Kitchen Garden Forum

Hubby has built me two lovely compost bins for me to use....which I have started to fill in earnest. They are square and next to each other but are open at the top and front. I know I need to cover them and after having a darling nephew leave some taps running I now have lots of spare carpet!

My question is how should I cover them? Does the cover need to be touching the contents of the compost bins or just actually make up the rest of the cube and just cover the top and front.

Thanks

Snip

I would suggest putting at least something on the front, Snip, to stop stuff falling out and animals getting in. Some wire netting on a wooden frame, which can be hinged to one side of the bin[s]? Of course, you wouldn't mind hedgehogs getting in, so your front cold be a few inches upfrom the ground. But you would if it were rats, so the choice is yours.

The cover can be a wooden frame cut to fit over the 2 bins. If you want to use something to weight down the material in the bins I would use something other than the lid.

The carpet may not be the best thingto use either for covering or for weighting. Is it made of natural fibres or artificial? And what havethe manufacturers put into it to repel carpet-mites? These questions may or may not bother you, but if you are strongly organically-minded, then they will need consideration.

I agree with Mike about the necessity to prevent rats from getting in by whatever means you choose. We had a similar arrangement like yours, without solid front but unfortunately our big long-tailed friends moved in although I never added any cooked food, meat or eggs to the compost bin.

I would favour a removable almost solid front (wire netting on frame, covered with strong plastic?) but leave the top open until the first bin is full, then cover it with thick plastic to let it 'stew'. I would not use the carpets at all.

Hello
I agree with Mike about the carpet. Unless you can be sure that it is entirely made of natural materials I wouldn't use it. So many modern carpets have a synthetic backing or are held together with adhesive or have a mixture of fibres. I cover my compost with whatever is to hand eg poly sheeting, old fertilizer bags or even black bin liners. I think its just to help keep the heat and moisture in the heap.
I have had trouble from our furry friends only when my heap has become too dry. If you water it very well as you build it up you should be OK. A good tip is to run water over it constantly whenever you are adding material. If you water when the heap is finished you'll find that the water runs out through the easiest way leaving some parts of the heap bone dry!
I find those builders 1 tonne bags very useful as a sort of pre-heap for collecting stuff together and letting it partly rot. When you have enough in it then turn it all out in one go to add to the proper heap. They are surprisingly rat proof!

John

Regarding the rats, i think if they want to get in, they will.

But John is right, they do prefer the compost when it is dry.

I must be quite lucky, usually find friendly slowworms breeding in my compost, so I wait to turn after they have finnished nesting.

Dear all,

many thanks for your comments, I did in fact post a reply yesterday but must have had computer or finger problems as it never showed up, how irritating!

Anyway what I meant to say was that I have put terram matting underneath the bins to stop the weeds and rats plus have a 6 inch lip at the front...will this be enough to deter rats or is making a cage of chicken mesh the best idea for top and front?

I was under the impression that I had to cover the heap with something, carpet or black plastic for 2 reasons:

1. to keep the heap warm and hence help to decompose.
2. to keep the rain out so that it dosn't just go soggy

Any thoughts?

snip

What composters seem to forget is that Moles are their worst enemy.
When entering a compost bin a Mole must think that he/she has died gone to heaven!
All my compost bins have Expanded Metal Lath nailed across the base to allow worms in but exclude Moles, Mice and Rats burrowing in underneath the bin.
I too have Grass Snakes and Slow Worms on the plot and until the nature conservation group cleared the plot, masses of Adders.
To my way of thinking Carpets have absolutely no place in the garden or anywhere where something is to be grown. Having said that I do have carpet under my propagating bench in one of the tunnels. I also have my bank managers old seat to sit on. I nicked it out of a skip when the bank was being refurbished along with a mass of beautiful old oak panelling.
I made over £500.00 selling Oak Panelled Planters, But that is another story!
Moles have been particularly troublesome this year and I have caught more than 40 with the aid if 4 scissor traps this year.
I have manually operated irrigation down my Runner Bean runs and managed to leave the water on too long once and the middle of the bed simply subsided all the way down the middle (fortunately) due to a Mole run.
JB.

My compost bins are solid wood with removable fronts for easy access. Every winter, our long tailed intruders get into the bin currently being filled but don't bother with the one which has already "finished".

I added some kitchen waste yesterday and found the holes in the composting material, which were not there last week. I never add cooked food or meat either....the council have provided us with dinky little caddies and biodegradable bags for this...... but that's another topic!

My answer to the rats in the compost, is to give the bin a good old mix with the fork......mind, one did frighten me to death last year by jumping out whilst I was doing this! I'm not scared of them but ye gods, it made me jump so much, I reckon my feet actually left the ground!
Cheers!

If rats want to get into your compost bin they will. As they can gnaw through plastic, wood, thin metal and even concrete, you cannot keep them out if they want to get in. Keeping food out of the bin and keeping the contents damp will help. We live by a river, keep poultry and put food waste into the compost - ideal for rats. In fact I have never seen rats in my compost, though voles and moles are a bit of a pain

As Elaine says, they don't relish constant disturbance - remember, they are more frightened of you that you need to be of them.

Rats in compost bin, give the outside a big thwack with a piece of wood or similar a couple of times a day...