Discussion
I inherited one of those green, plastic compost bins with the house. Not sure about capacity, almost chest high with a clip on top. It's not much good, nothing seems to rot down although I'm aware that it being mainly lawn clippings won't help. The mice living beneath it are quite happy though.
There's a nice corner shielded by shrubs that would do for a traditional compost heap rather than a bin (I'm planning to drill holes in the bin and plant strawberries and flowers all over it
) so I thought I'd ask about structure, covers and the like. Do they need a slatted base for aeration or is straight on the ground ok? I thought I'd have timber sides, no creosote so as not to upset the balance of things and maybe a canvas 'lid'?
There's a nice corner shielded by shrubs that would do for a traditional compost heap rather than a bin (I'm planning to drill holes in the bin and plant strawberries and flowers all over it
) so I thought I'd ask about structure, covers and the like. Do they need a slatted base for aeration or is straight on the ground ok? I thought I'd have timber sides, no creosote so as not to upset the balance of things and maybe a canvas 'lid'?Good, standard compost needs to be 25-50% "green material" (nitrogen-rich: weeds, green leaves, kitchen waste) the balance brown (carbon-rich: wood, cardboard & paper, dead leaves). You then need the bugs & worms to do the composting, water, heat, an open structure to let air through the pile, and time.
Grass causes problems because of its tendency to compact. If your pile is dominated by grass, an open pile is better than a "dalek" because it's easier to fork over, to mix and aerate.
So first options for the OP would be:
Whether you go open or dalek, size is important. You really want two or three piles on the go: one filling, one closed and rotting, one ready. My garden is about 400sq.m. with several trees and a large climber (providing leaves and wood chip). I now run 3 large daleks (900 litres) and could easily add two more. So if you go with daleks, plan on at least a couple. BTW, try your local council website, or call Evergreener and ask if they have a deal running with your council. My council had a half price deal, which added to the discount on a second meant I got two for less than the retail of one.
Place them on soft earth (so the goodness can leach out and the worms come in). Take time to get a passably solid, level base, then start filling. Make a hard access surface though (paving slabs, for example) - good for bringing the wheelbarrow up, and particularly convenient for when you have some kitchen waste to dump (no muddy feet). Then just fill, bearing in mind the rules about mixture. in Winter, stuff sheets of cardboard down the side - this will insulate (extending the composting season, then eventually rot down. Be careful and follow the rules with seeding weeds and virus affected material - home heaps do not get hot enough to kill the nasties and this stuff needs to go to the council.
The better solution, though are pig pens. These are like open piles, but divided and tidied up. They need to be four sided, the front being removable. Size needs to be about a square metre (perhaps a bit less, judge it by volume against what i mentioned for the daleks), and again plan on at least two bays. Ideally you can reach the back with a fork, but there is an argument that it's better to climb in to fork it over. Basically the same rules apply.
Now they say that you can build from pallets (also corrugated steel, marine ply, you could even use breeze blocks), but to be honest I've never liked any of the plans here - nice in the brochure but a bit pants after a year or two. In an "ultimate version" I would probably go with breeze blocks for the back and sides as they will last forever and take the abuse of an accidental spade strike, then a gate-style front of pretty solid wood (2"). Evergreener (link above) do a tidy kit, but it is rather expensive for what you get (still cheaper than the same kit retail). You can drill some holes low down to aid aeration, but the best thing is to get in there with the fork and turn it over every week.
Leave it open for the rain. in winter an old carpet may be useful.
The main feature to consider , after material and size, is how you are going to get the good stuff out again. Again, have a hard surface outside, as odds are you will have the barrow to move the compost around. Now for some, the easiest will be to climb in with their gardening boots on and just shovel it over the top. Other options are:
Final point on pig pens is that they are a pot process, you need to run a complete cycle, then start again. In contrast, daleks can be fairly continuous - you can get to the good stuff even as you pile more fresh waste on top. This means more bays for pig pens - I would certainly try for three, and I'd rather have three small ones than two larger ones. When a pile is almost spent, and/or you need to get a new one going (becasue the others are full), always remember that you can shovel the end of the pile onto the top of a fresh pile - it's not wasted, and it will make mincemeat of the fresh stuff.
