Smelly Compost

[dim]

Correct type? *blank look*

Any tape, staples or plastic coating on the cardboard will not rot and you can simply remove once the cardboard has broken down. Inks used to print now are created from vegetables, and is quite safe to compost. There's a few master composters on the forum, who I'm sure will have more information on the subject.

we all have our own methods .... I have 4 dalek bins and one large tumbler .... I get all my greens from pub kitchens as I maintain their gardens ...

one of the daleks is a wormery and I use the contents to brew actively aerated compost tea .... this is 'supercharged' compost as it contains rock dusts, gets fed with molasses, fish hydrolosate, seaweed extracts, alfalfa etc .... the bin is teeming with earthworms and the contents are nearly 2 years old ... I top up daily with titbits for the worms ...

I grow using High Brix gardening methods, and it works for me

the only cardboard that I use are toilet roll holders and the bottom sections of egg cartons.... wood pellets are cheap and efficient and if the bin contents are kept damp, the wood decomposes fast

I have also found that the tumbler produces compost much faster than a dalek (even if you turn the contents of the dalek once a week)

here is an article about paper and cardboard:
http://www.organics-recycling.org.uk..._cardboard.pdf

[chris]

I was more questioning what cardboard you meant.. that link, is for the recycling of cardboard/paper for them to compost/recycle (commercially).

Any large stores have loads of cardboard they just throw away (halfords, comet, etc). Ikea is another good source. I don't exclusively use daleks - only at home. On my plot I have large open heaps, which rot down much faster - I was using them as an example

(Edit: I suppose the point I was making, is that it goes against the ethos of using your waste to convert into compost. Ya know, the whole organic thingy)

[Two_Sheds]

Any tips on how to do a compost heap that doesn't smell or attract flies?

My heaps don't smell nor have flies: not even the dog poo daleks

add more browns.

The easiest way is to wrap all your kitchen peelings in a sheet or 2 of newspaper

(get neighbours to save them for you, or ask on Freegle, if you don't get one yourself)

[Mumbles]

[QUOTE=Two_Sheds;1169096]My heaps don't smell nor have flies: not even the dog poo daleks

How do you keep flies away?


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[rustylady]

How do you keep flies away?

The easiest way is to wrap all your kitchen peelings in a sheet or 2 of newspaper

[Mumbles]

The easiest way is to wrap all your kitchen peelings in a sheet or 2 of newspaper

What do you keep your compost heap in?


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[rustylady]

You don't have to keep it in anything Mumbles, but I have two Daleks on the allotment and also a large square heap contained by metal sheeting.

The lids on the Daleks keep out unwanted beasties and protect the contents from rain, and the big heap will be covered soon with either an old piece of carpet or thick cardboard.

[zazen999]

Keep it in a pile. Or a dalek. Or a compost bin. Or a wormery.

[Two_Sheds]

How do you keep flies away?

Wrap the poop in a couple of sheets of newspaper


Flies can't lay eggs on newspaper

[Penellype]

I was more questioning what cardboard you meant.. that link, is for the recycling of cardboard/paper for them to compost/recycle (commercially).

Any large stores have loads of cardboard they just throw away (halfords, comet, etc). Ikea is another good source. I don't exclusively use daleks - only at home. On my plot I have large open heaps, which rot down much faster - I was using them as an example

(Edit: I suppose the point I was making, is that it goes against the ethos of using your waste to convert into compost. Ya know, the whole organic thingy)

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames here, but I've learned a great deal in the last couple of weeks about composting having just bought a hotbin. Whether you buy one or not there is a huge amount of information on their site Composter Bin - Food Waste - Garden Compost Bins - Hot Bin Composting about what rots quickly and what does not, and it doesn't really matter whether you are hot or cold composting, the science behind the composting process is the same. There is a handy summary at the bottom of this pdf file http://www.hotbincomposting.com/imag...Nov%202012.pdf telling you which things rot fast and which are slower.

The "correct" type of cardboard is corrugated (like packing boxes) not flat (like cereal boxes), apparently because the processing of corrugated cardboard removes the lignin, which bacteria find hard to break down. Similarly white office paper has had the lignin removed, while cheaper paper such as newspaper has not and takes much longer to rot down.

[Penellype]

Wrap the poop in a couple of sheets of newspaper


Flies can't lay eggs on newspaper

They may not lay the eggs on the newspaper, but they can and will get inside it and lay eggs on the poop inside. If you try to compost poop in your compost bin you can expect it to smell and attract flies.

[chris]

I'm probably going to get shot down in flames here, but I've learned a great deal in the last couple of weeks about composting having just bought a hotbin. Whether you buy one or not there is a huge amount of information on their site Composter Bin - Food Waste - Garden Compost Bins - Hot Bin Composting about what rots quickly and what does not, and it doesn't really matter whether you are hot or cold composting, the science behind the composting process is the same. There is a handy summary at the bottom of this pdf file http://www.hotbincomposting.com/imag...Nov%202012.pdf telling you which things rot fast and which are slower.

The "correct" type of cardboard is corrugated (like packing boxes) not flat (like cereal boxes), apparently because the processing of corrugated cardboard removes the lignin, which bacteria find hard to break down. Similarly white office paper has had the lignin removed, while cheaper paper such as newspaper has not and takes much longer to rot down.

Not at all, it's a forum after all. I still stand by my points though as:

When turning if you notice you need more browns, greens or moisture you can add them- I didn't know about the lignin (so will read up on it) but by adding even now greens you'd surly kick start the process again if its slowing down due to this ...?


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[chris]

They may not lay the eggs on the newspaper, but they can and will get inside it and lay eggs on the poop inside. If you try to compost poop in your compost bin you can expect it to smell and attract flies.

That, you may get shot down for TS stated it doesn't smell I believe she composts her dogs waste in a dalek too, which will further reduce the likelihood of flies getting in there.


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[zazen999]

We have a compost toilet at our community garden and we have yet to see any flies in or around it.

Strange isn't it?

[Two_Sheds]

If you try to compost poop in your compost bin you can expect it to smell and attract flies.

I do, and it doesn't