Couple of composter questions

[Chameleon]

Hi-I'm new to composting and bought the Blackwall 300 litre composter with the base plate from GetComposting.com through my local authority. It's not come with any instructions and (I'm probably being thick here) it just doesn't seem to fit onto the base plate securely, moving about all the time etc. Has anyone got one of these and worked out how it should correctly fit together? I've trawled the internet to see if there's a instruction leaflet or a video of it being assembled but there isn't! Also, does anyone have a reccomendation for whether using kitchen scraps in caddy liners slows down the composting process or not?

[Jungle Jane]

You could try phoning customer services to see what they say? I was looking at reviews of the base plate on Amazon & it looks like the composter just sits on top of the base with no fastening,weight of the compost holding it in place? Is there no catch or anything on the composter base,that you can flip to attach the base? I don’t have a base on mine but I do have a mouse every year,maybe the wobbling would deter a rat chewing it,if it’s wobbling?

[Aberdeenplotter]

my advice on kitchen waste, do not try to compost anything other than vegetable matter otherwise you will end up with a vermin problem,

[SarrissUK]

I don't use caddy liners, but instead tip out everything out of the caddy, then swirl it out with a bit of water that I pour into the composter too.

I recommend a lovely mix of kitchen waste (but not meat or bones), coffee grounds (ask at your local cafe), cardboard, paper and of course anything you get from the garden. It doesn't take long for it to rot down if you put in the right mix

[Can the Man]

We use only uncooked vegetable skins, roots etc. , fruit skins stalks, apple butts, tea bags, coffee grinds, paper napkins that you wipe down the counter tops. Strictly NO COOKED FOOD OR MEAT.

[ameno]

I wouldn't use caddy liners, personally. While they are biodegradable, they take 6 months to a year to fully decompose, which is a lot longer than the kitchen scraps you'll have inside them.
I usually just put scrunched up newspaper or cloth scraps (make sure they are 100% natural fibre) in the bottom of the caddy every time I empty it. These absorb any liquids and stop it smelling. Also, just make sure you empty it frequently.

[bikermike]

Another newspaper liner here. Caddy bags don't degrade fast. We had (local auth has stopped food collection at the moment) 2 bins - one for garden compost and one for the council. In the first we only put uncooked vegetable-based stuff. All cooked, meat, dairy went in the council bin. Coffee grounds, tea leaves and egg shells are all things we compost that sit on the line.

We also don't compost citrus - supposed to annoy the worms.

Re the bin - most bins seem to be pretty wobbly and rely on weight of stuff in it. My dalek has no bottom.

[toomanytommytoes]

Worms don't mind citrus, they just won't be interested in it until it loses its acidity and starts breaking down.

[ameno]

Yeah, I put loads of citrus in mine and it's always full of worms. Thousands of them.

[DannyK]

If the base plate doesn't do anything leave it out so micro-organisms can come in from soil.

Once put a dalek on a slab and they gnawed their way through plastic!

[Chameleon]

Thanks all

local auth has stopped food collection at the moment.

You obviously live in the same borough as me! :-)

Thanks for all the replies. I've figured I'll just use a caddy liner in the internal food scraps caddy and then empty it when I need to but keep the liner in the caddy until it needs changing and then put it in the green garden waste bin. That way I'm not going to the dalek every 2 minutes but also don't have the liner in the dalek! Which incidentally, is just very loose on it's base-kinda crap design as if the dalek's not that full the whole thing lifts up when you try to get the lid off it to put stuff in.

Wish I'd bought a tumbler now! Live and learn.

[Can the Man]

You need to get some branches and hedge cuttings in the base followed by some grass cuttings this will help develop some weight in the bin.

[Vegi potager]

Hi all, another question. Any one forked out for a hot bin? supposed to do all kitchen waste inc. cooked food. If so are they as good as advertised?

(Currently have a dalek, and a tumbler. Cooked kitchen waste/dairy/meat (no bones) goes in the bokashi bin before being thrown in the tumbler.)

[veggiechicken]

Here's one thread about Hotbins - https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...one_82889.html
There are plenty more if you search the forum.

[Gareth the Duck]

What's the deal with tea bags?

Are they acidic and do they contain plastic in the paper bags?