Hi everyone. Thanks for the feedback. Just to clarify, my compost bins are definitely compost bins rather than wormeries, but they've had a healthy population of worms up to now. I assume the worms accelerate the decomposition process and I have read that they're attracted by the kitchen waste.
If I have a compost bin with no kitchen waste - so no worms - is this likely to affect how long it takes for the waste to decompose? Or is it worth adding kitchen waste to the bin to maintain the worm population?
I also put loads of orange peel in my compost bins as OH squeezes his own orange juice every morning. I do find that I don't get many worms in the "in use" bin but there are plenty in the older compost.
even without kitchen waste, you'll have worms. Just look at a pile of horse manure, the worms find their way there too. Please don't over analyse it. You'll find out what works for you.
Old cardboard (egg cartons, toilet roll tubes, cardboard boxes) is invaluable to mix with the green waste to make sure you have a good ratio of carbon:nitrogen. Just don't put anything glossy in, because of the ink - non glossy ink is fine.
Ensure what you put in is shredded. I have 2 big plastic compost bins that serve me well for my garden as I only use my garden compost for mulching the boarders. Also wet it when dry in summer and turn it on a regular basis.
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If I have a compost bin with no kitchen waste - so no worms - is this likely to affect how long it takes for the waste to decompose? Or is it worth adding kitchen waste to the bin to maintain the worm population?
Please don't over analyse it. You'll find out what works for you.