Composting question with a difference

[m3bfs]

Hi

As some of you may have read, we're in the process of having to move, coz council has sold houses to housing association that is going to redevelop. We were all originally supposed to be out by last September, then it was Christmas, no chance of that now. Another problem is don't know when we'll be moving and how much time it will take, some people have managed to be moved within 4 weeks of being offered a house and accepting, others have been over 6 weeks since being offered a house, but haven't even been allowed to go view and accept or decline. The only constant is that you have 2 weeks to move from signing the new tenancy agreement.

Ok now i've given you the background to my dilemma, when i get settled i want to start growing again (if i'd known we'd be here this long, would have had some containers on the go), and like making my own compost, (ex reckoned mine was a lot better than his :-) ). The question is i sort of know what to put in/on one but i was wondering if i could start one and take it with me, got the ingredients to get started but what can i use so that it can be transported either in the back of the car or in a hired van.

Any and all (!!) suggestions welcomed.

PS As i'm also a craft addict (various crafts) i have lots of scraps of card and paper, and bits of thread etc, can these all be added to the 'post. With the cardmaking scraps is there anything i should be careful of using the scraps if they've got, say ink, glue, glitter etc on.

many thanks

m3bfs

[Snadger]

Must admit........I've never heard of taking your compost heap with you! Empty compost bin I can understand..........bagging up compost I can understand........but whole kit and kaboodle...........nah!

[FoxHillGardener]

I moved my can of worms from the last place, but I left the compost bin. Maybe you could try a wormery instead?

[bobleponge]

If you had started one already, and had somewhere for it to go, there isnt a real reason why you couldnt take it with you. It would do as a sort of aeration and turning of the pile. Just chuck a layer of plastic in the bottom of the trailer/car whatever, put the contents on top and then chuck it back in once you've moved.
Wouldnt try it myself mind you.

[oldie]

Friends did this last year. Bagged it up in black builders rubble bags from Wickes, hosed out the Dalek and set it up the new house. No problem.

[m3bfs]

i've seen a compost bin on a well known online auction site, that has a bottom attached, so am thinking of getting one, as a starter and so i could possible move it. BUT then i got to thinking, we don't have a lot of kitchen scraps, unless bread counts, have plenty of loo roll inners, fluffy bits from tumble drier (when it works) and the vacuum. Have nothing from the garden usable, so maybe i should forget the idea, save the cash towards a proper compost bin (this one looks like its made of a tarp type of material), recycle the loo rolls (go through tooooo many to save to take with me), not sure about fluffy bits, whether then can go in the green (recycle) bin or not.

Just get on with my crafting, veg plot planning/research/dreaming, reading the forum, and wait till we've moved.

OH has a fishpond, is the stuff in the filters ok to go into compost heaps/bins. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it can, but not sure.

m3bfs

[bluemoon]

Loo rolls can be composted but make great plant pots too, epecially for deep rooting things such as beans and sweet peas. I've even heard of sweetcorn being planted in them. The beauty of course is that you plant the whole thing. I haven't moved a compst bin from house to house, but I have moved one from allotment to allotment, just lifted it off (it was a plastic dalek type) and shovelled the compost into blue rubble sacks. The advantage was the heap got a good turn in the process. Look on the Recycle Now web site. Quite often councils have an arrangement with them and you can get your plastic bins much cheaper (ours were £6 each instead of the £35 that they were charging in B&Q). And they deliver free.

[cupcake]

We got our 2 first bins from the local council for £6 each. We were too tight to pay delivery so collected them ourselves! The second one we got via the local GC but still through the council for £15. If only they would do water butts! I checked them out on the council website, but they are no cheaper!

[m3bfs]

hi thanks everyone, have checked out the recycle now website, nearest council is Sheffield and they're asking £17. Wish i'd brought the one i'd left at the last house, but thought i'd be able to get more for the same price as i paid for that (£5). Never mind will get something sorted. Keeping my eye on that one i saw, but having said that i've a couple of garden tidy bags which look as if they are made of the same material, wonder if i could use them with some carpet or something on top.

Does a compost bin have to have air holes, or just aeration (sp) inside. While laying on my sick bed thought about using one of the recycling wheelie bins.

Thanks for your replies

m3bfs