Time to give that compost a turn over.

[Maddie106]

I've just turned 3 Daleks and a pallet heap. One more Dalek to do (at home, and it's cold & sludgy inside I bet).

I do mine at this time of year because they're always full with no room to put the spring weeds in.

It's always interesting to see what's rotted and what hasn't. Pallet heap was hopeless, everything inside was dry & intact. The Daleks work better, except for:

- eggshells, even crushed
- corks
- sprout stalks
- corn cobs
- strings of lycra (I compost old cotton socks & pants etc)

I bow to you 2 sheds....I was cream crackered after dealing with ONE Darlek, let alone THREE!
Had to open a bottle of wine to congratulate myself, but it was a cheap screw-top, so no problem with composting the cork.

Never thought about putting old knickers/ tee shirts/socks in there...am re-cyclimg them as dusters/ floorclothes etc at present.

I've given up putting avacardo stones in the bin...they are like small cricket balls after a year! Grass clippings USED to be a problem, forming a solid, soggy mass.
I now give them to the hens, who love eating the grass and scratching around in them.
( As I haven't got time for my lawn, it never has feed or weed on it)

[Maddie106]

First: wear wellies, bits of unrotted compost in your shoes is NOT nice!
Second: dig out as much as you can from the silly little hole at the bottom.
Shift as much real compost from there on to a bed, then..........and this is the fun bit........

Pull over dalek, trying not to break it, swear as half tonne of wet unrotted cold compost goes every where. Try not to slip on stuff as you find the fork to chuck it all back in again

Alternatively pay someone to do it for you? Local kids, anyone really

Thanks Fionah,

Managed it last week( With much swearing!)
Was miffed that several hours of hard graft in the garden didn't LOOK as if I'd done anything. (The OH is impressed by "cosmetic" activity, so I get no sympathy for an aching back after hard work with no visual results!)

When I win the lottery, I'll buy one of those expensive bins that you can turn and mix easily.....

[FionaH]

When I win the lottery, I'll buy one of those expensive bins that you can turn and mix easily.....

Me too

[Jeanied]

When I win the lottery, I'll buy one of those expensive bins that you can turn and mix easily.....

Maddie you need to have a word with our compost tumbler hero, Bigmallly, who made his own. Something of a cult following on the vine!!

[taff]

I searched for it but he's deleted all the pictures

[Two_Sheds]

Mine (a dalek) is so full of flies that I dread taking the lid off

Same as what Taff said.
You could try wrapping your kitchen scraps in newspaper, like a chip wrapper. That will add carbon to the mix, and reduce fly activity.
Alternatively, put a layer of soil on top of your compost mix

How DO you Stir a Darlek bin?

I just push and pull it a lot until I can lift the whole thing off. The compost inside will probably collapse all over the shop, so the wear wellies advice is good.

Doing it on a sunny day is more pleasant too.

Relocate the Dalek, then fill it back up with the unrotted stuff.

I site my Daleks on the beds that need a bit of compost: it saves lugging it so far around the plot