Compost bin? Make your own?

[AntiqueBooks]

Hello

I have a fairly small garden and not a lot of garden (or food) waste. Just spent compost, fallen leaves and clippings from deadheading/cutting back. But I like the idea of reusing what I have.

I can't find a suitable compost bin online though - most are massive and some don't have holes for air/drainage. Also I don't understand the ones that turn - I thought the whole point was to extract the oldest compost from the bottom? (albeit I understand turning might speed up the decomposition process)

Has anyone had any success from making their own compost bin?

I read that leaves would compost if just left in a black bag for a couple of years?!

Thanks

What about a wormery? I have a Can-O-Worms. It can't deal with big heaps though, they need slow and steady feeding.

They're a bit expensive new but usually on Gumtree/Marketplace etc. You just need to buy some worms (or ask another worm owner).

I've made probably a hundred over the years.

I now use 3 tumblers. And when each one is nearly ready, split it and put a third of it onto a wormery tray to finish off.

You can tumble for say 2 months. Then take it out, and bury it in a hole or trench where you want to plant tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, cucumbers, squashes etc the next season. Then start another tumbler off.

Tumblers are hot composting and a compost heap if you don't turn it regularly is cold composting.

Compost usually should be turned when you put things in it to redistribute moisture, move oxygen around, mix materials and prevent compaction. Unturned compost can also combust :)

If you don’t turn it then it will be less uniform - possibly with dry chunks that are useless and anaerobic zones that can smell bad and might not kill pathogens or weed seeds. Plus it takes much much longer to break down. And it has to be built properly in the first place with twigs and branches at the bottom.

You can just use a pitchfork to turn though. It’s pretty easy.

You're spot on about the leaves in black/old compost bags OP. It makes lovely leaf mould which you can mix with compost or use as a mulch.

Here's the compost system I made for my allotment. I have two bins, I put all the stuff in the left hand one, keep turning it and filling it until it's full. Then I leave it for a few months/longer in winter, whilst I start using the other one.

Made of old pallets, the front bits of wood slide in and out (see image of single bin before I built the second one) so I can easily turn the compost.

I don't know if you'll have enough compost to do this kind of system. I think the main problem you'll have is that compost likes volume - it keeps the temperature up and makes it work faster.

There's tons of advice about composting on line. I reckon you might be better off with a wormery or tumber as PP have suggested.

OMG I have compost bin envy! @SeaAndStars

My son has a small garden and we hunted high and low for a small compost bin. In the end when we had a delivery on a pallet he made one from it.