Composter Advice

[NOG]

Well I've read all these posts and am still flummoxed ! Our dalek bin gets sun and shade, we think we've got the mix of green: brown right , we turn it regularly, theres no black slime .... in fact absolutely nothing seems to be going on with it... all advice greatfully received ! Thanks

It sounds like it is too dry. Put the hose in till you see water comming out of the bottom.

Then wee in it to kick it off.

Then LEAVE it for 3 months.....keep adding stuff but do not turn it.

The volume should decrease..then its working.

[taff]

merv, is the compost from last year or from this year? It doesn't break down much over winter, it's too cold for much activity. When the weather warms up a bit, it should break down ok.
I've found the daleks a bit crap [ that's just for me] so mine's an open pile.

[Madasafish]

I hav two daleks, One being filled , the other rotting down. Both on earth in sun most of day.

I add kitchen waste including teabags and the bottom of our kitchen waste bin is lined with newspaper : by the time that is full and emptied into the dalek it is swimming in a fine layer of tea/water. So our dalek is always damp. Thousands of worms and slugs breed in it and after 9 months everything breaks down (incl. the teabags) into a fine dryish rich compost - which is wormfree...(the worms migrate the 0.5metres to the other bin)..

I mention slugs: we have a damp soil, field next door and marsh about 25 metres away so slugs are impossible to eradicate and I do not try (just slug pellets on key plant locations).

We get lots of small flies in it as well but they are no problem...

[NOG]

They are Wormaries and niot compost bins.....Wormaries take a lot more looking after than compost bins.

[Joe]

I've just aquired a couple of bins via Freecycle. They are brand new although the doors were missing. I've just ordered two doors from the manufacturer for a tenner. I've had a look at their website and came across these Base Plate - Converters Composting - Garden Are these bases any good. I had a problem with rats at my old home getting into my compost bin. Will they improve the compost as well as keeping the rats out?

[NOG]

I have some bins with bases and some without...and they don't seem to make any differance....I never have any problems with vermin.

[Dynamo]

I've finally completed the main structure of my compost bins. Its built mainly out of old doors and it has four compartments as you can see.



All I have to do now is a couple of small jobs like fit catches to the door on the right and then I'll be fitting a hinged lid onto it.