What is the point of my compost bin?

[BroccoliSpears]

When we bought this house it had one of those green compost bins in the garden. We carried on chucking our compostable stuff in there.

However, it doesn't have a hatch. There's no way to get at the compost at the bottom.

It's really just a bin for rotting things in.

What have I misunderstood?

(And also, second question for compost-mentis folk who are reading this - what do you do with your compost in winter when the bin just gets fuller and fuller because it's frozen instead of rotting?)

[AngharadGoldenhand]

Do you mean a Green Cone?

[BroccoliSpears]

Umm... it looks like this.

[AngharadGoldenhand]

Ah. Don't you just lift it up then?

[BroccoliSpears]

Well I thought of that and got dp to lift it today to have a nose. It would be possible, but a bit faffy and definitely a two person job. You'd be in danger of it all coming spilling out in a rush.

Perhaps that's what you do though.

[Habbibu]

No help (though I am getting a Green Cone), but wanted to doff my hat to "compost-mentis".

[AngharadGoldenhand]

I suppose it's one of those where you're meant to fill it up all at once, stir it and then leave the whole thing to compost down.

I've never got the stuff at any one time to fill one up.

[Habbibu]

[fingerwoman]

hmmmm are you sure it's a compost bin? we have a food digester thing that's green, you don't get anything out of it though, it all turns to liquid and soaks into the ground.

alternatively it's just a compost bin that you need to turn over and just use from the top

[fingerwoman]

your compost bin shouldn't freeze in winter. assuming it's all "working" properly it should be producing plenty of heat

[BroccoliSpears]

Fingerwoman, how does it know that it's a digester, not a composter?

PMSL Habbibu - well now I feel obliged to do some too!

[BroccoliSpears]

Yes, I did wonder if it shouldn't freeze. Perhaps it didn't freeze right through, but it definitely got a bit too full to use for a month or so.

I am a bit of a compost novice. I've been reading up about it though. Most advice starts with "Don't get one of those crappy plastic bins..."

Going to google green cone now.

[Jenkeywoo]

ours does have a hatch but is still a bit crap - we add all our veggies peelings and stuff but never in any great quantities so it just kind if sits there. I think you need to really fill a compost bin so that it can then generate heat and compost down evenly. It also needs turning regularly and make sure it's not just veg but also things like egg boxes or shredded cardboard or it can get a bit slimy. I really want one of these: www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/product/Composting_Compost%20tumblers/GCO-459.htm - at the moment we just have a big old pile of rotting veg and no nice compost - this is after 2 years of 'composting'.

[fingerwoman]

ours is the green cone. so if you['ve googled it you'll know already lol
but we basically have to keep it in a nice sunny spot, and we add "stuff" to it that digests all the food.

it is very crap over winter and doesn't digest much though