Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: manicscousers on November 23, 2012, 08:16:33
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Are these any good, I''ve been thinking of ways to compost quickly and our big heaps never get that hot. Or has anyone made one, is it easily done. All advise gratefully received :toothy10:
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I've been wondering the same thing. I am tempted by the claims of quick composting.
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is this where you insulate the bin with layers of whatever material that will ensure the inside temp. gets really hot, so this will allow the decompostion process to breakdown quicker. i hear that you can keep it going in the winter months too. theoretically, it sounds a good idea, but not sure how practical it'll be tho'. I haven't enough trouble turning it regularly (mine are daleks, i'm afraid so not v. ideal composters).
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Would it be ok to line a big kitchen bin with polystyrene or does it leach
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I have 2 daleks, which never seem to get that hot.
I like the idea of lining with polystyrene. Sounds like it could work :toothy10:
You've got me thinking now. Maybe build a square one and line that with polystyrene. I dont know how expensive the thick one they use in buildings is, but that should keep the heat in!
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I think if I lined mine with polystyrene it would be turned into a nest for mice and rats!
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Mmm. Hadnt thought of that. Rats have eaten their way into my dalek, but just used it for dining purposes.
BTW only using uncooked stuff doesnt keep them away. They still munched their way through the plastic to get in.
Even after Mr Council Rat Man had worked his magic, I always kicked the bin before I opened it, incase there was one in there. First time I lifted the lid and saw one, it frightened the life out of me. Got used to it after a few incidents.
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The only time I got real heat in my heap was when I turned it regularly and incorporated the grass clippings from the bowling green next door. I have polystyrene lining my pallet bins and cover the top with poly and bubble wrap but they don't get hot now because i can't turn them as often because of RA in my wrists and hands. BTW I've put chicken wire under all the bins this year to try to keep the intruders out....
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Turning mine is an ordeal. I usually just empty the one bin onto the beds when it is ready and put the half composted stuff from the second bin into it. Then I start filling the empty bin with fresh waste..
It's just about the only way to do it with my limited space.
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Thinking of an bottomless old bin with chicken wire at the bottom, lined with polystyrene. Looking at the commercial ones, you put a layer of twiggy sticks in, then a couple of shovels of compost from a heap. We may have a go in spring, once we have enough polystyrene to line it :toothy10:
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I have two hotbins (http://www.hotbincomposting.com), my health deteriorated rather rapidly & I needed to find easier ways to get the composting done at least that's the excuse I used to justify spending that much money to my DW.
The hotbins are straightforward to use & easy to maintain although they are expensive & smaller than I would like they do a very good job.
One of my hotbins is currently 56°C although I did add a load of fresh material yesterday which always knocks the temperature down a few degrees for a day or 2 it should come back up soon, the other is 72°C which is a little bit too hot for my liking as the thermophillic bacteria starts dying off at 65°C-70°C. Generally speaking though the temperature sits somewhere between 60°C-70°C.
The high temperatures mean you can chuck anything in whether it is compostable plastics such a PLA or CPLA which can normally only be composted commercially cellulose acetate (cigarette filters) or stuff which has high levels of bacteria which needs killing off such as diseased plant material or dog/cat/human waste. Items not generally recommended for composting such as bones break down easily & the only rats in my compost bins are the ones emptied out of the Fenn traps.
I also dispose of all slugs/snails in the hotbin I can gather half a bucket full of them (although I wish that wasn't so easy to do) chuck them in then a couple of minutes later there is just a gooey mess on the top of the heap, they definitely don't survive long in there.
There is no turning involved you add a few partially composted woodchips with each new lot of material these take long enough to compost that they also provide adequate aeration in the heap.
The mixing tool they provide is essentially just a radiator roller handle but it is surprisingly effective.
You do need to watch the liquid content as it doesn't drain very well I add an awful lot of corrugated cardboard which has been through a din 4 (micro cut) paper shredder along with any shredded paper I have around which soaks up any excess moisture. Corrugated card does a better job than paper & it breaks down faster but either will work, small pieces rather than screwed up. The moisture content can be difficult to judge as the interior of the bin is always dripping wet because the steam condenses on the inside of the lid & drips onto the top of the heap but it doesn't take long to work out how it should look.
If I have some sort of liquid which needs composting then I place it in a bucket with some shredded card & add it once the card has soaked up most of the moisture.
