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Original poster

Have bought a cheap compost bin......now what?

19 replies

oasis · 30/04/2006 15:56

Have decided to turn a bit greener and attempt a compost bin. Is it pretty straight forward or will it become yet another thing that will not be that easy to maintain? Have also splashed out and bought a kitchen bin collector thingy for the kitchen, collects kitchen scraps then you tip them into compost bin. Have printed off a list of what you can and cannot put in the bin, looks like it will be a bit complex for my DH :o, so plan to have list pinned up in kitchen for a while. Has anyone else got one and what do you think of them?

OP posts:

manitz · 30/04/2006 16:22

yeah we've got one. main thing to avoid is stuff rats like ie cooked or raw meat/fish etc or plastic. shld be simple for your dh. no??? oh yeah avoid anything that can sprout so big weeds or potatoes.

also we empty the potty onto it (wee only) as it speeds up the rot. really if you have space you shld have 3 one to fill up, one already full and rotting and one rotted to put on garden. we only have one in garden but i've just got an allotment so will have lots on there.

longwaytogo · 30/04/2006 17:16

we got one of these left by last owner. So how long does stuff take to compost down? We also have one full of cardboard and ash - why??

geogteach · 30/04/2006 17:40

I put chicken wire under mine to prevent rats, got it at the end of last summer and not much happened but in the last few weeks the warmer weather seems to have got it going. Also need to ensure there is 'brown' material which can include scrunched up newspaper as well as 'green' kitchen waste and grass clippings otherwise it is too slimey.

Caligula · 30/04/2006 17:44

I've got three compost things going at the moment, 2 in bins (I got one for free) and one in a heap at the back of the garden with a bit of old carpet on it. Funnily enough the heap was the one which biodegraded first.

It takes ages and ages and ages, but that's only an issue if you desperately want compost quickly.

manitz · 30/04/2006 18:54

ahem, long way to go, you'll now find out i'm a fake. i've only had mine for 6 montsh but i'll ask my dad whose had one all my life! he gets back tomorrow.

no idea about cardboard and ash maybe they were lazy. i know ash is good on some plants so maybe they kept it in there and added it to the composting one? afaik they take different lengths of time depend on how hot you get it, so maybe the carpet one got hotter - i've been recommended home made over plastic bins but can't be bothered to make one. apparently you know it's done when its crumbly and you can't recognise the elements.

Original poster

oasis · 30/04/2006 19:02

It does sound pretty straightforward. Our garden is too small for more that one bin so I guess I will have to be patient.I have read that it takes 6 to nine months to rot down properly. Also read that some wee does help the process get going. Compost should be damp like a squeezed sponge, if heap is too dry then you need to add green waste and too wet add brown (loo roll holders, egg boxes etc). Did not know that you couldn't add cooked food or dairy products, eggs shells excepted.

OP posts:

manitz · 30/04/2006 19:05

think you can add them but i wouldn't. specially in small garden. pooey. thanks for your info too, didn't realise different elements changed wet/dryness.

tribpot · 30/04/2006 19:23

I think we were allowed to compost cardboard in Sweden, I can't remember now. We were required to compost there, so the council provided very natty paper bags and a little holder to go over a kitchen cupboard door. I have no idea what the bag said but it seemed to indicate you could compost cooked food, then again, it wasn't going to be chucked in my garden so I didn't care.

When we returned to the UK, our council collected compostable rubbish in a special bin, but wouldn't allow cooked food (understandable) or egg shells, which I found a bit mad. My parents are serious organic gardeners and they've always composted egg shells.

My step-dad swears by weeing on the compost heap

As an aside, I do wish more councils collected it. I live in a rented house so doubt the landlords would like me starting a compost heap, but next door are mad keen gardeners, so inspired by this I'm going to ask if we can add to their compost heap.

petunia · 30/04/2006 19:27

I've got a composter and put loads of stuff in it. I think the main thing is to get the right mix of stuff and build it up in layers. And not too much of the same stuff e.g too much grass clippings and it's too slimey. The other thing is to water it in dry weather. I shred our bank statements/important documents/hamster bedding and all that goes in as well. If you want to help it all rot down quicker, I use this stuff called Garotta (Wilkinsons and supermarkets sell it as well as garden centres). One other thing to remember is if you put weed & feed on your grass at this time of year, you have to leave the grass cuttings in the composter a good 6 months before spreading it on the garden.

manitz · 30/04/2006 19:44

our council collects. think it's just a matter of time b4 they all do. our council collects meat etc so i stick it in there as don't care if their compost smells. think they break it down more efficiently too than it cld be in my gdn.

cat64 · 30/04/2006 20:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

oasis · 30/04/2006 20:15

Going greener has obviously been my council's best kept secret. It was only on checking the times for the local refuse site that I saw that they now do a green waste collection with special bags available from local libraries and council buildings. I also found the web link to buy a bin for £6 so I thought I would give it a go. You key in your postcode and they tell you if they have any deals for your area, checked another website and the bin would have been £40. Oh yes top tip: If heap is smelling it needs airing so a good turn over is all that is needed. Amazing what I have learnt so far today, thankyou :)

OP posts:

Caligula · 30/04/2006 20:29

someone told me it's male wee you need because of the hormones. Is that true?

longwaytogo · 30/04/2006 21:01

this is mr longwaytogo, i was conned into weeing at the bottom of our garden once being told it would stop badgers coming in - like heck did it, the next night we had the whole family turn up (of badgers that is) mind you I did get some good pictures of them. hyjack over.

longwaytogo · 30/04/2006 21:04

Does it have to be in a sunny spot for it to work? Ours is behind the garage - no sun but thats wehre it was when we moved here.

shimmy21 · 30/04/2006 21:11

You can also put clothes in believe it or not (old preferably!). As long as they are natural fibres and cut into strips. we put some in last year and this year the compost showed no sign of them at all. Be prepared for a disappointingly tiny amount of compost. We got about 3 bucketfuls at the end a whole year's worth of kitchen and garden waste. Ever so satisfying though!

shimmy21 · 30/04/2006 21:13

Oh, and no it doesn't have to be in the sun but it does have to be kept dampish. A turn over with a fork every now and then speeds it up dramatically too.

Original poster

oasis · 30/04/2006 22:18

I read that the compost will decompose quicker if it is warmed, so it can go in a slightly sunny spot, shelter with carpet or cardboard if it gets too hot, watch out for it going too dry though. Good info on this\link{http://recyclenow.com\ site}

OP posts:

manitz · 01/05/2006 14:53

here's another \link{http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/gh_comp.php\one to look at} i'm also on an allotment forum and have done a search but noone specifies boy or girl wee. bit of a bummer if it does need to be male as i only have d's will have to get dh down there...

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