Small Composting

[Jimbob1974]

Could some one please help. Last year i had my small terrace garden converted in to raised beds and now its a small veg plot. Last year it was very productive even though only got the last 3 or 4 months of the growing season. This year already it is going well but this year I am looking to start composting and have very liitle space in my garden. Can any one recommend a good compact composter or methods that i can compost and keep it out of site at the bottom of the garden.

Many thanks
James

[Two_Sheds]

If it's too far away from the kitchen, it's going to be a pain taking stuff to it

[di]

How small is small? Enough space for two daleks? You'll need two.

You could fence them in with trellis and grow sweetpeas or other climbers up it...or climbing veg.

I've started to keep a little cardboard box by my kitchen bin...encourages me to compost a lot more as it's as easy to throw a reciept in the box as it is the recycle bin. Floor sweepings and everything just get tipped in, it's then all contained for your trip up the garden.

[taff]

why not try a keyhole bed? You make a circular type bed with a walkway into the middle, then put all the compost down the middle of the bed. As it composts, it feeds the soil etc....

or, if you're growing beans, make a bean trench over the winter which takes care of the waste , but only in the autumn, winter, spring....in the summer you could use it as a mulch under wet newspaper?
dunno, I'm just babbling now.....

[zazen999]

Try a worm tower in the middle of each of your beds.

How To Make a DIY Worm Tower | Permaculture Magazine

[donnakebab]

Is there anything you shouldn't put in a worm tower? I'm assuming all veg peelings, apple cores and the like but not citrus peel. Egg shell would probably block it up eventually.

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks Zaz, the worm tower looks brilliant, will try to give that a go.

[Bren In Pots]

That looks simple enough to do Zaz, thanks

[Jimbob1974]

Thats amazing the tube thing. six beds and going out to sort this asap. Few questions -

Do you ever have to lift it to spread the gunk after the worms have done there stuff?

Do you need to add worms or any type of special worms? As my garden had its soil come from the council mass compost heap from the green bins. So soil is rich but would imagine after this years growing the nutients will have started to disappear. and there seems to be no worms in it.

Thanks for a great idea and help

[Two_Sheds]

Do you need to add worms or any type of special worms?

Brandling/tiger/red/Eisenia foetida or angling worms Dendrobaena are the ones that do the composting. Not the big fat lazy earthworms, they don't eat compost

Mine find their way in somehow and once conditions are right they breed like billy-oh (they do need some handfuls of shredded paper as bedding, and that carbon stops the compost going slimy and stinky)

Or you can buy them, on eBay, etc

[Jimbob1974]

they wont eat any of the veg that i grow round it will they?

[Two_Sheds]

Worms don't eat veg Jim

[Jimbob1974]

cool project for the weekend sorted and a mates got a bucket of horse muck. Think will try in one raised bed first and have in the middle of the potatoes.

[Albanach]

Think I'm going to try out this worm tube thing but have a couple of questions...

Originally Posted by Jimbob1974
Do you need to add worms or any type of special worms?
Brandling/tiger/red/Eisenia foetida or angling worms Dendrobaena are the ones that do the composting. Not the big fat lazy earthworms, they don't eat compost

Mine find their way in somehow and once conditions are right they breed like billy-oh (they do need some handfuls of shredded paper as bedding, and that carbon stops the compost going slimy and stinky)

Do you put the shredded paper in just after sinking the tube in the bed and then how often or how high do replenish this bedding?

Brandling/tiger/red/Eisenia foetida or angling worms Dendrobaena are the ones that do the composting.

Stupid question but when digging out some rotting grass at the weekend there were tons of worms around-I take it these would be the very ones to introduce to the tube?

[taff]

if they look like these ones
Brandling Worms at Animal Corner
yup. They'll usually find their own way into a heap though, so don't worry about introduing any