high-quality worm castings to support your gardening efforts. If you’re ready to take your garden to the next level naturally, why not give worm farming a try? Your plants—and the planet—will thank you!

Hello, dear humans! My name is Wally the Worm, and I’m here to let you in on a little secret—worms have very particular tastes when it comes to bedding. You wouldn’t sleep on a bed of rocks (unless you’re some kind of yoga master), so why would you expect us to be happy in just any old dirt? If you want us to turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich "black gold," you better set us up in a five-star worm hotel. So, let’s talk bedding—what it is, why it matters, and how to make it just right for your squiggly little composting buddies. What Makes Good Worm Bedding? Think of worm bedding like a comfy mattress—it should be soft, breathable, and hold just the right amount of moisture. If it’s too dry, we’re gasping for hydration. If it’s too wet, we’re basically drowning in a soggy mess. And if it’s too dense, well… let’s just say we like to move it, move it. The best worm bedding materials are absorbent, break down easily, and don’t turn into a compacted mess. Here are some top choices: 1. Coconut Coir – The Fancy Memory Foam of Worm Beds Coconut coir (aka the shredded husk of a coconut) is like the Tempur-Pedic of worm bedding. It’s fluffy, moisture-retaining, and lightweight, allowing for easy movement and airflow. Plus, it doesn’t break down too fast, so your bedding stays fresh longer. Just be sure to rinse it before use—sometimes it can be a little salty, and while I enjoy a good sea breeze, I don’t want my bedding to taste like the ocean. 2. Shredded Paper & Cardboard – The Budget-Friendly Option If you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to recycle, paper and cardboard are excellent choices. Newspaper, office paper, and non-glossy cardboard can be shredded into strips and used as bedding. Just make sure to avoid anything coated in plastic or colored ink—us worms prefer to keep things au naturel. Pro tip: Tear or shred the paper into small pieces and soak it before adding it to the bin. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a wormy version of a crumpled college essay. 3. Aged Compost – The Homey, Earthy Option Aged compost is like a pre-fluffed feather bed for worms. It’s already packed with beneficial microbes that help us digest food, and it has a familiar, earthy scent that makes us feel right at home. Just make sure it’s well-aged—fresh, hot compost can cook us alive! We like warmth, but we’re not trying to star in a worm version of a barbecue. 4. Peat Moss – The High-Maintenance Bedding Peat moss holds moisture well and creates a fluffy home, but it can be a bit acidic, which makes us a little grumpy. If you use it, balance it out with other materials like shredded paper or coconut coir. Think of it as adding a memory foam topper to an otherwise too-firm mattress. 5. Leaves & Straw – The Rustic Retreat A mix of dried leaves and straw can create a nice, airy bedding environment. It’s natural, full of microbes, and worms love wiggling through it. However, it can break down quickly and may introduce unwanted pests. If you go this route, be sure to mix it with other materials to maintain the right balance. Moisture Level: Not Too Wet, Not Too Dry Now, about the moisture level—if our bedding is too dry, we’ll dry out like sad, shriveled spaghetti. Too wet, and we’re swimming instead of composting. Aim for the consistency of a wrung-out sponge. That means when you squeeze a handful, it should be damp but not dripping. If you find things getting too dry, a light misting of water will do the trick. If it’s too wet, add some dry bedding materials like shredded paper to soak up the excess. We’re composting, not competing in a worm swim meet! Temperature: The Goldilocks Zone Like any good houseguests, we have our temperature preferences. The ideal range for us is 55–77°F (13–25°C) . Too cold, and we slow down like a teenager waking up for school. Too hot, and, well… we don’t want to talk about that. Keep our bin out of direct sunlight and extreme cold. If it’s too hot, move it to a shaded area or indoors. Too cold? A little insulation (like a cozy blanket of dry leaves) helps keep us comfy. Aeration: Give Us Some Breathing Room Worms need oxygen just like you do, so our bedding should be loose and airy. Fluff it up occasionally to keep it from compacting into a dense, suffocating mess. If we feel like we’re in a collapsing tunnel, we’re not going to be very productive composters. Avoid These Bedding No-Nos There are some things you should never  use for worm bedding. Here’s the ultimate "No Thanks" list: Glossy magazines or plastic-coated paper  – That stuff doesn’t break down, and we’re