.. and what method do you use?

Did you buy a plastic bin, or have you built your own?

What do you 'feed' it, and what do you use as an activator?

Any tips? (especially for a beginner ;) )

I got one of the £4 compost bins from the Sheffield City Council (Link here (http://www.recyclenow.com/applications/home_composting/bins_results.rm), go to 'offers in my area'). It's a plastic bin - not bad, although it's quite difficult to get in there and turn the compost over properly.

I haven't used an activator - I started when the weather was really warm, so thought I could probably get away without one. This winter is a different story however, so I'm on the look out for a good organic activator (if such a thing even exists - I'm new to composting too!).

I got a free kitchen caddy with mine, so we collect up all of the veggie peelings etc and they go into the composter. My tip would be to be sure that you get a good mix of 'greens' (cut grass, veg peelings, green leaves, etc) and browns (cardboard / torn up egg boxes, brown leaves, shedded (non glossy) paper) - when I first started I just chucked in loads of 'fresh' stuff and it soon got very mushy and wet :gag: I'm a little more careful to make sure I get layers of 'drier' things too now!

Isn't urine an activator Tracie?

LOL - yep, apparently it is! - I had a Google after I posted this morning and urine was indeed on the list of suggested organic activators :P

For the rather more faint of heart (such as myself :P) I also found an compost activator called 'Organica' which claims to be completely organic :thumbsup: (it's the first hit on Google, seems a lot of places supply it!)

Has anyone on here had any success building their own compost bin?

How organic is anything that comes in packaging and/or has to be transported Tracie?
*mumbles something about global warming*

Get yourself a big jug or an antique chamber pot ;)

I'd be able to cheat - Brude's toilet (shower tray in the garden) isn't plumbed in, it has a cat litter tray underneath which we have to empty, so we're sorted for organic activator :thumbsup:

come to think.... :suspect:...... no......on second thoughts.... I'm not bringing it bottled to a meet :rolleyes:

Be carefull using ladies wee wees on plants as the Ph is very scorching to some. :thumbsup:
Have the old fella keep a bucket in his shed or garage for the purpose ;)
Dog & Cat & human pooh is not good for compost. ever.


I'm an obsessive composter, and having the priviledge of a huge garden, we are now a 5 bin family.

These are very cheap at £5 a go from the council.

Rhubabrb leaves too are a good natural activator.

How organic is anything that comes in packaging and/or has to be transported Tracie?
*mumbles something about global warming*

That's a very valid point - being relatively new to this growing your own lark I do still tend to see the word 'organic' and think - 'that's good!' My bad :blush:

Be carefull using ladies wee wees on plants as the Ph is very scorching to some.
Have the old fella keep a bucket in his shed or garage for the purpose

The chamber pot is then... but not for me! :P Mwahaha!

Any idea if rabbit urine ok to use Don? My new rabbit buddy has a litter tray lined with straw, and I was wondering if I could compost the contents of that too.

Any vegetarian creature (sadly still not human) so yes, rabbit, horse, sheep, all good :thumbsup:

You may need to mix dry straw with a wet product such as grass cuttings, to aid composting too.

I have a plastic composter and its doing well, I mix soil with the stuff i put in there and i also throw earthworms in.
At the beginning of the summer it stank horrible so I quickly learned to stir it often.

If it smells bad, have a small fire with sticks & cardboard.

Stir in the ashes and the 'charcoal' will act as a natural deodoriser AND add potash to the mix :thumbsup:

Well the stinks gone now thank god, but for a while my entire neighbourhood were on the verge of moving away en masse.

I'm in a position of having either very little to put in to compost (for most of the time) or having HUGE amounts to put in (when the privet hedge is cut), and nothing in between. I also can't find anywhere to put a compost bin, and having tried with other people's bins, would have great problems turning the compost, as spades tend to take 2 arms.

So I reluctantly came to the decision that I couldn't find a way of making composting work for my house. I would be interested in any other thoughts on making composting work for me though, as I'd like to think of prolems as not being insurmountable.