Although smell is not that much of a problem, I would still tend to have it away from the house. It's also good to use up a North-facing site where not a lot else will grow - the compost won't mind much, and it releases more south facing space for plants that need the sun 9ie most of them).
Grass causes problems because of its tendency to compact. If your pile is dominated by grass, an open pile is better than a "dalek" because it's easier to fork over, to mix and aerate.
So first options for the OP would be:
- Change your mix. Cardboard, egg boxes, and shredded paper (like those bank statements) will help.
- Try a pack of Garrotta: Sprinkled on top to start things off.
- Check moisture levels: In this heat, a bit of water every week will help
- If there's any compost at the bottom, move some back on top, so the bugas are eating from above and below.
- Keep an eye on the condition top and bottom. Is the texture at the bottom right (friable like multi-purpose compost from the garden centre? not soggy? not too dry?), how quickly is the top descending ?
Whether you go open or dalek, size is important. You really want two or three piles on the go: one filling, one closed and rotting, one ready. My garden is about 400sq.m. with several trees and a large climber (providing leaves and wood chip). I now run 3 large daleks (900 litres) and could easily add two more. So if you go with daleks, plan on at least a couple. BTW, try your local council website, or call Evergreener and ask if they have a deal running with your council. My council had a half price deal, which added to the discount on a second meant I got two for less than the retail of one.
Place them on soft earth (so the goodness can leach out and the worms come in). Take time to get a passably solid, level base, then start filling. Make a hard access surface though (paving slabs, for example) - good for bringing the wheelbarrow up, and particularly convenient for when you have some kitchen waste to dump (no muddy feet). Then just fill, bearing in mind the rules about mixture. in Winter, stuff sheets of cardboard down the side - this will insulate (extending the composting season, then eventually rot down. Be careful and follow the rules with seeding weeds and virus affected material - home heaps do not get hot enough to kill the nasties and this stuff needs to go to the council.
The better solution, though are pig pens. These are like open piles, but divided and tidied up. They need to be four sided, the front being removable. Size needs to be about a square metre (perhaps a bit less, judge it by volume against what i mentioned for the daleks), and again plan on at least two bays. Ideally you can reach the back with a fork, but there is an argument that it's better to climb in to fork it over. Basically the same rules apply.
Now they say that you can build from pallets (also corrugated steel, marine ply, you could even use breeze blocks), but to be honest I've never liked any of the plans here - nice in the brochure but a bit pants after a year or two. In an "ultimate version" I would probably go with breeze blocks for the back and sides as they will last forever and take the abuse of an accidental spade strike, then a gate-style front of pretty solid wood (2"). Evergreener (link above) do a tidy kit, but it is rather expensive for what you get (still cheaper than the same kit retail). You can drill some holes low down to aid aeration, but the best thing is to get in there with the fork and turn it over every week.
Leave it open for the rain. in winter an old carpet may be useful.
The main feature to consider , after material and size, is how you are going to get the good stuff out again. Again, have a hard surface outside, as odds are you will have the barrow to move the compost around. Now for some, the easiest will be to climb in with their gardening boots on and just shovel it over the top. Other options are:
- A complete panel that can be unhooked and moved aside.
- A series of boards that drop into slots. Add and remove boards as necessary.
Final point on pig pens is that they are a pot process, you need to run a complete cycle, then start again. In contrast, daleks can be fairly continuous - you can get to the good stuff even as you pile more fresh waste on top. This means more bays for pig pens - I would certainly try for three, and I'd rather have three small ones than two larger ones. When a pile is almost spent, and/or you need to get a new one going (becasue the others are full), always remember that you can shovel the end of the pile onto the top of a fresh pile - it's not wasted, and it will make mincemeat of the fresh stuff.
Although smell is not that much of a problem, I would still tend to have it away from the house. It's also good to use up a North-facing site where not a lot else will grow - the compost won't mind much, and it releases more south facing space for plants that need the sun 9ie most of them).
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