Subpod FAQs
Is Subpod suitable for a single person household? I am just 1 person, will Subpod work for me? I live alone, can I use Subpod?
Subpod is fine to use for 1 person and under 15 kilograms per week. You will start with about 2,000 worms and they will gradually build in numbers based on their environment. So, if you don't feed them much, they will eat what they have, and not ...
What are your recommended ways of keeping fire ants out of the Subpod? I don't want to fill the area with pesticides, and fire ants are the biggest problem I have with current composting efforts.
We don’t have direct experience with fire ants specifically, but here are two suggestions that have worked well with other ants. 1) We find that ants tend to colonize a Subpod if the food waste is not stirred in and then dries out while sitting on ...
What is the Grow Bed made from/material? Has the steel been tested for lead?
We have not had the zinc aluminium coating of the steel Grow Bed evaluated by a lab to certify that it is free of lead. You can certainly use the Subpod with a wooden garden bed, or perhaps you can find a local steel garden bed that has been lab ...
What are the dimensions of the worm blanket? Does a worm blanket come with the Subpod?
Each worm blanket is 36cm/14 inches x 42cm/16.5 inches. There is one worm blanket on each side of the divider. We supply the worm blanket for each side of your Subpod with your Subpod purchase.
How to make a wooden seat / timber lid for your subpod?
Our Subpod doesn’t come with a wooden seat, you can, however, create a timber lid of your own for your Subpod. Here’s a video on how to make one at home :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7h3sTNqfK4 Here is the Subpod wooden lid template: ...
What is the ratio of wet waste to dry waste?
It's important to have carbon (dry material) in any composting system. Although Subpod is a little more relaxed with this rule because the worms and microbes can take carbon from the surrounding soil. We still suggest placing a handful of carbon ...
I don't like the video course, is there any written material instead?
Everyone has a different method that they learn best with. We have lots of written information that will be able to assist you in getting started. Under the video course, you will find all the relevant written instructions that will assist you with ...
Can multiple Grow Beds be used to create a bigger Grow Bed?
We are working on this with our manufacturer, but unfortunately, it is at least 2 to 3 months away. I will add you to our waitlist and notify you as soon as we have this option available. You can also purchase a large raised garden bed from another ...
Can you explain to me how you would use it such that you could periodically harvest compost from Subpod for use in other areas in the garden?
It will take around 17 to 22 weeks to convert organic waste to compost (for a full Subpod). So you could create compost for your other garden beds every 4-6 months. You can also plumb you Subpod to gain access to the worm juice, which is full of ...
Does the worm tea need to be collected, or can it be allowed to stay in the garden?
The worm tea does not have to be collected. You can let it drain straight into the surrounding garden bed so that the nutrient-rich fertiliser goes to work straight away at the roots of your plants where they are needed most. The only case where you ...
Do you need to add water to the Subpod at all, or just water the garden bed as usual?
You do not need to add extra water to the Subpod, as there should be plenty of liquid coming from your food scraps. It's important to make sure the worm blanket is kept moist though. To test if the worm blanket has enough moisture…. Squeeze the ...
Is Subpod suitable for a single person household? I am just 1 person, will Subpod work for me? I live alone, can I use Subpod?
Subpod is fine to use for 1 person and for composting under 15 kilograms per week. You will start with about 2,000 worms and they will gradually build in numbers based on their environment. So, if you don't feed them much, they will eat what they ...
What is your Returns and Refund Policy?
Returns and Refunds Policy Thank you for shopping at Subpod. If you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, we're here to help. Our products can be returned within 60 days from the date of delivery. A new product may be exchanged for another ...
What is the aerator made out of? How long will it last?
The aerator is made from 303 stainless steel. It will be quite corrosion resistant and should last at least as long as the Subpod. The handle will be made of a safe,durable and recyclable plastic.
Can I use a pitchfork instead of an aerator?
A pitchfork will work, however, the tines of the pitchfork will most likely scrape the plastic walls and floor of the Subpod, accelerating wear as the bedding is being turned. We recommend that you use the Subpod Compost Aerator instead which is ...
What does the aerator do?
The aerator helps to mix the waste through the Subpod so that it is processed faster by the worms and microbes. It also helps to aerate the system so that it is an aerobic environment, which means a non-smelly composting system. It is possible to ...
Does the Grow Garden Bed have a sealed bottom?
The Grow Garden Bed has an open bottom that is suitable to sit on soil, sand, grass etc, anything where you don’t mind liquid run-off from your garden bed going. If you want to put your Subpod on a balcony, verandah or concrete, we recommend that you ...
How does Subpod differ from other worm composting systems that you half bury in the garden? Tumbleweed is one of them
There is actually quite a lot of difference between Subpod and the Tumbleweed in-ground system. The main differences are: Subpod composts 15kg/30 litres per week. Wormfeast (Tumbleweed) composts 1-2kg per week. Subpod has an aeration panel - which ...
How do I subscribe to your newsletter?
If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter to be kept up to date with all our product changes, updates and future sales, please click on this link: https://subpod.com/#join-us
The importance of worms and microbes in your soil and around the roots of your plants. Why Subpod is great!
