Home made compost or farm yard manure is supposed to help attract beneficial bugs

Thank you....I'll try that.

Your soil is obviously lacking humus, i.e. any organic matter. When Bulba and I first took over an area of our neighbour's garden to grow veggies in we had exactly the same problem. Lots and lots of our own compost later plus mulching has resulted in an extremely fertile soil full of worms and other wee beasties. Spent mushroom compost is also good and the compost out of your pots, also composted bark or 'soil improver'. Be careful with farmyard manure unless it is extremely well rotted, even then don't get near your actual plants.

If flowers are healthy then it may be NZ flat worms eating all the worms etc. Have you came across any of them yet?

In our previous garden we added compost and 20 tons of cow manure, every year and how many worms did we find?........................None. It was pure sand to begin with and so well drained that all the worms lived so deep in the soil they were hard to find. Perhaps in your soil they are there but out of site?

NZ flat worms 'might' account for the lack of 'normal' worms but not other wee critters.

Many thanks to all who tried to help!

Let us know how you get on