If i were in your position id clear an area of ground and dig the stuff in.
Just keep adding it and digging it in, the worms will do the work and youll soon start to have more than enough spare soil to spread around.
Thats what i used to do before i got the composter.

My garden is only 15'x12' and is mostly comprised of roots from a large old apple tree so digging any sort of hole is very hard- and the same applies to holes as to digging out compost bins (spades are very two-armed things). I employ a gardener to come and do things like digging for me.

I'm really not trying to make excuses (no, really!), but I'm stuck for a workable solution. Thank you for your attempt Jabberwocky.

Ah, small garden syndrome ;)

We had one 14.5ft x 27ft (ish)

If you desparately want to compost, there are various rotating designs. some on legs that tumble about their centre, top over bottom, and some you just roll around the garden

My garden is only 15'x12' and is mostly comprised of roots from a large old apple tree so digging any sort of hole is very hard- and the same applies to holes as to digging out compost bins (spades are very two-armed things). I employ a gardener to come and do things like digging for me.

I'm really not trying to make excuses (no, really!), but I'm stuck for a workable solution. Thank you for your attempt Jabberwocky.

I came to this thread from a search (:thumbsup: )for wormeries,as I don't have a garden,just a yard and greenhouse but I am looking into a wormery for kitchen waste.The advantage is they take up a small space and seem relatively easy to maintain.

I'm in a position of having either very little to put in to compost (for most of the time) or having HUGE amounts to put in (when the privet hedge is cut), and nothing in between. I also can't find anywhere to put a compost bin, and having tried with other people's bins, would have great problems turning the compost, as spades tend to take 2 arms.

So I reluctantly came to the decision that I couldn't find a way of making composting work for my house. I would be interested in any other thoughts on making composting work for me though, as I'd like to think of prolems as not being insurmountable.

Medusa,

Would you be able to get a community compost scheme going? Is there a small patch of land in your neighbourhood that could be used?

We have a big garden (and two allotments - the word 'masochists' springs to mind) so we have plenty of room for our home-made bins (made form wooden pallets, doors etc). We could use more compost though and so I now collect compost form work (amazing how much fruit people get through in a week) and I'm planning on asking people on the street who don't compost to save it for us.

Is there the possibility of doing this where you live? We're in hippy Meersbrook where this kind of thing is perfectly normal. Heeley city farm used to collect organic 'waste' from the local streets until the BSE debacle. I think the future is 'local'. Be a good way to build community relations too.

Now I'm confused, is ladies wee wee no good for compost or just plants?

We were fortunate enough to have inherited an old chicken coop with the allotment, which we overturned and made into a compost bin (it had long since lost it's roof). We collect all the veg stuff in a caddy at home and take it every time we're at the lotty.

The other thing is to add paper (you can add newspaper, we do a bit, but apparently be careful of the ink - can you shed light on that Don?) and if you can get it, leaf mold is ace. In fact, I was scavenging the leaves at the start of winter from Weston Park! And every time anything is added, I give it all a good turn before the carpet goes back on. Nothing better than watching the worms!

Going back to using wee as an activator... how often should you pee on the compost heap? Is once a week too much?

Going back to using wee as an activator... how often should you pee on the compost heap? Is once a week too much?

Yes, get back to wee, I want to know if girlies wee wee is ok on the compost!

I know several ladies who wee on their compost (not directly) and have reported nothing peculiar. I wouldn't have thought there was much difference - I'll ask someone who will definitely know and get back to the list...

Now I'm confused, is ladies wee wee no good for compost or just plants?

:hihi: Yes ladies can wee in their composters - so long as they don't do themselves a mischief :hihi:
The process of decomposition sorts out the minerals in the wee.

Some plants are too tender to have wee directed upon them directly.

As for frequecy of *cough "application" - I don't think you can overdo it.