Subpod gets worms and microbes around the roots of the plants where they are needed most. Some interesting reading about the science behind it all - https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/nutritional-adaptations-of-plants/ ...
The waste you put into Subpod is not organic so how does it create organic food?
If you put non-organic food scraps into Subpod then you cannot market that food as organically grown. However, given the robust and diverse microbial activity present in the Subpod, it is very likely that the majority of trace chemical contaminants ...
Is the Subpod material recycled waste plastic or new virgin plastic? Have you worked out the carbon footprint to manufacture and transport each Subpod?
Initially, we are using mostly new virgin plastic and gradually adding increasing amounts of recycled plastic while testing to ensure performance is not degraded. We require Subpods to have a minimum of 10-15 year use time, so will determine how ...
Can't you just bury the kitchen scraps? And grow around it thus avoiding the need for the plastic in that Subpod, shipping, money?
Compost worms are different from the worms that live in the soil. In nature, compost worms would only live in the top layer of decomposing leaf matter, etc (decaying organic matter). Soil worms would live below in the soil. They are not as ...
How large a garden area does each Subpod service (fertilize?)
If the Subpod is in a raised garden bed, the immediate area (half a foot or 15cm) around the Subpod will be enriched quickly (within several months). Once the Subpod is full (after about 6 months depending on feeding and worms), by sprinkling the ...
Once the compost is in do you need to turn it over ? Or it just rots down and then you scoop it out ?
The magic behind Subpod is that you aerating (turning it) every time you feed it, this is a simple process that takes about 60 seconds. Although Subpod feeds the surrounding soil, eventually it will fill up (6-12months) at that point the lid is large ...
How do you prevent pathogenic anaerobes in a subterranean compost?
The Subpod drains excess liquid to the outside of the Subpod using all the wormholes in the Subpod. There is also a slope at the bottom of the Subpod which drains excess liquid out through the worm tea outlet. A suitable quantity of dry carbon should ...
How much CO2 (carbon dioxide) do I keep out of the air by using the Subpod?
Once your Subpod is fully up and running and you are adding 15 kg of organic waste per week, after 1 year (52 weeks), you have composted 780 kg of food waste! In a landfill, that food would have generated a lot of methane which is at least 25X more ...
I see that the subpod claims to offset 2t CO2/year. Could you explain how? My understanding was that decomposing organic matter would emit CO2 rather than absorb CO2.
Rotting organic matter creates methane. Sending organic matter to landfill or composting in traditional ways (when there is a smell) - creates methane. Using a Subpod with an aerobic environment (lots of oxygen) - does not emit methane. Methane is ...
How do you combat ants with Subpod?
To avoid ants in your Subpod you will need to keep the Subpod moist. The steps to keep Subpod moist are: Every time you add food scraps to Subpod, use the compost aerator to thoroughly mix with the worm bedding Moisten dry carbon as you add it to ...
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 ...
What is the capacity of the Subpod? How much food waste can Subpod process each week? How many Subpods do I need?
We have designed each Subpod to be used for up to 4 people. The processing capacity of the Subpods once they are up and running will be 30 litres/15 kilograms of organic waste per week. At the start when you are getting your Subpod up and running, ...
Does Subpod need any maintenance?
When you add your food scraps to Subpod you will need to mix them through using an aerator. This takes a few minutes per week. Using the aerator helps to mix the food through the Subpod so that the worms and microbes can break them down more ...
Does Subpod need any maintenance?
When you add your food scraps to Subpod you will need to mix them through using an aerator. This takes a few minutes per week. Using the aerator helps to mix the food through the Subpod so that the worms and microbes can break them down more ...
What's the longest time you’ve had a Subpod in the ground?
We have had our Subpod prototypes in multiple locations in raised garden beds and in the ground for more than 2.5 years.
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.
Black soldier fly larvae will eat kitchen scraps faster than compost worms, especially in hot weather. In time, you can lose most or all of your compost worms and be deprived of getting good compost when the fly larvae are abundant. A couple of ...
What is the divider in the Subpod for? Why is there a divider in the Subpod?
The Subpod Divider has a few functions: If adding food waste frequently (every 2-3 days), by alternating which side the food is added, this minimizes disturbing the worms. Some composting worm species, such as Indian blues (perionyx excavatus) are ...
Where are the Subpods made?
We carefully researched the best place to make Subpods and centred on a state of the art, best practices facility in China for several reasons: We personally visited facilities we were considering, requiring that the work environment was safe and ...
If I had the Subpod underground, do I need to take out my compost or can it just be in there decomposing?
The Subpod is designed to sit about ¾ underground and about 1/4 above ground to insure good airflow for making the very best compost and keeping the worms healthy. The food waste you add to the Subpod is converted to high quality worm casting ...
Can I come and visit you? Where can I see a display Subpod?
I’m sorry, we aren’t able to show you any Subpods in our office. We will be running workshops at The Farm in the near future where you can view Subpods and learn about composting. If you are interested in attending a workshop, please email customer ...
What is the Subpod Grow Bed made out of? How long will it last? Dimensions?
The Subpod Grow Garden Bed is strong and stylish, made from high-quality steel with an anti-corrosion coating of aluminium and zinc for long life. The expected life of this type of steel is at least 15 years. It is 4 times stronger than galvanized ...
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