plastic compost bins

[screwbylil]

does anyone else find these big green compost bins cumbersome.How are you supposed to turn the heap.I peeped in mine yesterday to see if it was ready and dug some our from the bottom, it was absolutley alive with worms bur very coarse and wet as well, is this normal (im a newbie gardener) most of the material has been in there for a good 9 months,it seemed a bit smelly as well.
I add a good mix of green and brown items, carboard, vacuum cleaner dust, hair etc so am i doing anything wrong,Is it better to have a home made compost bin do you think

also we can have manure delivered think its £25 for a large amount but it is very very straw based and seems to have very little "poo" in it.Is it still good stuff.Have been to B&Q today and they are selling 4 bags of farm manure for £10 qill this be ok.

sue

[Oleander]

I've got a plastic compost dalek - every two or three weeks I take the lid off and stir up the contents with garden fork, a bit like stirring an enormous pudding! Before stirring it's usually about 3/4 full, and after stirring it goes down to half. I generally add a handful of organic compost maker/garotta then too. When I stirred it yesterday I could feel the heat rising off it, so I know the composting process is working.

It doesn't seem to matter how much we add to it, it never gets more than 3/4 full.

When I wanted to use the "made" compost I lifted the entire bin off the contents and put the top, mostly uncomposted layer to one side. The rest was a rich dark brown crumbly mixture - not smelly or slimy. That went into a new raised bed, and then I restarted the dalek by putting the semi composted material back in again.

Are you putting compost maker in yours? If not, maybe that's the missing ingredient?

Good luck with it - hope you get it sorted out.

[lynda66]

human wee is a good compost activator ....... save your pennies and wee in it

[NOG]

If it smells you need to add some dry stuff....shredded paper.

I would take the bin off and then fork all the contnts back in. The air will help it compost.

Pee in it to help it on.

I would not buy manure for B and Q I would go to the stables with a shovel and some empty bags and spend some of the £10 on a few bottles of beer for the stable manager.

[snakeshack]

bagged manure is usually a rip off.get friendly with your local farm/stable and take as much as you can get for free, make a bin at least a cubic yard and pile it in there for 9 months to a year.
I made mine from chicken wire wrapped around 4 posts then lined with two layers of brown cardboard,filled it last weekend and topped with a plastic sheet to keep the heat in and the rain off.By the wednesday I could see the steam from 30 yards away!
If you can get well rotted manure it can be used straight away,by the way straw based is better than wood shaving based asit breaks down quicker....and yes wee on it we've all got plenty of that.

[screwbylil]

thanks for your help guys, i have been weeing in it( well not literally) ill take all your comments on board thanks for your help

[crichmond]

I have some of them and what I do is lift the bin right off the pile then put it down next to the pile and fork the pile back into the bin starting from the top of the pile.

[Paulottie]

Got to say I find them totally cr*p... always have....just use them to store stuff for the main heap.

Try and put it in the sun /insulate it in winter to get the heat up....mix in shedded paper/straw.... jetsum seaweed is a fine activator.