Hotbins

[Dorothy rouse]

I'm rubbish at sorting and organising my compost, both my green bins are really tightly full etc, and will probably take 10 years to rot down!

Wondering what people's views are on a 'hotbin?' Are they worth the investment and are they they really easy to use?

Any thoughts gratefully received

Thanks.

[mothhawk]

Don't know about hotbins. I have 2 daleks which just get stuff shoved in them, not chopped up much since using secateurs makes my hands hurt, and not sorted, just as it comes from garden and house. I find that even when I've crammed one full, within 2 weeks it's all gone down by at least a quarter, and I can add more stuff again. They seem to be "bottomless pits" somehow.

[sparrow100]

I got mine free, but I think I would stick my hand in my pocket for one, now that I've used it for a bit.

I think it is brilliant. Mine's currently showing 40C on the top thermometer, which means it's about 50-60C in the middle. You do need to keep it fed, and a full bin of mixed manure, greens and some woodchip tends to be ready in about 60 days. We have a steady supply of very fresh manure to site, so for me that isn't often an issue. I find I have to turn mine to keep the heat up, which isn't easy bearing in mind a careless fork can damage the polystyrene. I don't use the hot water bottle to create initial heat because it's a mile away from my kettle...and my flask is better used for tea! The compost it creates is generally a bit wetter and cloddier than the stuff I get from my daleks. In summer I use it to fill the other daleks so there is a supply of ready compost as the beds empty. I bought 2 heavy-duty luggage straps to hold the front on as I didn't trust it to stay put - later models now have these issued with them as standard.

The Hotbin people are incredibly helpful, very quick to respond to queries/problems and to send out bits that might be needed.

I also have 5 daleks. They are very good at turning around compost, but not as quick as the hotbin. I tend to put things I am a bit dodgy about putting into the dalek into the hotbin, as I am more confident the heat in there will kill most nasties. Or stray seeds.

Hope this helps.

[Alison]

I got mine free, but I think I would stick my hand in my pocket for one, now that I've used it for a bit.

Blimey you were lucky getting it for free. Just Googled them and the basic model is £165, can't justify that for a compost bin no matter how good they are!

[sparrow100]

I was very, very lucky! I have never seen another come up.

[alldigging]

Why do you think your compost will take a long time to rot down?
Is it very loosely packed and not in layers?
It's a lot of work turning a heap but can really help mix things up.

And naturally made compost accelerator is very useful.