# Composting adventures.



## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2020)

The new landlord has a compost bin, and you'll be excited to know I am allowed to use same. 

However this particular example appear not to be composting with the expected efficiency. It has been filled to capacity for the last few months while I used it, and now any fresh compost has to be hammered down in order to fit.

I'm wondering if this is because of the presence of a watertight lid. As I understand it, compost kept dry just looks bored, whereas that which has the requisite supply of dampness rots down with enthusiasm and is generally an asset to the garden, bringing joy to all.

Can someone with more expertise advise?


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## classic33 (3 Aug 2020)

Calling @PaulSB


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## PaulSB (3 Aug 2020)

@Andy in Germany are we talking of a plastic composting bin similar to this?


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## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2020)

PaulSB said:


> @Andy in Germany are we talking of a plastic composting bin similar to this?
> 
> View attachment 539657



My word, practically identical.


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## mudsticks (3 Aug 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> My word, practically identical.



Judicious application of a 'Nitrogen rich liquid'  will help..


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## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2020)

mudsticks said:


> Judicious application of a 'Nitrogen rich liquid'  will help..



I'll need a bottle then.

Or a ladder.


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## mudsticks (3 Aug 2020)

A saucepan would suffice.. 

I won't tell if you don't.


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## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2020)

mudsticks said:


> A saucepan would suffice..
> 
> I won't tell if you don't.



Probably better, as the bin is visible from the hotel across the field.


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## PK99 (3 Aug 2020)

mudsticks said:


> Judicious application of a 'Nitrogen rich liquid'  will help..



Recycled beer and cider work well....


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## PaulSB (3 Aug 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> The new landlord has a compost bin, and you'll be excited to know I am allowed to use same.
> 
> However this particular example appear not to be composting with the expected efficiency. It has been filled to capacity for the last few months while I used it, and now any fresh compost has to be hammered down in order to fit.
> 
> ...


I'm guessing you are putting garden waste in to this bin? If so you need to be careful about the type of material you place in the bin and ideally layer and mix it well. I've been using one on my allotment for years to compost household waste, mainly vegetable peelings, as one does not want to incorporate potential food for vermin etc. in to a traditional compost heap. My bin takes about six months to break down vegetable matter unless I add an activator, I use spent hops as I have a local source, which means the bin contents compost in a month at most. If you Google "compost activator" you'll find many home-made recipes for compost activators, alternatively you should be able to buy one in a DIY store or garden centre. Whether these work or not is debatable.

To be blunt these bins are pretty useless, I've never seen one work as advertised. In reality you have a large plastic container for storing waste which will decompose over time, it could take up to a year. To work well composting needs a mix of compostable materials, air, moisture, microorganisms and insects plus the top layer should be turned over when new material is added. If you are ramming material in to the bin the effect will be to compact the contents of the bin which will either slow or stop the composting.

If you want to persevere I suggest emptying the bin and then reloading it loosely with what you already have. You might try adding some garden soil to introduce microorganisms to the bin but there's no guarantee this will work. Materials suitable for this type of bin are grass cuttings, leaves, annual weeds, cut flowers etc. Do not put in anything which has become woody as such material takes far longer to breakdown. It's important to layer and mix the contents, simply dumping the grass cuttings in will create a sludgy mess, the same will apply in autumn with fallen leaves. Mixing newspaper or cardboard with both items will help and also provide a source of carbon to your bin. Each time you add new material fork the top few inches of the contents before adding the new, this helps to prevent compaction and mixes the new material with the old material which is hopefully already decomposing.


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## Notafettler (11 Aug 2020)

There's a 4th compost bin.
In the background is green water butt containing comfy tea (bocking 14). If i run out of the "golden rain" (visible in the large plastic sweet jar) then I use the comfy. I also use it as fertiliser. 
Grass normally fetched in trailer. Can get 3 loads from one garden alone. Browns are capboard, paper coffee grounds and best a limited supply of chainsaw chippings. I am going to ring in a minute and see if I can get a trailer load of sawdust from a saw mill.


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## Ian H (11 Aug 2020)

Notafettler said:


> ...containing comfy tea...


😄


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## Notafettler (11 Aug 2020)

Ian H said:


> 😄








Comfrey tea. Bit of a whiff to it.


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## Notafettler (11 Aug 2020)

Saw dust won't be using chainsaw chippings again this is far superior. Should compost in no time. Got the two bags in my trailer, as I was leaving he said I could pay next time I pass. Didn't know I had to pay......30p a bag? Hardly worth it. I will ask if he does free delivery? I wonder what the person who got it all last week used it for? A dozen bags?


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## Notafettler (11 Aug 2020)

To help your compost to keep hot see if you can have the bins in direct sunlight.
Also get your hand in the middle to check still hot if not you need to turn it. I lift the bin move it to one side then reload it by hand. TRYING to put the compost that was on the outside into the middle. The compositable material round the outside is acting as the insulation and therefore is not getting as hot. 

One of problems you will get with your own compost is weeds. The hotter the compost the more likely you are to kill the weed seeds.


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