Best basic compost bin?

[sandspider]

Hi all

As above, really! I have one of the black Dalek type compost bins, and it's quite slow and seems to make rather wet and not well digested compost, despite plenty of cardboard etc. I don't want to spend £300 on a hot box composter, but are there better basic bin options than the Dalek? Which will make decent compost fairly quickly? Or are they all much the same?

Thank you.

[bikermike]

It sounds like there's not enough air in there
are you squashing stuff in?
are you watering it to much?

What are you putting in it?

I'd agree it's not fast, have one in the garden and run it on an annual cycle - I fill it over the year and empty in spring to do potting/planting.

I've had a black dalek for 5 years, never had damp problem
I made some vent holes in the top (covered with mesh to prevent ingress)
It's on a slab base

[sandspider]

It's possible I'm doing something wrong. I do pack down a bit as it's rather full, but I stir it too. Don't water it at all, it's always pentifully wet. Has the solid dalek lid, and is directly on the ground. It is sited under a wall / hedge, and in a damp Welsh valley - so doesn't get much sun for 3 or 4 months of the year.

I put in veg peelings, leaves, raw fruit and veg remains, carboard, paper, the odd sweeping of wood dust, bit of ash from the log burner...

I do wonder if I don't put in enough browns (cardboard etc.) to balance the greens, so am trying to put more in now - roughly a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio.

[burnie]

I use the plastic hexagonal one, it is quite slow, stuff is filled in it for one year, I then remove the bin and leave it open to the weather for another year, then use it, I probably have too much green in my heap too, quite a lot of grass and privet trimmings after cutting the hedges.

[sandspider]

I try not to put grass cuttings in as they're too wet and dense and there could be loads! Maybe I'm just impatient. Time to look for another compost bin.

But I'm led to believe that good, ready home compost is dry, crumbly, earthy with no smell. Mine has never made it to that state! Though the plants still seem to like it in a rawer form.

[Grafitti]

I've got 7 dalek bins and half the year I've got an overload of browns due to the chicken bedding. The other half of the year with all the grass clippings it's mostly green, if I've got too much clippings I'll spread them thinly around the plants as a mulch, and as they start to dry out I'll fork them into the soil.
Definitely the composting process is speeded up as the weather turns warmer, but its still not black gold after a year. I also tip it out after a year and spread it around, the plants enjoy it just the same. I would keep it longer but by then I need the space to put new materials in

[Plot70]

I have got a darlek and fill it up with summer pulled weeds.
At this time of year I gather all the winter green waste and put it in a raised bed made from compacted clay and cover with horse manure.
I then add a layer of top soil and plant the squashed in the top.
The result looks like peat with some bunches of fiber from woody weeds.
I am pretty sure the small birds will use the fiber if I don't dig it in.

[nick the grief]

The most basic is 4 pallets 🤪 ideally you want two you fill one then turn it into the other one and start again.

if you’ve got lots of grass you can mix it up with shredded paper that will both soak up some of the excess moisture and act as a brown ingredient. Your chicken bedding is ok to put in as it’s a mix of brown ( the bedding ) and the poop is high nitrogen

[Penellype]

As a general rule, the finer you shred things the faster they rot down, although if you shred everything too finely (like grass cuttings) there will be no air in the compost and it is likely to go slimy and smelly. To get compost quickly without a hot composter (in the summer - it won't be quick at low temperatures) shred everything finely - a mix of greens and browns with slightly more browns, and turn it once a week to add air. If (like me) you think that is a bit too much like hard work, add some coarsely chopped woody material as you go but chop everything else finely. The wood creates air gaps and helps it not to go anaerobic. It will still need turning occasionally. It is best to cover it so it doesn't get too wet, but it also doesn't want to be very dry otherwise it won't rot.

Unless you want to leave it a long time you are going to find that home made compost is not fine and crumbly like bought compost, and it is also likely to be rather sticky (especially from a hotbin). I grow potatoes in mine when it is still rather chunky - they love it.

[ameno]

If you find yours is turning into a dense, wet lump then the reason is almost certainly simply that you are not turning it often enough. Try to turn at least once a month, if you can.

[mrbadexample]

Make your own and it can be whatever you want it to be. I have a fairly simple two-bin system, one for filling and one for using.

[sandspider]

Thanks folks

I'll get a second bin of a different type, turn more often, add more browns and wait hopefully for the warmer weather... And maybe wee on it when no one's watching.

[Bren In Pots]

I add cardboard to my bin when I’m short of browns to add that does help. Sandspider if your thinking of buying a bin check first if your local council has any offers on.

[ameno]

Thanks folks

I'll get a second bin of a different type, turn more often, add more browns and wait hopefully for the warmer weather... And maybe wee on it when no one's watching.

I run a two-bin system, with one as my "main" bin, which I turn regularly, and the other as my "storage" bin, which I never turn and just use to collect waste while the other bin is rotting.
Despite adding a good mix of brown to green, and being lidded to keep the rain out, the "storage" bin is always wet, dense and smelly by the time I come to transfer it into the "main" bin. But then 2-3 months in the main bin, with regular turning, is enough to turn it into good compost.

[sandspider]

I add cardboard to my bin when I’m short of browns to add that does help. Sandspider if your thinking of buying a bin check first if your local council has any offers on.

Thanks Bren. Waiting to hear back from them, but not holding my breath. Not the most efficient of councils...