Repeated addition af any cold liquid will briefly/temporarily slow the composting process. Either add a bucketfull at once or add while still warm :gag: to avoid the repeated 'chill factor'.

:hihi: Yes ladies can wee in their composters - so long as they don't do themselves a mischief :hihi:
The process of decomposition sorts out the minerals in the wee.

Some plants are too tender to have wee directed upon them directly.

As for frequecy of *cough "application" - I don't think you can overdo it.

Repeated addition af any cold liquid will briefly/temporarily slow the composting process. Either add a bucketfull at once or add while still warm :gag: to avoid the repeated 'chill factor'.

Glad you answered this Don, my source seemed reluctant to discuss the matter:confused:

Ive just started off a composter (£4 council type) and have thought about this. Then I realised, why bother with my own, my 4 year old grandson would take great delight in activating it!

Ive just started off a composter (£4 council type) and have thought about this. Then I realised, why bother with my own, my 4 year old grandson would take great delight in activating it!

Funny you mention that. This is how my aunty got my cousins out of nappies in no time. By watering the plants :D My son prefers to wash my tyres though. :hihi:

:hihi:
As for frequecy of *cough "application" - I don't think you can overdo it.

Repeated addition af any cold liquid will briefly/temporarily slow the composting process. Either add a bucketfull at once or add while still warm :gag: to avoid the repeated 'chill factor'.

Of course remember getting your compost too wet won't help... just enough so it's errr damp is enough!

Can you help?
Have finally got my compost bin in the right spot and going great guns but when I went to it yesterday it was crawling with ants. Is this normal if not can I sprinkle it with ant powder or willit kill off the rest of the insects in there?:help:

i have a compost bin in the garden that i bought from the council and every time i lift the lid hundrens of little flies fly out, is this ok? are they doing any damage, anyone:huh:

anyone want any guinea pig waste, I got a bin liner full a week

i have a compost bin in the garden that i bought from the council and every time i lift the lid hundrens of little flies fly out, is this ok? are they doing any damage, anyone:huh:

Trotter,

They are just fruit flies (Drosophila Melanagoster). If you have a glass of wine (especially red) in the garden and leave it for 5 mins it will be full of the little things.

They do no damage at all. I don't know about the ants, they may help tp break it down faster, like slugs that live in the compost bins. But someone else may have different ideas.

thanks for that ,low carbon

I've just got a nice smelly heap of grass cuttings at the top corner of my garden. I only started composting a month ago, and although the smell makes me sick :gag: , it's good that I can do something for the environment! :thumbsup:

I've just got a nice smelly heap of grass cuttings at the top corner of my garden. I only started composting a month ago, and although the smell makes me sick :gag: , it's good that I can do something for the environment! :thumbsup:

Your compost shouldn't smell that bad. It sounds like you have too much soft (nitrogen rich) material and not enough cardboard/paper. The community composting network has some good advice:

http://www.communitycompost.org/

Grass clippings should be added in layers, not all at once otherwise... well you know the consequences... keep up the good work :)

Your compost shouldn't smell that bad. It sounds like you have too much soft (nitrogen rich) material and not enough cardboard/paper. The community composting network has some good advice:

http://www.communitycompost.org/

Grass clippings should be added in layers, not all at once otherwise... well you know the consequences... keep up the good work :)

Thanks for that. I mainly recycle fruit and veg peelings, with the odd bunch of flowers or grass. All my paper / cardboard goes in the blue bin! :thumbsup:

I've got a cute little vole living in my compost heap

Are there any compost bins (in Sheffield) that are free?

I think it's stupid that you have to pay to help the environment.

Are there any compost bins (in Sheffield) that are free?

I think it's stupid that you have to pay to help the environment.

Could you make your own? I'm not sure why we moved away form the traditional compost heap to putting organic matter in plastic bins (anyone know?). In Sheffield where gardens are often tiny I suppose the issue is room but the cheap bins are not great because they aren't insulated and it's virtually impossible to turn the rotting matter. I'm sure you could build a vertical bin out of skip raided wood - it'd be great fun too designing it so that you could turn the contents.

