Allotment Stuff > The Basics

Winter Composter Project

(1/3) > >>

Harry:
My compost heap is pretty much that, a heap about a sq metre by half a metre high, and it's now cold and dormant. I doubt the compost will be ready for next year, especially as it is now fast asleep. I chuck about two big carrier bags of kitchen waste on each week, whatever the weather. But the latest stuff is barely decomposing at all. It's kept frozen fresh :(

What's the ideal shape to get the thing full enough to be hot and rapidly decomposing? It's all very well the man on 't internet saying 1 m cubed, but if I only have material to 1/4 fill it it will never work well, will it?

So..... I have some pallet wood. Would it be worth me making some smaller, more cube shaped composting boxes? I'm thinking I could make one or two about 600mm sq by 900 high and have them nicely full, rather than what I have now which never seems to get any higher. I'd leave air gaps in the sides, but the big difference would be height and having a lid to keep it a bit warm.

Worth the effort? Or maybe I should invest in a couple more daleks/tardises?

Incidentally, why don't the daleks have air vents?

I really would like my compost to be ready next year.

lezelle:
Hi Harry, You haven't mentioned what the weather is like were you are. I made my bins out of pallets and line them with balck damp proof corse plastic. Any will do. we have had a lot of deep frosts but I also line the inside with cardbord that shops are only to glad to get rid of. I recently put some horse manure and veggie' lottie bits in and measued the temp. It was only 10c but after a couple of days has risen to 25. It's working but slow. also cover the top and hopefully it will get going. It does take a good time to decompose and cutting the items up small os shredding helps, anyway Good luck and I hope this helps.

Harry:
Thanks.

I'm in the Northwest (UK) and there's snow on the ground.

My good fortune and my problem is that I'm forever adding material, and it's not just a fill it and forget it situation, which seems to be the way youtubers sell the idea.

Update:-
I've just been offered half a dozen 80L bins with lids. Slightly smaller than ideal, but they will be almost free. I plan to pop some holes in them, Fill them and water as required.

I could probably immediately fill 3 or 4 x 80 Litre bins and leave them with their lids to do their magic. Meanwhile, I could dump my new green and brown waste into an empty bin or even my existing big heap, thus making a compost stock rotation process of sorts.

Impatient? Yes. Overthinking?: Probably. But is my reasoning sound? Will multiple 80L bins work better than a heap?

Tee Gee:
In my opinion you are missing one important element and that is you are not covering your compost with some form of lid e.g. a plastic sheet weighted down so it does not blow away
This write up  I did years ago served me well. Have a look https://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Content/C/Composting/Composting.htm

Harry:

--- Quote from: Tee Gee on December 03, 2023, 10:29:22 ---In my opinion you are missing one important element and that is you are not covering your compost with some form of lid e.g. a plastic sheet weighted down so it does not blow away
This write up  I did years ago served me well. Have a look https://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Content/C/Composting/Composting.htm

--- End quote ---
Yes. That's definitely a major weakness to my current arrangement. It's currently a three sided pallet enclosure. So many different designs assume we can generate tonnes of waste to fill them with, or wait years for the good stuff. I also use a couple of tardises at home and every time I think they are full, they slump down to half empty again :)

Hopefully bins with lids will solve the problems of weeds growing in it ( no light ) - Heat retention ( enclosed better ) - Separation of ready compost ( By filling and forgetting, one by one ) - Vermin issues ( Current heap does get visiting rats ) - Ease of movement

I'll probably set aside one bin without holes to 'drown' perennial weeds.

5 x 80 L bins with holes in and one full of water should look tidy

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page