Composting with Isopods
** Early Access ** - Even More Iso-Fun for Less!
Welcome!
If you made it to this page, you likely have an interest in (or at least, curiosity about) my new course - Composting with Isopods (CWI). Thanks very much! If all goes according to plan, I'm hoping to have a more official launch later in 2025.
But in the meantime, I'd love to get some iso-vermi keeners inside checking things out, sharing feedback etc!
What you miss out on in terms of completion and polish, you more than make up in terms of cost-savings, early access to content, interesting updates etc.
The timing of this early release is also very important (especially for people in the Northern Hemisphere) - something we will circle back to a bit further down!
What You Get Now
CWI Member Area & Course - Online member area where you can access course lessons and other important resource pages. We're currently sitting at 6 core modules with over 20 lesson pages
100+ Page Composting with Isopods Written Guide - This is basically a PDF version of the course content you can download and read offline.
BONUS 'Isopods as a Business' Module - If you are interested in the idea of starting a business related to isopods, this module provides information and ideas (and hopefully some inspiration) to help you get started!
CWI E-Mail List - This will be my main means of keeping course participants in the loop about CWI news and updates, and to share helpful/interesting content relating to the course. (NOTE: I've created a public "Fun with Isopods (and Worms)" list as well - and will aim to limit the overlap between these two lists. So, I recommend being on both)
Direct Access to Me - This will probably be a fairly small initial group of people involved, so it should be even easier to reach me directly (quickly) with questions and anything else you want to chat about.
Influence on Future Direction of the Course - I will be paying very close attention to what members have to say about the package, and this will definitely help to determine the ultimate future direction I take with it. It's your opportunity to finally be an "influencer"! ;-)
Why Isopods? Why Now?
I've been educating people about worm composting for almost 20 years, as I type this in 2025. Pretty crazy! As a biology guy and nature nut, I was always interested in the other organisms in my systems - but they never ended up as much more than a passing interest on their own.
That is, until I had some (fateful?) chats with a worm farming friend a few years back!
My friend Sean happened to mention he was raising and selling isopods, and making even more money from that than he was from his worm business (and he was doing just fine on that front). As someone interested/involved in the 'worm biz' for quite some time, this alone definitely caught by attention. But even just the fact that he was somehow able to raise huge populations of isopods seemed pretty wild to me.
In my experience, getting isopods to really thrive in typical vermicomposting systems (especially enclosed, indoor systems) isn't all that easy. Weirdly enough, not long after these chats with Sean started, some neglected systems I had going at my dad's place ended up with thriving populations of isopods. Using some of the tips he gave me, I was able to nurture the populations even more. I was blown away by their ability to process tough "browns" that would normally stick around for months, or even years, in a regular worm composting system - and this got be started down the path towards my "hybrid" (isopods + worms) system concept.
This initial "success" (and continued chats with Sean) definitely kept isopods on my radar, but it wasn't until I experienced more of a a major breakthrough - and then took a deep-dive into the world of isopod-keeping - in 2024 that things really started falling into place.
Isopods + Composting Worms for the WIN!
Just the fact that there was (and still is) a huge community of people who raise isopods interacting online was amazing to me, but it was spending time learning all the "secrets" to raising them successfully that really made things click.
Naturally, me being me, I wasn't satisfied with simply raising isopods on their own. I needed to get composting worms involved as well! And it was the partnership of these two organisms where I discovered the real "magic".
How Isopods Help Worms
Fragmenting Resistant "Browns" - Isopods are incredibly talented at breaking down tough, high-carbon materials, greatly increasing surface area for microbial colonization, and making them much more accessible as a food source for worms.
Other Food Options - There is a range of other foods (etc) isopod keepers add to their systems that you wouldn't typically add to a worm bin (e.g. meat and bones). This means you can potentially process more of your organic wastes and the worms ultimately end up with a wider range of nutrition sources.
Optimal Conditions/Environment - Funny enough, a system set up to cater more to isopods than to composting worms can actually result in a more effective worm composting process! Obviously this isn't universal for all vermicomposters (especially those with more experience), but a lot of worm bins are way too wet, have too much food, don't have enough bedding - all of which can lead to issues.
Work Well in Dry Conditions - In a regular worm composting system, anything that ends up dry usually doesn't get broken down (at least not until it get's damp again). Isopods actually need some dry-ish areas to thrive, and can to help break down dry materials faster.
