Compost bins..decision time!

[hamsterqueen]

I have a dalek bin bought through the council, which has been producing loads of compost over the past year ( took a while to get going nicely)

My veg garden has expanded and i reckon I could do with another bin. So..........

do I get another dalek or go for a traditional wooden slatted one?

[solway cropper]

I have 2 daleks and an open heap. the open heap tends to produce compost quicker, presumably as a result of greater air flow and exposure to the sort of things that like to work in compost heaps!!

[BigShot]

Oh why did you have to delete the other one!? I'd typed up a bit of a how-to!
*boo hoo* !

Ah well... abridged.

Which you get is up to you. I believe the slatted kind can do better if you turn them but in a garden I think it probably comes down to looks as much as anything else. What would you rather look at?

If you or the other half have or are handy with a router you could make one of the expensive slot-together wooden ones for no more than the price of wood and a dovetail cutter for the router... so free if you have the bit already and use salvaged wood.

You need 3 bits of 3" (75mm) square wood 3 feet (mm) long and as many bits of whatever wood as you'll need for the slats (about 3 feet (900mm) long).
Cut a long dovetail groove into 2 adjacent sides of the square bits (make it three if you want to make the system expandable.
Cut a dovetail along the short ends of the slats so they will slot into the corner posts.

Have a look here for an example of how they go together The Organic Gardening Catalogue

Nothing to hammer into the ground, it holds itself together, it looks good and best of all, the DIY version doesn't cost the best part of ninety quid.

I would got for 2 or 3 wooden ones... but I never much liked the look of the daleks anyway. Just remember to pass the dalek on to someone else if you decide not to use it any more.

Good luck

[hamsterqueen]

thanks!

although I must admit I am weak with laughter at the thought of my OH being handy ..!!

I have a wilderness behind my shed where a slatted bin could go.

This is the first year I have really used my own compost in any quantity and I am pleased with it. Egg shells are still not broken down, but my theory is that it will deter slugs too.

[womble]

I suppose my biggest problem is rats, they break into wooden bins and climb under plastic ones, so if I wire net under daleks, they are fine, but I've given up with keeping them out of wood ones.

If I had the choice though and no rats, I would go for solid wood ones with very small gaps between each plank, then when I filled it, I would add cardboard to the sides to help with insulation (works very well).

I use the dalek for kitchen waste, I have an openish heap with 3 wood sides for bulky garden stuff and a completely open heap for woody waste.

[oldie]

Have a look at these:- Easy-Load Wooden Compost Bin - Medium - 530 Litres £29.95

[hamsterhead]

I to have the dalek type, bought from the council about a year ago, bless 'em. Problem I have is that its on bare ground so fluid drains straight into the earth so I'm looking for one with a type. I quite fancy the type which you can turn on a big handle but not sure how good they are. I'm going to have a browse at the BBC Gardeners World show next week and see whats available.

[BigShot]

Hamsterhead - I've been trying to dream up a design where heap is raised off the ground a bit so I can catch the fluid in a bucket underneath. Not quite wrapped my head around it yet though.
I've heard people say that excludes worms, which may be true but as I intend trying to keep the heap nice and hot I don't imagine I'd have many in there anyway.

I believe compost tumblers (there are some great looking DIY ones about on the 'net) produce much quicker than a normal heap but I seem to remember reading that there's something they don't do as well as a normal heap. It might have been something to do with not getting hot enough to kill off seeds or not breaking things down to the same degree or some such... something to look into anyway.

[oldie]

I would imagine that most if not all of us have compost bins standing on bare ground, that lets the worms in to do their essential work. One of the people on my allotment site tried a one of the rotating ones and found that unless you can fill it at one go it was not as effective as claimed.. The tumbler type can be difficult to manage when full. If you really want some liquid to dilute and use you might be better to consider a wormery.

[roitelet]

Wooden ones every time. Posh slatted ones or made from old pallets with the front removable. Both types I line with an old tarp that is of the woven variety. Keeps the compost in and allows some air in as well. Turned once they produce super compost in about 6 months depending on the time of year.

Score to date 7 x 1 metre cubes

[BigShot]

Oldie
I believe the horizontal tumblers are much better for handling. It just takes some rolling rather than having to up-end it repeatedly which would, as you said, be kinda tricky.

I've got an original organics wormery (just need a couple of spare parts and some worms which I'll get in the next week or so) so covered on that front.

It's my understanding, that the hot part of the composting cycle is done by microorganisms rather than worms. That being the case I'd like to put the hot part in a bin where I could collect the juices and then transfer it to one sitting on bare earth for the worms to get in.

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick there?

[hamsterqueen]

That's a great site Oldie, thank you. much cheaper than the garden centre.I think I might go for an easy access wooden slatted one (or two).

I'm off to the GW show next week too..
:0)

[hamsterhead]

Thanks Big Shot

Maybe a wormery as well as the dalek, is the answer

[womble]

Have a look at these:- Easy-Load Wooden Compost Bin - Medium - 530 Litres £29.95

Who's Wendy Chamberlain, queen of the allotment?

Never heard of her.