Where to put a compost bin?
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
Is it okay to put a plastic dustbin style compost bin on to concrete or does it need to be positioned on earth to allow worms to get in or is it the plants breaking down and generating heat that actually does the composting? Unfortunately, the majority of my garden is paved so I'm wondering if it will work. Sorry if this sounds like a really stupid question!
- Jenny Green
- KG Regular
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 4:47 pm
- Location: East Midlands
I agree with Richard. If you put it on concrete you'll almost certainly get brown liquid coming from the bottom. It's best off on earth if you can possibly manage it.
When you say it's a plastic dustbin style, do you mean that it's a bucket-shaped container without an open bottom? If so, then you can put it on concrete without worrying too much about leakage. Also, you could obtain some worms to put into the compost once you've got it started, so standing on soil isn't absolutely necessary. However, in my experience a totally sealed container doesn't work very well because if you starve it of air, the compost can tend to go a bit rank. You could get one of those tumbling types and make sure you open up the lid fairly often to let fresh air in. Sorry not to be more helpful, but I do feel that making compost is not just a matter of letting waste materials go rotten any old how!
Some days you're the dog, some days you're the fence post
If you can take the trouble to arrange a system to collect the inevitable liquid generated by a compost bin it can be a useful feed but best not to put it on the bits you eat near harvest time. A handful of old compost in a new heap should start the brindling worms off unless it gets too hot.