How Worms Help Isopods
Worms Eat Iso Wastes - In the isopod keeping world you see a lot of cautions about leaving a system going too long (without some sort of reset etc). What many iso-people don't realize is that keeping composting worms in an isopod bin can have a huge positive impact since the worms are like a "clean up crew" for the isopods.
Worms Need Damp Conditions - Keeping composting worms in the same systems as your isopods almost guarantees you'll never have to worry about conditions getting "too dry" for the isopods (a common issue with new isopod keepers). It also helps to ensure that damp conditions won't end up causing problems (another issue new isopod keepers can experience).
No Food Build Up - People caution not to add too much food, especially water-rich foods, to an isopod bin, since this can lead to mold-growth and other hassles. Obviously there are limits with feeding worms as well, but what might be considered "over-feeding" with isopods can actually work very well for composting worms. Once again, the worms can serve as a sort of "clean up crew".
Better End Product? - It's no secret that vermicast is the gold standard of all-natural soil amendments. You really don't see much written about isopod poop - but when you get them working together, the possibilities for a superior end product (for a number of reasons) seems likely!
Some Neat Things I've Learned
Isopod Population Growth is Different from Composting Worms - In my experience, it's often easier to see progress when you are working with worms than when you are working with isopods. But the latter can sneak up on you, and completely blow you away with a bit of time and patience!
Not All Isopods are Created Equal - Unlike composting worms, there are literally thousands of different kinds of isopods. Many people with limited isopod experience just tend to lump them all together as "rolly polllies" and assume they are the same, when in fact you can probably find quite a few different varieties, with different talents and uses just in your backyard alone!
Iso-Vermicast is Beautiful & Potent - The compost produced in my hybrid systems is some of the nicest "castings" I've worked with in all my years of vermicomposting. Rich, earthy smell, dark color, fine granular texture. And my initial testing seems to suggest it works every bit as well as I expected too!
Boring, Basic Bins Work Great - The more I have worked with isopods, the more I've come to realize that super low-key, bare bones systems can be incredibly effective. That being said...
Isopod Keepers Have Great System Designs - Even though I would argue that dirt cheap, ultra basic systems are the way to go, my mind has been opened in terms of some interesting possibilities for vermicomposting. Some isopod varieties can be escape artists, so there are a lot of cool ideas for fully-sealed systems that still have excellent ventilation (some good possibilities for worm people who really want to avoid flying pests etc)
Some Things I'd Love to Explore
More Iso-Vermicast Testing - I'm really interested in doing more experimentation with the compost I'm producing in my hybrid systems. Early results have been promising, but it would be great to test things out on a more serious level.
BIG "Bucket Systems" - One amazing discovery (that falls under the "basic bins" category in last section)
Iso-Vermicast is Beautiful & Potent - The compost produced in my hybrid systems is some of the nicest "castings" I've worked with in all my years of vermicomposting. Rich, earthy smell, dark color, fine granular texture. And my initial testing seems to suggest it works every bit as well as I expected too!
Boring, Basic Bins Work Great - The more I have worked with isopods, the more I've come to realize that super low-key, bare bones systems can be incredibly effective. That being said...
Isopod Keepers Have Great System Designs - Even though I would argue that dirt cheap, ultra basic systems are the way to go, my mind has been opened in terms of some interesting possibilities for vermicomposting. Some isopod varieties can be escape artists, so there are a lot of cool ideas for fully-sealed systems that still have excellent ventilation (some good possibilities for worm people who really want to avoid flying pests etc)
Getting Back To The Timing...
Earlier I mentioned that part of my motivation for releasing an "early" version of this package
This is a fairly new adventure for me, but it is one that I am very excited about! I see a lot of possibilities for combining the waste-processing "powers" of isopods and worms (and have witnessed a lot already). I think this could be a bit of a game changer for a lot of people. Not a composting "be all end all", but a great approach you can add to your toolkit!
How Much Is It?
$37
$17
As mentioned, I'm releasing this package a little "early" to get an initial group of people involved (while the weather is still nice and the isopods and resources are readily available). I always love rewarding my most loyal supporters - in this case with a nice fat discount of more than 50% off. If you are ready to get involved, you will find the join button directly below.
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