Add a tray

You have started for several weeks / month and your first tray is full … you will have to add another one!

In “standard” rhythm it takes about 1 month and a half to fill a tray (waste + paper / cardboard).

When adding a tray ?

The waste loses volume by decomposing.
We must wait until the tray is well filled before adding another above.

The litter must remain in contact with the bottom of the new tray to facilitate the migration of decomposer organisms.
The new tray will nestle gradually as the litter underneath lose volume.

The tray is full, it’s time to put a new one on top !

It is preferable (but not obligatory) to build litter in the new tray (which allows to bury fresh waste).
This litter can be simply made of cardboard.

It’s even better to take some of the litter from the previous bin to speed up the seeding of the new bin.

The good idea of the refuge area

If you create a safe haven in a bin (in the juice bin or tray above), you can use the contents of that bin to use as litter in the new bin.

This litter already contains all the organisms that will facilitate the seeding of the new bin.

If you fill it much faster: your system is “too small”:

You have to multiply the number of trays (not ideal) or start a second vermicomposter or have a larger vermicomposter to simply manage your vermicomposting.

If you are in the starting phase

You do not feed your vermicomposter with all your waste produced (be patient and progressive the first months!), You will take longer to fill the first tray.