The best bin I ever saw was at the Centre for Alternative Technology. They used an old chest freezeer (made holes in the bottom for drainage). It's really effective because it's really well insulated so the temperature gets really high.

But in answer to your question no I don't know of any free sources. Aren't they only a fiver though? If at the moment you buy peat-free multipurpose compost then you'll recoup the money in a year or two by producing your own.

Could you make your own? I'm not sure why we moved away form the traditional compost heap to putting organic matter in plastic bins (anyone know?). In Sheffield where gardens are often tiny I suppose the issue is room but the cheap bins are not great because they aren't insulated and it's virtually impossible to turn the rotting matter. I'm sure you could build a vertical bin out of skip raided wood - it'd be great fun too designing it so that you could turn the contents.



Making one? Really...? :loopy: :hihi:

Only joking - I'm just lazy.

I've got a new compost bin today! I'm so excited!

If anyone would like vegetable compost I have quite a bit of vegetable waste each week which I'd be happy for an allotment gardener to take if they want. PM me for more info

andco,

where do you live?

andco,

where do you live?

where's your allotment based & if you need more info please can we take this to PMland Cheers

As an addendum to my offer, I dont have a car and you'd therefore have to arrange collection.

I have been composting for exactly a year and 2 months since I took over a plot on the hagg house allotments. I have been carrying down a box of scrap veg waste nearly every week, I emptied 2 sacks of horse manure in there, a large bag of leaves and a lot of allotment waste plants. I decided to use this compost on the allotment at the weekend to find I had about 1 cubic foot of compost after all that effort.

I admit it was good stuff though, crammed with red worms but not even enough for one raised bed. Think I might get some manure delivered!!

Just started composting today:banana:
Bet I end up bringing my banana skins home from work so I can compost 'em!

The Low-Impact Living Initiative will be running a course on Advanced Composting (http://www.syec.co.uk/courses.php#c7) on 4th October at Heeley City Farm.

I've got a new compost bin today! I'm so excited!

I was really excited when I got mine as well!!

Mine has mainly got fruit and veg peelings in. I do try and keep adding the 'brown' ingredients. Also, I had loads of the fruit flies at first. I assume they will return when the weather gets warmer??

I turned mine yesterday (for the first time) and it is all rotting but is really slimey. Also there are no worms in there either.

From all of the advice on this thread, I am going to start putting more brown in and looking for worms to add. Is there anything else I need to do? (not really prepared to pee on it though)

try turning it more. Needs lots of oxygen. Other than that it's more carbon and less nitrogrn (leafy stuff). Are you keeping the rain out?

try turning it more. Needs lots of oxygen. Other than that it's more carbon and less nitrogrn (leafy stuff). Are you keeping the rain out?

Yes, I have got one of those big plastic bins. The lid blows off ocassionally but I always put it back on.

I know it sounds daft but I did not realise it would be quite such a science!

I got one of those bins from the council too, pretty good value really and you get a free small bin to keep in the kitchen for peelings, tea bags etc. I've had mine for about 2 months now and I love it! It doesn't smell and it's a great way of reducing the waste I put out for collection every week. I've been putting in fruit and veg waste, tea bags, card and paper. Also, I put some garden waste in - old plants and leaves etc. So far though, it's all just sitting there like a rubbish dump - nothing seems to be happening at all. Hopefully heat in the summer will change that though? I found a couple of worms and chucked them in too :) My lid kept blowing off too but I put a couple of bricks on top and now it's very sturdy!

My question is, do you stop putting stuff in for a bit and wait for it all to turn to compost? Or are you supposed to try and get the compost out the bottom whilst stuff that hasn't decomposed is still on top?

