Hi everyone
I have taken on a new allotment back in feb & didnt realise how hard it was going to be - I had these big plans that I was gonna be able to clear the lot & start planting straight away however this didnt happen as I have a 3 & 4yr old who despite loving going do sometimes get in the way when trying to help me dig.
Anyway I have decided to get into the full swing of clearing it & I am looking to get a composter - could anyone here give me their opinions of the "green joanna" hot composter - as they are very expensive I dont want to waste my money
Thanks
We have the black darlek ones. Try looking on your council website, many councils have schemes to let you buy composters cheaply. We got 2 of the largest darleks and a small bucket for transfering veg peelings delivered for under £20. They work okay. You could always build one out of some old pallets and chicken wire.
Yes we bought ours from the Council. A black one for home and at the allotment a large wooden box. Hope you enjoy your new hobby, but beware as it can take over your life. I just love being up there but housework and granchildren and husbands can be neglected. Not a 'golf widow' but an allotment one.
Not pretty perhaps, but then they have been there for 48 years!!
The "Green Joanna" sounds expensive but I just googled it and you can compost cooked food waste with it.
Most of my cooked food waste is composted by the dog! ;D
The cheapest and most efficient composter is the Moriati method.
http://bluewisteria.co.uk/tools/compost.php (http://bluewisteria.co.uk/tools/compost.php)
I wopuldn't have thought one of those would be big enough for allotment use - certainly wouldn't be for mine. And it seems to need careful management too. Maybe better for home use for kitchen plus small amounts of garden waste?
Would you use the moriati method for composting weeds, Eristic? I'm collecting mine in compost bags but have a couple of builder's bags I could use instead, but didn't think they would be dark enough.
Light or darkness is not a requirement for composting. To make good compost the vegetation requires air and moisture. Roots of couch grass and bindweed must be killed first but I put in pretty much anything soft including grass cuttings and leaves as they become available. Aim to fill a bag as quickly as possible. This causes a rapid increase in heat which in turn kills off the weeds anyway.
In 12 months I manage to produce my own potting compost with the addition of topsoil and sharp sand.
Lack of light will kill off couch and other perennial roots during the compost process though.
That doesn't work for me. I tried puttng bindweed roots and couch grass in my compost bin and they just started growing again. Any tips on how to kill them off first?
In hot times just leave the roots in a loose pile to dessicate. At other times put them in a bucket along with the inevitable rain. Only problem with this method is the pong.
Try your local tip, ours sells things and you can pick up loads of compost bins for next to nothing. It does not matter on the lotty if they don`t match.
hi i have had a green joanna and a green cone for a while now, dont waste your time or money
Quote from: lottie-newbe on July 24, 2008, 17:02:59
opinions of the "green joanna" hot composter - as they are very expensive I dont want to waste my money
You can buy cheaper cmopost bins here that are just as effective.
http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/index.html
Look here.The Green Joanna,much cheaper
http://www.recyclenow.com/applications/dynamic/hc_specialist_bins.rm?id=12248&shopcode=WRD/129/C
Cover the roots up and let them grow in darkness. The more they grow, the sooner they run out of energy and die.
Sorry for the delay in replying - but thanks for all your comments - I have decided to do the moraiti method - i`m sending my dad off to the local builders merchants to get me a couple of their sandbags to start me off
Thanks again you managed to save me nearly £100 :D
Certainly not cheap, but what I believed I wanted to replace our vintage ones.
Now we have an argument with Evergreener. They say fast composting thanks to optimised ventilation system & thermo walls.
A load of b**l so far as I can see! Any ideas??
(http://downtheplot.com/images/moriati_bags.jpg)
My compost corner. All due for a shuffle turn soon.
I've built mine out of 5 wooden pallets. 2 bins .. one full and 'resting' the other filling up slowly.
My old ones were railway sleepers - free in those days - assembled with 1cm thick wire staples, 10"x3". You can see one.
Got the idea from the way the Russians built our aircraft shelters almost overnight.
Six daleks and one pallet one under contruction. ;D ;D ;D
Three daleks in rotation :) :) :) Plus a cage for leaves.