composting?

[cchrissyy]

Hi! I'm not a gardener, but ...

We moved and the new house includes a compost bin (worm bin?) in the back yard. It looks very much like this : http://www.cravendc.gov.uk/NR/rdonly...postingBin.gif

it is full of good, rich compost, but i was neglected for over a year so it's a bit dry and there are no more live worms. I took out most of the compost to fill some pots and garden beds. so, now what?

seriously, do I need to buy new worms? what will that cost and where do I find some? do I need to add dirt or leaves or manure, or is it enough to just fill it slowly with food scraps? should I water this thing? is there a "right" balance of food scraps to dirt?

I would love to have good rich soil, and i feel like this is a gift of a big head start. is it?

for once in my life, will this mean my plants don't die?

[mommathea]

I doubt that it is a worm bin. The black would heat up in the sun and cook the worms. It is a composter though. I've only ever worked with a pile system.
But you want a decent mix to your compost
you can put leaves, grass clippings, wood shavings, stray, hay - realy anything of plant nature
and mix that with the kitchen scraps you have. Also you can mix shredded paper cardboard ect.
There are all kinds of sites on composting and many will bost with a magical percent of each element to make the best, quickest compost. But realy, compositing is a very forgiving thing.
You do want the compost to be slightly damp. The good bacteria feeds off the moisture, but you don't want it to be wet.

[Denvergirlie]

Yes, this is just a normal composting bin, not a vermicomposting bin (worm bin).

Stack in a mixture of greens (food scraps, grass) and browns (leaves, straw) and let it cook. You can stir it up from time to time if you are willing to do so, but it will break down eventually.
You want it damp, like a rung out sponge.
Over time it will break down into compost. Side dress plants in the garden as well as houseplants.

Some of this is just trial and error, so good luck!

[Ola_]

Doesn't look like a worm bin to me either. I only used one briefly but the advice to mix green and brown material, and stir occassionally is exactly what I remember.

[koofie]

That looks like mine... I wouldn't think there would be vermicomposting worms inside, but you may find some earthworms at the bottom. The bin is easy to use, just layer it green and brown as suggested above. Depending in conditions, you can harvest in 6 months to a year or so, just take some dirt from the hole/door that opens in the bottom.