Don’t add earthworms

Earthworms are synonymous with compost and you’ll find them in any compost heap. But, they are not needed for composting to happen. Bacteria are the key organisms responsible for the breakdown of plant matter. As they multiply and work on the material, the temperature of the pile increases, encouraging heat-loving microorganisms to join the feast.

Compost tumblers are enclosed, insulated containers and the temperature inside goes up considerably higher than that of a traditional heap. This high temperature is perfect for composting cooked food waste and killing off weed seeds, but it is too hot for worms and it will kill them.

Do not add worms to your YOLO Compost Tumbler. Bacteria, fungi and other microbes will happily do all the composting work. Just remember to spin your YOLO every time you add new material to aerate and mix the contents and thus provide oxygen to the hard-working microbes.

Note: if you are incrementally adding content, temperatures will be lower than if you dumped a large volume of cut grass in one go. Also, if you live in the Western and Eastern Cape, your temperatures will be cooler than the highveld or Northern Cape. With this in mind, if a few earthworms make it into your YOLO, they’ll probably be OK.

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