I got one of those bins from the council too, pretty good value really and you get a free small bin to keep in the kitchen for peelings, tea bags etc. I've had mine for about 2 months now and I love it! It doesn't smell and it's a great way of reducing the waste I put out for collection every week. I've been putting in fruit and veg waste, tea bags, card and paper. Also, I put some garden waste in - old plants and leaves etc. So far though, it's all just sitting there like a rubbish dump - nothing seems to be happening at all. Hopefully heat in the summer will change that though? I found a couple of worms and chucked them in too :) My lid kept blowing off too but I put a couple of bricks on top and now it's very sturdy!

My question is, do you stop putting stuff in for a bit and wait for it all to turn to compost? Or are you supposed to try and get the compost out the bottom whilst stuff that hasn't decomposed is still on top?

Just keep adding it on to the top. If you wait 6 months to a year you'l get some compost out the bottom. Better if you can turn it though; lift the whole bin off and start pilling it back in so what was on the top is now on the bottom (adding cardboard, straw, leaves etc if its too wet). Composting is an aerobic process (needs oxygen) so turning is very beneficial. This is one of the drawbacks of the dalek bins - not so easy to turn.

Glad you're getting into it. We're now collecting kitchen waste form 6 other houses on the road to try to produce more compost for our allotment (made our bins out of old palettes nailed together, easy to turn). By the way the worms that normally find their way into compost bins (if its on earth that is) are tiger worms. Not sure what earthworms will do but they'll probably be quite happy and help out too (as will slugs and woodlice :love:)

I regularly have 12 kg of carrot pulp and other veg waste. Doesnt anyone want to take this off my hands. Seems a crying shame to chuck it in the weekly collection.

my boys arrive on monday :love:

i have a 128ltr wormery, have to give them 2 weeks to settle in then it will we will be away!

andco why not have a wormery, they can take care of your carrot peelings for you :)

I dont do any gardening & I cant stand worms, slugs or the like. By the way what's a wormery??? Cant do any composting here because I've created a mother & father of a stink about my neighbour's compost heap which stank to high hell & back.

Which part of the council do I contact to get a cheap composting bin?

Which part of the council do I contact to get a cheap composting bin?

Order online at:

www.recyclenow.com/compost

enter your postcode and it will show you the offers for your local authority

I dont do any gardening & I cant stand worms, slugs or the like. By the way what's a wormery??? Cant do any composting here because I've created a mother & father of a stink about my neighbour's compost heap which stank to high hell & back.


i cant stand worms either, but needing to get rid of my compostable waste without the need for a compost bin.

a wormery is a container with worms in and they eat my waste.
i didnt have to touch the worms when i set it up they have been out there 2 days now will i'll be able to start feeding them my household stuff in about 12 more days (they are on worm food at the min)

We have had a worm farm for 4 months now and they don't seem to touch much of the veg peelings we put in - I am putting it down to it being cold and them being less active in the winter !! thats my theory anyway !! I am hoping they will start muching the carrot peelings soon !!!

They are still moving about in the container so they are not dead before anyone asks !!

I admit it was good stuff though, crammed with red worms but not even enough for one raised bed. Think I might get some manure delivered!!

Did you get any delivered in the end?

My composter is sat on paving stones (we have a back yard rather than a garden). I was hoping that wood lice and maybe some worms would find their way in. Will this be alright do you think, or does it need to be sat on soil?

The usual recommendation is that it needs to be on soil for tiger worms to get in. I've never put a bin on anything other than soil. Guess you'll know the answer in a couple of weeks.

Is it possible to transfer some tiger worms from another compost bin? We're got hundreds of worms so I'm sure people around could spare a few. Don't know whether they need to retreat into the soil though. Sorry not much help...sure others will have done what you have and will pass on their experiences.

so my next question I guess would be, if I add some soil, does anyone have some worms they could give me? I'm in Hillsborough. Thanks!

If all else fails, there's:

http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/default.php?cPath=21_30

Another soultion is to add some manure to your compost bin (great compost accelerator too). The stuff I buy from Heeley City Farm is brimming with tiger worms. (£1.50 a bag)

I didn't know the farm sold manure, great thank you!