Do we add scraps during the winter to the Subpod to make our base compost, before the worms are added in the springs?

Food scraps are best added when you have active thriving compost worms in your system, so it is best not to add food scraps until the worms have settled in for a week in their new home; Subpod.

When you first start to use your Subpod you will add your compost worms and 8 good handfuls of “bedding” (coir/coconut peat, shredded newspaper or Subpod’s cardboard packaging torn into small pieces) and leave undisturbed for a week.

In subsequent years, you’ll want to refrain from adding scraps during the winter if you live in an area that is cold enough that the ground freezes and you haven’t created a cold frame or some way of keeping your internal Supod environment above 60F (15C). If the Subpod environment gets below 60F (15C) there will be no active worms in your Subpod system.

For more information about creating a cold frame (and keeping your worms warm during winter): https://growhub.subpod.com/posts/i-am-based-in-a-cold-climate-where-the-ground-freezes-in-the-winter-time-can-i-still-use-subpod

If you add scraps during the winter and then add the worms in Spring (or when it’s warm enough), there will be too much food scraps for the worms to process and the food waste will putrefy.

It is best to start your Subpod fresh with your compost worms, bedding and leaving it to rest for 1 week. You can then start to add your food scraps, etc.

This is the best way to get a smell free, effective and functional Subpod system working :)

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Do we add scraps during the winter to the Subpod to make our base compost, before the worms are added in the springs?

Do we add scraps during the winter to the Subpod to make our base compost, before the worms are added in the springs?

Related Articles

I am based in a cold climate where the ground freezes in the winter time. Can I still use Subpod?

I was told that compost worms can’t live in soil. How do the worms aerate and get nutrients to the soil around the subpod if they can’t survive there?

Does a Subpod smell? Doesn't all compost stink? How does the Subpod manage to avoid rotting smells since it is a composter?

Can I compost even more than 30 liters per week in Subpod?

Can Subpod be used with black soldier larvae/fly? Last summer there were many black soldier larvae in my compost bin and the larvae were eating kitchen scraps very fast. The larvae disappear in winter but in spring they come back.