The hotbin is made from expanded polypropylene which is a lot tougher than polystyrene & insulates the heap effectively there have been a couple of occassions recently where I have gone out on a frosty morning & the lid has been frozen shut. This is due to the steam escaping from the vent condensing rapidly due to low night temperatures & running down the outside of the bin resulting in a bit of ice forming. The internal temperarures were still in the 60°C-70°C range.
How frequently I empty them varies it can be monthly or it can be every 3 months it is determined primarily by whether there is still sufficient room to add new material to the top of the bin. I usually empty out enough compost to fill 3-4 rubble sacks from each bin. The compost is mostly mulching quality which means it dooes not look quite finished but you can chuck it on your beds & millions of worms will appear from nowhere to finish it off. When I do want fine crumbly stuff there are 2 options either I can spread it out & leave it to dry a bit then sift it or more commonly I chuck it in an old 800L compost bin (looks tidier than leaving it in a mound somewhere) & the worms move in & finish it off in a few weeks & I can use it as & when needed.
If you do decide to buy a hotbin then check for discount codes they publish 10% off codes quite regularly & this weekend they are offering £20 off as a black friday deal according to their facebook page. If you can't find a code then email them & ask I did & they got back to me quickly with a list of codes that were valid at the time.
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I have had to get rid of my 3 wooden compost bins, long story and I need to get my compost into a relatively small space ie one bin. I found the hotbin, with a footprint of 55 x 65 cm and that would suit nicely. Are they as good as they sound? They are expensive but I believe that I would get good compost quickly and I will need to bite the bullet quickly. Answers appreciated
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I bought one and it was set up yesterday. Expensive but very neat and I don`t doubt that it will work
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Look forward to hearing about it :happy7:
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20 days on and the hotbin is working just as described, the compost being produced is looking very good and the mix is steaming when I use the turner. There are only the 2 of us and we do not waste food so we are being extra vigilant re getting enough waste matter together and that includes having my big free standing shredder handy, today I gave the bin the equivalent of a kitchen waste bin full plus twice that of shreds plus a couple of handfuls of composted bark, then I threw on some comfrey and rhubarb leaves and a bucket of weeds. It is the worst time for us to be looking for composting material but we are coping fine and yes I would definitely buy one again
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Just heard Jim from the Beechgrove Garden on GQT saying how impresssed he is with his hot bin. That would be enough of an endorsement for me!
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less than 2 months and I have already had 2 lots of compost from the base. It smells sweeter than any compost I have ever made. I heaped a load of broad bean haulms on the top only a week ago, it was stuffed full and today it is down to half full and steam rising when I opened the lid. It is fantastic and I would have two if I had the room. It is working hard for me and will pay its way. We are also putting any kitchen waste in and nothing goes in the normal bin, fat from meat, fish skins, tea bags the lot. We do chop stuff though as I know it composts faster
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That is a great endorsement, thank you Strawberry. I did not know they were that good, now I will start looking seriously and hope to get one at a discount like Baccy Man suggested. :wave:
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The hotbin coped with all the potato haulm from my 8 x 4 foot bed, I took off half at a time and will be going to the allotment today to re=stoke, this time with a few bits of household trimmings and left overs plus shredded paper as we did our file sorting the other day. The shreds are excellent to add bulk and dry matter, I also shred cardboard unless very thick, the shreds seem to add bulk which remains longer, which is what I want at the moment as I have nothing else left to compost just now. Temperature in the bin is remaining at optimum levels and the squashes that I fed with hotbin compost have shot up, I also put in bocking 14 when I have lots of green
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A key question- will a hotbin kill bindweed?
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If it really gets to 70C, the hotbin should kill just about anything, bindweed included.
Adrian
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I've just managed to get hold of a secondhand one for the price of 2 luggage straps (the cam straps were missing) and am looking forward to filling it later this evening with the fresh manure we get delivered to site. Am very much hoping I will have a lot of rotted manure to add to the beds later this year after the brassica beds have been limed.
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Thinking about it, I've composted bindweed in a sack of fresh chicken manure before, so it must be possible.
Adrian
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I compost it in an ordinary bin. The only time anything survived was my first year on the plot, when I was digging up roots the size of hawsers. They were so weakened when they came out that they were easily dealt with.