Disclaimer: this post is a collaboration with SubPod- but I only share products I love and think you will to.
I am nerding out here… so bear with me. You all know how much I love gardening (insert my Pumpkin Patch)… welllllll, this year I am taking it a step further in a big way. Insert the SubPod.
The SubPod is a very specific way to compost, producing arguably the best fertilizer for your plants. It’s a system that uses a very specific special ingredient… 2000 of them to be specific…
Are you ready? No really, are you?
Composting worms!
This is a special method of composting called Vermicomposting.
Composting worms aren’t your ordinary earthworms. These garden superheros break down your kitchen and garden waste like a pro, turning it into super nutritious microbe packed worm castings (aka worm poop!) that will make your plants explode in growth with happiness.
So let me show you how it works.
First you set up your SubPod.
Mine came with a galvanized garden bed, but you can put it in any raised garden, or even directly into the ground. I used two pavers underneath the bins to level it out.
You need to fill the sides up with soil.
Make sure to cover all the holes on the side of the SubPod.
Next we are going to add in our worm bedding. I’m using wet cardboard.
You want to avoid shiny cardboard with a lot of ink. Amazon boxes work great! Other sources of carbon & brown compost (think dried up fall leaves, sawdust, coconut coir, etc) are great too.
If you got your composting worms in the mail like I did (I got mine HERE), they will need a week to adjust in their new home.
So don’t feed them yet.
They may even seem to disappear, but they are just exploring the raised garden bed, and will be back once you add food.
This is what 2000 composting worms looks like! 2000 is the suggested number to start with, but you can add more or less.
Another fun worm fact is that they multiply like crazy- which is great for your compost bin! They double their population every 6o days. This means that you can share them with your other gardening friends! 2 months in, and I’ve already given some away.
Before closing up the SubPod, tuck those worms in with a SubPod Worm Blanket. Make sure to soak it in water before adding to your SubPod.
Resist the urge to check on them every day (guilty!) and come back 1 week after adding them to their new home.
Time to feed them! If you aren’t seeing many worms in your bin, try coaxing them in with a banana peel. They LOVE bananas! SubPod has great info on exactly what to feed them, and how much to add. See these graphics on the open lid? It’s full of a run down of the basics, which is super helpful when you have any composting questions.
It’s amazing how much compostable waste a house hold can produce in one day. Don’t throw it away at the landfill, instead allow it to circle back and give life back to the earth that produced it. Here you can see a newly fed bin full of watermelon rind, pureed carrots, some pencil sharpener shavings, and the cardboard from a toilet paper roll. Lucky me, they love purred pumpkins too!!! I have plenty of those! They also love things like fall leaves, and grass clippings. Make sure to mix it in with your SubPod Aerator.
The aerator will create vital air pockets for your worms. They like their home to be wet, but not TOO wet. I had mine too dry at first. A good test is to pick up a handful of their bedding a squeeze. If a few drops come out, then it’s probably good. If it’s a sloppy mess, then it’s probably too wet.
Now that you’ve fed your worms, tuck them in with a worm blanket until their next feed. They like their home to stay damp and dark. Don’t disturb them too much, just sit back and wait for them to do their magic.
You should alternate which bins you feed, making sure not to add too much at one time. You eventually will gain a good gage on how much your worms go through food. It’s a learning process.
Check out that explosive plant growth! This is only 2 months into the process, and the tiny seedlings I put into the SubPod garden bed have EXPLODED in growth. I’m shook!
I haven’t harvested any worm castings yet- but I know I will have loads ready come spring. Just in time for planting the garden. I’ll keep you all updated on the process. Like I said, I am just having so much fun being a worm farmer. Haha! And the kids LOVE it just as much as me.
Here’s the link to the SubPod Shop. I have their Grow Bed Bundle. That said, they have all sorts of sizes to fit your composting needs. They even just introduced a new wooden bed version called the Mobed Planter. It’s so fancy!
Definitely check them out! And if you want to learn more about this process, look up “Vermicomposting” for all the dirt on this topic.
Lovely write up of your experience. I’m planning on getting one next year, so nice to see the set up.
I have a wormery already and one thing I feel I NEED to tell you is – NEVER ADD PINEAPPLE! It has an enzyme that dissolves worms.
Ah! So good to know!!!
That’s just stunning.
You can make even composting look like an appealing garden décor! 🙂