Clues on composting

[where2start]

So my dear hubby managed to build me a compost bin, and its a little large to say the least! At one point i couldn't see him at all as he stood inside the construction

Anyway seeing as its so big, and my garden isn't really that big i just wanted to make sure i was doing the right thing.

I just had a bad apple, so i chucked it in the compost bin, there is cardboard in their, a bag of horse manure, some turf/soil from when i was turning the soil over, a not very nice lettuce....oh well you get the picture!

So can i put stale bread in there, and should i put some "Compost additive" in there to help it along. I will have some grass cuttings and stuff to go in there any day now and loads of weeds to come out of my raised beds.

I heard that a drop of urine does wonders but i don't think my hubby or my son could even reach that high so i wont embarrass them by asking!

[lynda66]

i put stale bread in mine, and basically everything from the kitchen except meat, anything thats twiggy or big ie hedge trimmings, i run over with the lawnmower first, it saves shredding personal papers too, as i put those in, newspaper, cardboard, the stuff from the hoover,dog and cat and my hair, and i have a bucket that i put kitchen scraps in i wee in that a couple of times before i empty it into the compost ...... seems to have worked fine. oh and a cover over it keeps the heat in.

[sewer rat]

If your compost bin is as big as you say it is, what you should do is fill up one side of it first, then after three or four months, fork it over to the other side - this will turn the compost, aerate it and help it rot down better. Then start on the empty side and just keep it going.
You can pretty much compost anything but meat and poultry products should be avoided. Also , with sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke or thich brassica stems, they will rot quicker if you bash them about a bit first.

[where2start]

So glad i asked, two very helpful replies thank you

My hubby is just making a cup of tea and i just reminded him, tea bag for compost heap please!

There is a lid on the compost bin but of course its so big, i will have to find an old bit of carpet to cover it with i think.

Ohhh i am so excited the worms are going to love their new playground.

[nerobot]

If the bin has a lid, I wouldn't bother putting carpet over it. I have darlek and just put lid on after use. Seems to work fine for me.

Steven

[Snadger]

If you get into composting in big way you may find it's better to have two or even three composting bins.

One for fresh waste
One for waste that is covered and composting
And one for composted waste that is finished and being used.

Happy composting!

[bobleponge]

Just a thought, if your gihuge compost bin is so gihuge, would there be any way hubby could divide it in half? That way it would fill up quicker, but due to heat would also rot down quicker.

[SlugLobber]

I would also try to divide it into two or three, if it is so mahoosive. I have three on the go, now and I have a small garden. I do as Snadger suggests and fill up one, then the next one, then the third (I've just started on that one after living here for 1.5yrs). I'll shortly be emptying out the first one and starting it off again!

[kate&rob]

i have hear that female urine isnt as good for composting as male, something to do with hormones etc, but i must admit i have put mine on ours, down at the lottie we dont have a loo so a bucket is used and then put on the compost. is that a bit too much info

[Demeter]

We chuck pretty much everything of organic origin on ours, including dairy (but not meat as I don't eat it lol).

We have a compost toilet of sorts at the allotment, too - a la Joseph Jenkins, who is a minor star in my personal firmament - google "humanure"

Never heard that about female wee, but then even if its true "not as good" isn't the same as "bad" is it?

Is the compost biin massive as in really tall but narrow or is it also really wide? If wide, definitely see about dividing it into 2 or 3 sections.

[Storming Norman]

How do you empty a humungeous bin?

I have this thought - if this bin is this big who is going to empty it? And how? And how long will it take to fill up?

The aim is to get regular supplies of compost - that is the reason why I decided to have 4 bins. But my quandry is still around bin size - I have a big bin and 3 smaller ones. The big bin is really great to make compost, faster, hotter, breaks up much better, etc BUT it really is a difficult beast to empty - fortunately I can take the side off completely but it is still very hard work. One of the smaller bins takes kitchen waste, is full of worms and just breaks down so far it rarely needs emptying.

It's your choice, and your husbands. I would suggests you make it work for you now before it is full. Compost is wet and heavy so decide how you are going to empty this before it gets full. You/or he could hurt yourself.........

Just a though.

Ann