Collecting scraps for compost - without a fly invasion!

[stirling]

Or attracting rats...
Ive had some success finally with my garden plants this year, so I'm encouraged to really nourish the soil, prune and dehead etc...

I want to start small, not go out and get a huge compost bin, but collect all the daily coffee grinds, green tea leaves and egg shells, deheaded flowers.. for my container soil.

Currently, I'm just bunging said stuff on top of the soil. Last time I had a small kitchen composing bin it attracted flies and outside we have had rats so very reluctant...

Any suggestions? Should I just save up in a tupperware box and keep in fridge till I've collected a large amount to then mingle up with soil in the garden?

Thanks for any tips

For small quantities your best bet is probably a wormery or bokashi system.

Bokashi is less work to start with, but does need secondary composing in the garden (by that stage it's not attractive to rats). Wormery is more work and cost to set up, but you can use the compost from it directly.

Don't put cooked food or eggshells in and you'll be fine. Flies are a normal part of composting, which is why compost bins should be away from the house!

You could get a raised bed and just fill it with your kitchen and garden scraps to fill it ready for next year. Remember to mix in a good amount of brown so newspapers and unprinted cardboard to encourage and then you can cover it with a layer of newspaper / old carpet

To keep out rats and horrible smells do not put any meat, fish, seafood/shells, cheese, eggshells, or butter in your compost. Only vegetable waste. Cover regularly with fresh soil. Keep it as far from the house as possible.

Not really. If you’ve got rotting fruit on top you’ll get tiny fruit flies, but otherwise you shouldn’t get flies.

We have a Lomi - DH latest toy. I bought a tumbler but that gets lots of fruit flies as well so now just put leaves etc and the finished lomi contents

iv tried bokashi but got rats every time. I recommend 2 igloo type plastic composters with bases. Put non cooked fruit/veg and garden waste in there, with ripped cardboard. Fill one up, leave it while you fill the other up. Hopefully, by the time the second is full the other one will have turned into lovely compost.

dont put eggshells in (rats and they don’t break down), meat, bread, pasta or anything like that. Always get a base (rats will get in otherwise, even if you just put fruit and veg in). Put them on soul, away from the house. Then flies, which are a normal part of the composting process) won’t bug you

Thank you everyone for the excellent advice ! This has been so helpful. Going to read through all your replies properly again