From the Worm Farm to Your Lawn: Introducing Groundwell

Last Friday, I built a compost pile.

Two hundred and forty gallons in a new composting system at the shop. Her name is Daisy.

Parts of the system aren’t finished. I still have work to do before she moves to the next composter.

But Daisy exists.

For weeks, I had been saying I wanted to build that first pile. I kept waiting until everything was ready and I understood exactly how it would work.

Friday, I decided to take the next step.

When I picked up Leo from school, I explained that I wanted to go back to the shop and finish. He offered to help.

“You should do this, Dad, because I know you like to do it and it’s important to you.”

Sometimes your kids tell you exactly what you need to hear.

I went back. Daisy got built. And I recognized that another part of the farm was ready to move forward, too.

You wanted a way to use it

For the last 23 months, I’ve been working to expand the market for our worm castings.

People love the story. They like knowing that food waste can become something useful instead of going to the landfill.

Then comes the question.

“How do I use this on my lawn?”

I didn’t have a convenient answer.

Our castings don’t flow through a broadcast spreader. Making a liquid extract is another option, but most people don’t want to buy tanks and pumps to care for their yard.

They want a better lawn.

I understood. I was trying to solve the same problem at my house.

That question led to equipment I built, courses, a microscope, and relationships with people doing similar work. It led to a compost mentorship and working with Michael Stangl of Stangl’s Enviro Lawn Care on my Living Rain formula.

Four years of work on my own lawn helped bring me here.

Introducing Groundwell

Groundwell by Iowa Worm Farm is our lawn and landscape health program. Living Rain is the liquid biological amendment we apply through it.

We handle the mixing, equipment, and application.

Living Rain combines worm-casting extract with microbial inputs, minerals, nutrients, and ingredients selected to support soil biology and plant growth. The formulation adapts to the season, soil information, and what I’m learning.

The goal is a better lawn, built on healthier soil.

Fuller turf. Stronger roots. Better water absorption. More efficient nutrient use. Over time, I want to help lawns thrive with less need for repeated intervention.

Those are ambitious goals. They’re the reason I’m doing this.

This year, with Living Rain applications, my lawn became darker green and denser. I saw fewer weeds.

Still weeds.

I’m also seeing deeper roots, better soil aggregation, and no standing water in places where it used to collect.

These observations come from several years of work. I can’t credit every improvement to one formula or one season. But this year’s results exceeded my expectations, and I’m continuing to test and learn.

Daisy is part of that work. The new composting system will help me process more material and develop a consistent food source for the worms. My plan is to produce finished compost for sale in spring 2027 and for use in Living Rain.

More waste diverted. More useful material produced here.

The next step

My perfectionism has pushed me to learn and pay attention. It has also kept me waiting until I understand everything before offering the work to anyone else.

I don’t think that point exists.

What I know will change. The weather will change. What a lawn needs will change.

Living Rain will change with them.

I’m now accepting inquiries for fall applications and the 2027 Groundwell program.

Based on the numbers I’ve worked through, 60 lawns in 2027 would allow me to hire Iowa Worm Farm’s first full-time employee.

That means more help caring for the worms, processing material, and growing the work this farm can do.

If you’ve followed along and wondered how the worm farm could fit into your life, this is an invitation.

You can start with your lawn.

Get your Groundwell estimate and request service.

Applications are $15 per 1,000 square feet, with an initial service area of approximately 15 miles from North Liberty. I’ll confirm your lawn size, location, and schedule before payment.

Daisy is mixed. There’s more work to do.

And I’m ready to do it.