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Ask about WormTRAP™, irrigation support, or soil health guidance.
About Walt
Soil, water, and community — guided by a lifetime of hands-on stewardship.
About WormTRAP™
WormTRAP™ exists to heal the soil by restoring living biology.
We help rebuild the soil food web—microbes, fungi, organic matter, and nutrient cycling—so land can regain resilience, productivity, and long-term fertility. Our approach feeds the soil first, strengthening plants naturally and reducing dependence on chemical inputs.
Rooted in regenerative principles, careful observation, and measurable outcomes, WormTRAP™ serves land stewards who value stewardship over shortcuts and durability over quick fixes. Healthy soil is the foundation of healthy plants, resilient ecosystems, and thriving communities.
Founder & Steward
WormTRAP™ is the brainchild of Walt Sandford, a soil-first grower, educator, and irrigation specialist with over a decade of hands-on experience restoring land across San Diego County.
Walt co-founded Good Neighbor Gardens in 2013, helping install more than 475 residential, school, and community gardens and training over 100 next-generation growers. Through this work, he identified recurring soil and water challenges across residential landscapes, small farms, corporate campuses, and community spaces.
In response, Walt founded Milagro Urban Farms in 2020 to address these systemic issues through biology-first soil restoration, efficient water management, and regenerative growing practices. WormTRAP™ emerged from this work as a focused effort to restore living soil at its foundation.
Background & Experience
Before returning fully to the land, Walt spent 17 years as a nonprofit executive in health and human services, specializing in healthcare access and homelessness.
He also served as Executive Director of the San Diego Community Garden Network, supporting community well-being through technical assistance, policy advocacy, and garden education.
This blend of public health, education, and regenerative agriculture continues to shape WormTRAP’s practical, systems-level approach to land stewardship.
Training & Credentials
- QWEL Certified Professional (Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper)
- Irrigation Specialist & Certified Hydrawise Specialist
- Master Gardener, Master Gardener Association of San Diego County
- Master Composter focused on living soil systems
- B.A. in Biology, University of California San Diego
- Master of Public Health (Maternal & Child Health), San Diego State University
- Currently enrolled in Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web School, with certification as a Soil Food Web Consultant anticipated in 2026
The Soil Food Web
Healthy soil is not inert—it is alive. Plants feed soil biology through root exudates, and in return, microbes, fungi, and soil organisms unlock nutrients plants cannot access on their own. This living system is known as the Soil Food Web*.
WormTRAP™ works within this natural design—amplifying biology rather than replacing it with chemicals— so land regains fertility, resilience, and long-term productivity.
* Concept based on USDA Soil Biology Primer and Soil Food Web research pioneered by Elaine Ingham, PhD.
Guiding Principle
Walt’s land stewardship is guided by 2 Chronicles 7:14, informing a commitment to humility, restoration, and care for the land entrusted to us.
Request the Land Stewardship Manifesto
How WormTRAP™ integrates ancient wisdom with modern soil biology
Author
Worm Craft: A Microscopic and Micro-Nutrient Perspective
A master guide to vermiculture, worm tea, and soil food web restoration
Independence & Partnerships
WormTRAP™ is an independent regenerative soil project. Partnerships are entered into selectively and directly, with clear accountability, demonstrated capacity, and alignment with biology-first land stewardship principles.
This approach protects integrity, supports measurable outcomes, and creates long-term success for the land and the people who steward it.