Which, solid or gaps, lid or open compost bin

[furball]

Please can you advise me which is best. A solid bin with a lid that generates heat, wood or dalec or a pallet bin with gaps? Do i put a lid on a pallet bin? I have lots of chicken poo mixed with hemcore and lots of grass cuttings to compost, which would compost down quicker? Thankyou and sorry for being so dim

[taff]

you might have to find what works best for you.
I've tried the black daleks, I don't get on with them, but other people do.
Mine at the moment are two pallet heaps, and i found they work better when they're covered with something, an old door at the moment, or an old fence panel. They're turned fairly regularly, and I get usable compost two ro three times a year, depending on how much stuff I have to compost.
You can turn your stuff, or leave it to do it by itself, which takes longer. I'm experimenting with a rubble bag too this year, which I wont turn, and which is going to stay there for a year or more, to see how well it works in there.
Make your choice according to how fit you are [for turning the stuff], or how quickly you want it. Any method works in the end

[Jono]

I started with pallets, but got given a couple of daleks and would never go back. I love them. For me, they're much less cumbersome and effective, especially with doors on the front. I bag up the stuff at the bottom using the door for a final rot down.

I use a scythe I found in the shed to turn it over.

[Nes]

I have two pallet bins for most of my compost, but I was also given a dalek, which I use to dump all pernicious weeds - couch grass, dandelions, etc. Hoping that because it's dark in there, the weeds will eventually die and rot down, rather than spread through the compost as they would in an open heap.

[furball]

Thankyou for the replies. Think i need to put a lid of somesort on top of mine then. I have 2 broken pallet bins so i need to make some more, think i will add a dalek when the new pallet bins are built, that way i can see which works the fastest. Thankyou again

[chris]

I use daleks here - my smaller one rots down much faster than the large one mind.

[jackie j]

My OH built me two big compost bins with wood, one has two sections and the other only one, we lined them with strong plastic which helps keep the heat in the sides. We do need to find somthing to put on the top though. We get horse manure delivered for free so at the moment the big one is almost full with it, plus a bit of veg. Will let it rot down till next autumn.
I also have Dalek ones that I put leaves into.

[furball]

OH i didn't think the dalek worked on leaves, thought i had to make a chicken wire bin, it would be much easier to put them in the dalek, thankyou.

[jackie j]

Just keep them wet and stir every now and then, takes a while and we had the bins spare. I use one with last years leaves and the other for this years leaves. Will start to fill the opposite one soon. I have a wood backing onto my plot and get loads of leaves. I left some where they fell and its stopped the weeds coming through. Need to rake them up now though.

[Kristen]

Your council may be doing sponsored price deals locally:

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Yes you need a lid. You need to keep a deluge of rain out, but you will need to water the compost heap if it gets dry. I pee on mine each night when I close the greenhouse in Summer, and that seems to be about the right amount to stop it drying out! (plus the nitrogen acts as an accelerator)

I was brought up to believe that open-slated let air in, but gave some insulation (to keep the heat in).

I now have Daleks ('coz I got them cheap from the Council) and the black colour heats up nicely in the Summer and they do just as good a job as the old slatted ones I used to use.

So in my experience no difference - but I freely admit all I do is chuck stuff in, I don't take trouble to get a balanced mix to get best compost in shortest time.

If I was making a change I would try a tumbler - as I do think that turning the bin every day would speed and improve the process.

[Storming Norman]

Try to find someone who can advise you that a tumbler works before you invest.

One of the new ladies down the allotment was given one - she says its a waste of space, it does keep her kids busy though.

[Kristen]

Yeah, good point. They cost enough that I'm not buying ... but the adverts look very convincing

[furball]

Some very helpful replies and links, thankyou very much.

[BUFFS]

Some very helpful replies and links, thankyou very much.

i find a pallet bin with a tarpaulin cover,nailed down at the back and nailed to a loose baton on the front,i have lots of chook poo,coop lining paper and veggie bits,i dont turn it and when i buried it all under veg patch the other week there were balls of worms bigger than grapefruits,so im not going to change.......good luck with whichever method you use...

[Two_Sheds]

I started with pallets, but got given a couple of daleks and would never go back. I love them.

Same here!

To "turn" them I just lift the whole thing up and off (you'll have to rock it a bit)

Every time I turn them, I resite them on the next bit that I want compost on - it's so easy