I am reorganising my plot, and want to move my compost bins. This year I have been impressed with the efficiency of the black plastic bins, which seem to devour anything quite quickly and seem to warm at most times.
I have some open pallet bay, which I have to say I don't turn too often, but dont seem to be very quick or hot composters. So as I see it I have two choices, more black plastic moulded bin, or more pallet bins (which this time I have thought about lining with black sileage wrap to mimic what the moulded bins produce) thoughts very welcome.
COMPOST BINS
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oldherbaceous
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Evening Compo, i always find open compost heaps take about 12 months to rot down, but the bins rot down in at least half that time.
So lining the pallets should have the same effect as the bins, in theory.
But you will have to keep the top of the heap covered as well, butyl pond liner is good for this as it's heavy enough not to keep flapping about, but plastic and something to weigh it down would do just as well.
So lining the pallets should have the same effect as the bins, in theory.
But you will have to keep the top of the heap covered as well, butyl pond liner is good for this as it's heavy enough not to keep flapping about, but plastic and something to weigh it down would do just as well.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
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Shallot Man
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I line my pallets with 2inch polystyrene [between inner and out layer] works a treat.
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Nature's Babe
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I have both too Compo, I use the plastic bins on a bed easily accessible for winter use,, then in spring summer and autumn I use the bins at the bottom of the garden. If the top of the heap has not quite rotted down I add to the next heap which seems to kick start the process in the new heap and speed it up a bit..
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PLUMPUDDING
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I got fed up with the rats eating their way into my wooden compost bins and burrowing under the plastic ones, so last year I built a block of three out of those breeze blocks with holes through the middle. I set them in a concrete base, stacked on top of one another in cubic metre squares with a metal rod from top to bottom here and there for stability.
I've stood them on a piece of strongish mesh so the rats can't get in through the soil underneath and the tops are covered in some old twin walled polycarbonate sheets cut to size.
They were a bit slow when I first used them, but now the worms etc are established everything gets really hot and rots down very fast. I have one or two maturing and one being added to. When I empty one I turn the other two to speed them up a bit. I have a piece of bubble plastic and a bit of carpet on top of the compost to keep it warm and moist and it works a treat.
It all cost less than those posh wooden bins and is sturdy and rat proof (if not very pretty).
I've stood them on a piece of strongish mesh so the rats can't get in through the soil underneath and the tops are covered in some old twin walled polycarbonate sheets cut to size.
They were a bit slow when I first used them, but now the worms etc are established everything gets really hot and rots down very fast. I have one or two maturing and one being added to. When I empty one I turn the other two to speed them up a bit. I have a piece of bubble plastic and a bit of carpet on top of the compost to keep it warm and moist and it works a treat.
It all cost less than those posh wooden bins and is sturdy and rat proof (if not very pretty).
We have two kinds, too:
We have four compost bins at home which are just ordinary large plastic bins with lots of holes (about 3/4 inch or less diameter) drilled in the bottom, sides and lids. Into there go all the kitchen scraps and CLEAN garden rubbish, that is, nothing with seeds or perennial weeds. In between are layers of torn up cardboard, the insides of kitchen paper, toilet rolls etc. Some of the garden debris, like straight stems of purple loosestrife, figwort, michaelmas daisies, are put through the shredder in spring and added to the bins. Once a year, usually about late October/November, I take the unrotted tops off, together with lots of worms, and leave them aside and then spread the rotted compost - and it's lovely, black, sweet-smelling stuff - in the garden. And then the whole process starts again, using the unrotted tops as a base in each bin.
On the allotment, we have two large wooden compost bins (four sturdy corner posts, about 5 feet apart, connected with pig netting and lined with heavy duty black plastic) and they are filled with all the allotment compostables as well as bulk greenery from the garden which we take to the allotment. As our allotments are nowhere near any buildings and are surrounded by pastures, I don't think we have rats (I could be wrong) but we often find disused bank voles' and mice nests when we spread the compost every four or five years. Although we keep it rotting so long, we usually get a flush of annual weeds coming up the following year, to be hoed off.
We have four compost bins at home which are just ordinary large plastic bins with lots of holes (about 3/4 inch or less diameter) drilled in the bottom, sides and lids. Into there go all the kitchen scraps and CLEAN garden rubbish, that is, nothing with seeds or perennial weeds. In between are layers of torn up cardboard, the insides of kitchen paper, toilet rolls etc. Some of the garden debris, like straight stems of purple loosestrife, figwort, michaelmas daisies, are put through the shredder in spring and added to the bins. Once a year, usually about late October/November, I take the unrotted tops off, together with lots of worms, and leave them aside and then spread the rotted compost - and it's lovely, black, sweet-smelling stuff - in the garden. And then the whole process starts again, using the unrotted tops as a base in each bin.
On the allotment, we have two large wooden compost bins (four sturdy corner posts, about 5 feet apart, connected with pig netting and lined with heavy duty black plastic) and they are filled with all the allotment compostables as well as bulk greenery from the garden which we take to the allotment. As our allotments are nowhere near any buildings and are surrounded by pastures, I don't think we have rats (I could be wrong) but we often find disused bank voles' and mice nests when we spread the compost every four or five years. Although we keep it rotting so long, we usually get a flush of annual weeds coming up the following year, to be hoed off.