Turning compost in standard bin

[niceglasses]

Hi,

I have a standard sort of council issue compost bin - you put stuff in the top. I mostly add kitchen waste with the odd bit of garden stuff (we don't actually have a big garden!).

It must be almost a year we've had it now. How do I turn it? Should I buy another and shift it into that? (Quite sml back yard). My neighbour says add worms!!

Thanks in advance.

Can you turn it with a garden fork? That's what I do, although it's quite hard when the bin is getting full.

It will break down without turning, but it takes a lot longer.

You can buy compost accelerator in garden centres too, which makes it break down more quickly.

i tip mine up dig out any actual compost and then shove everything back in.

I can't turn mine. It's too full now. But it's full of worms and they seem to do the job. I finally 'harvested' some compost last month - just about managed to lift the thing and get some out of the bottom and it was fine.

I turn mine into an old dustbin plus sundry buckets, etc, till it's empty, then just throw it all back in, starting with some stalks to give air at the bottom, and trying to mix up layers of more-composted/less-composted. Is yours on soil at the base? If it is, the worms should just arrive. The ideal is probably to turn it into another one, then you can turn one into the other, but not necessary if low on space.

I nhave had mine about a year, and it hads just become compost!
I couldn't turn it either.
My friend leave a large stick in hers, then it reacjes to the bottom and she can turn it.

Def add some worms of yuo can. They help.
Also, make sure it's not too dry.
Apparently urine is an accelerant!

I'm jsut turning mine. Hard work! Admittedly I have two, and undoubtedly turning from one compost bin to the other is easier.

You can buy a gadget for turning compost - a sort of stick with fins at the end, which will churn it all up and aerate it. According to Gardener's Question Time, wee should be diluted before being added to the compost heap and female wee is unsuitable because of its chemical composition.

always wondered about emptying the wet pailed nappy bucket into it, maybe I'll give it a go? no poo bits though, will have to use 2 buckets

Yeah, def no poo (especially if you grow edibles in the garden).

Thanks very much. Am going to give stick a go at weekend, and if that doesn't work, maybe another bin..........

Thanks