not big fans of junk mail. Fresh grass clippings  – They can heat up and create a worm-sauna. No bueno. Oily or greasy paper  – Worms don’t do well with butter-soaked napkins. We’re not deep-frying anything down here. Too much acidic material (pine needles, citrus peels)  – A little acidity is fine, but too much will give us the equivalent of heartburn. The Final Touch: Keeping Us Happy If you follow these tips, your worms will be happy, wiggly, and hard at work turning your food scraps into rich compost for your garden. Keep our bedding fresh, maintain the right moisture level, and make sure we have plenty of airflow. In return, we’ll give you the best natural fertilizer on the planet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some decomposing to do. Keep our bedding comfy, and we’ll keep your garden thriving! Happy composting! Wally the Worm

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Email* Email Sign Up I want to subscribe to your mailing list. FLOWER FARM & Wormery We are a local farm in the St. Louis Metro area dedicated to providing an abundance of beauty in a sustainable way. We grow for local florists as well as selling from our farmstand. We host You Pick flower events, date night picnics and fun workshops. Our worm farm supports our flower farming and we also offer the worm goodness for your gardens too! Be sure to follow us and sign up for our email if you woulld like to join us at one of our special farm experiences. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Classes & You Pick Tickets BLOOM BAR Reserve Your Date SHOP Farm Merch Worm Compost Flower Subscription DIY Flower Buckets Shop Now CUSTOM CONSULT 1:1 Garden Consultation In Person or Virtual Farm Life on Instagram #goldfinchhill FARM STAND HOURS Address 110 OLD COLLINSVILLE RD CASEYVILLE, IL 62232 Contact 314-312-3494 call or text chirp@goldfinchhill.com Farm Stand Hours FRIDAY CLOSED SATURDAY CLOSED The weekly farm stand is closed for the season. ** Arranged Pick Ups are available at the Farm Stand during the off season. The Month's Events January 2026 Today Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Menu Close Home About the farm FAQ Blog Email Sign Up Garden Consult Events Calendar Shop Farm Stand Transform your backyard into a nurturing sanctuary. Creating a personal source of renewal and connection to nature can greatly enhance your well-being. Let's explore various ways to natural elements into your daily life, whether it's through vegetable gardening, native pollinator habitats, or growing a cutting garden. Together, we can design a space that encourages tranquility and rejuvenation, allowing you to reconnect with the earth and peace amidst the chaos of everyday life. Virtual Consulation $150 In Person Consultation $200 Video chat thru Google Meet Approx 60-90 minutes of consultation Depending on needs, this may be 2 shorter sessions instead of 1. We will talk about this on the intro call. Follow up email summary Meet in your garden to discuss your dreams, ideas, plans, or difficulties. 90 minutes Follow up email summary Service area is within a 30 minutes of 62208 Let's talk about your garden! Not sure where to start? Schedule a quick, free 15-minute call to discuss your garden goals, challenges, and how we can help. This is a no-obligation chat to see if we're the right fit before booking a full consultation. Book a free call Transform Your Backyard into a Garden Sanctuary A well-designed garden isn’t just about plants—it’s about creating a space that feels like home. Whether you’re dreaming of a peaceful retreat or a vibrant flower-filled paradise, a garden consultant can help bring your vision to life. With expert planning, plant selection, and design expertise, you’ll get a garden that’s not only beautiful but also functional and easy to maintain. Let’s create an outdoor space you’ll love year-round! Say Goodbye to Guesswork, Hello to a Stunning Garden A professional garden consultant takes the stress out of planning by designing a layout that suits your space, style, and needs. From choosing the right plants (don't grow it if you won't eat it!) to where to place it (north, south, east, west?) to planning the best way to maintain it so that you don't give up by July. Book a consultation and start growing with confidence! 15 Minute Chat 15 min Book Now Garden Layout Help with determining the best placement for your garden considering sunlight, water sources, accessiblity, and more. Planting Plans Want an intensive planting plan to grow more in a small space? New Garden, Who Dis? New home? Wondering what the heck are these plants? Let's discuss! Consultation & Services Irrigation, weeds, harvest, composting, vermiculture, design, aesthetics, pest management, and more. Call 314-312-3494 Email chirp@goldfinchhill.com Follow