Can you help me please? Compost for dummies?

[andtheycalledthewindmoriah]

Would anyone be up for giving me a rundown of how to turn my green wheelie bin into compost please?

There's grass cutting in there over a year old.

I was under the impression you needed worms or something?

Is there an easy way to set this up that I can go and do right now?

I would really appreciate it. I did a bit of research but I'm really looking to be spoonfed if possible?

You need a mix of brown (dried leaves, cardboard etc) and green (grass clippings, leaves etc). Then moisture and oxygen.

Are you trying to make it in a green wheelie rubbish bin?

It works best in some kind of container that lets in air top and bottom, and drains, as if it gets wet boy will it stink! Depending on the size of your garden I would either recommend a 'dalek' style plastic cone, or if you are going to have masses, a wooden slatted bin.

PP is right, grass clippings need mixing with something less lush and green - cardboard in small pieces eg loo roll tubes are handy for this.

You also need ro decide if you are goi g to chuck everything in - weeds, rootsetc, and accept that evwn if you leave it a while, it will probably grow some weeds when you use it, or if you are going ro be more 'pure' and stick to grass clippings, baby weds with no seedheads on, etc and get less compost , but quicker and less weedy.

Yes. We never really got it emptied so thought this would be a better use.

Do I need to pour water in to keep it moist, but obviously not pooling at the bottom?

Is that really it? Should I drill holes all round and at the top?

I don't think it would really work in a wheelie bin. The creatures need to be able yo get in and out. We've got 4 compost bins that we fill on rotation with veg scraps, grass and garden clippings, sawdust from animals etc. But all of them have no bottoms and are full of life.

Sorry I can’t help with your question. Just imagining your beautiful garden border of dummies

You can’t really do it in a wheelie bin.

Either buy a black plastic compost bin (£30-odd quid) or get some free pallets and knock up a wooden box.

Put wheelie bin contents into either of those, add ‘brown’ - cardboard, twigs, etc.

LunaLove is right - the millions of tine-to-invisible organisms that do the work, live in the soil, visit the compost when its got stuff in they like, and return if it doesn't suit them to be replaced by others. Its an invisible creature picadilly circus in there if it's going well!

You are right you may well need to moisten it - but best to have it draining down to the ground. I don't think the cones are madly expensive?

evengreener.com/composting/best-selling-composters/blackwall-220-litre-black-compost-converter-cv220blh
This sort of thing. Sometimes you can get one more cheaply from the council too, depending where you live

Or if you are handy you could diy something with scrap wood/pallets or similar

They are quite easy to make from pallets. Ask on freecycle if anyone has one. I bought some worms online. We’ve had a huge amount of compost from it and our plants are really flourishing, thanks to it.

Thanks, okay, so say I sawed off the bottom of the bin, cut a flap in the front, tipped it up and stick it in soil, and used the lid to fill it.

Would that work?

If you sawed off the bottom of the bin (or drilled lots of holes) so it was in contact with the soil that could work... it composts quicker if you turn it periodically (empty it and mix everything around, then refill) wheelie bins are quite tall, so think about how you will empty it.

Absolutely brilliant that you're trying to re purpose something to turn into a compost bin. But as others say it will need a lot of tweaking to work.
We have a compost drum for kitchen scraps which makes usable compost (in two compartments) within 6 weeks. It's insulated and also has air holes. Also, handily it's off the ground.. we found d we had a rat problem. Somehow the insects make it up the legs and in through the holes. The finished product is good hire rich and gets bungee onto the veg beds and top dresses pots which need some rejuvenation.

Then further from the house we have open compost heaps for garden waste - lawn clippings, , chipped waste, leaves etc. that takes longer abs gives a slightly different product that is great for top dressing abs bunging on no-dig beds.