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Post by Spruance on Mar 14, 2009 11:48:05 GMT
I've just had a look at our bin Missy, and it is indeed the 330litre one. Here it is with a hastily placed garden chair for comparison....  (PS: Please ignore the clutter! ;D ) |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 14, 2009 15:27:58 GMT
Missy, can I interfere in this and say, if there is only you and you dont have lots of waste, would you not be better off with a wormery, they dont take up lots of room, so then you would have space to make a wire thingy for leaves to rot down in, because boy, do you have lots of those.  |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 14, 2009 16:43:03 GMT
My garden is a small rectangle with a small shed at the bottom, when I re-arrange the flower beds I can probably fit in a small compost bin but not the leaf box thingy and a wormery.....the leaves are also Horse Chestnut and take ages to break down or so I am told.
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Post by maggy on Mar 14, 2009 19:57:09 GMT
You could always hide a couple of bags behind the compost bin missy! you will be suprised how quickly things shrink down in the bin ;D and talking of wormery! my sister asked me if my compost bin is full of worms! no mine isnt but hers is! I wonder how that happened? she said our nephews go round for bait when they are going fishing. Mine has hard backs and insects but no worms .
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 14, 2009 19:58:29 GMT
Thats a good idea Maggy I might just do that WHEN I finally get the garden sorted. ;D
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 16, 2009 20:12:23 GMT
I ordered the 220 one today...£17 and a kitchen caddy....£4
28 days for delivery........
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Post by Barbara on Mar 16, 2009 20:13:50 GMT
You had better get saving all your peelings,. |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 16, 2009 20:15:41 GMT
well....I plan on starting to re-arrange the garden the last week in May when I am off work.
so maybe I'd better wait a while before I start saving my peelings.
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 16, 2009 22:19:53 GMT
If you are planning on starting to re-arrange the garden Missy you may be able to incorporate a place for your bin. I used to have just one wooden compost bin, unfortunately it rotted  I did have it for a long time though. Then a couple of years ago I got 2 x 330ltr Blackwall bins. Sometimes the local council have offers on for these but I got mine via Severn Trent Water, bargains at £6 each. Someone on here gave us the word up on local water authorities selling them. I've now got 3 bins and also use old compo bags inside out for excess material and stash them away in any place I can hide them in the garden. When there is room in a bin I just add a bag. You don't necessarily need to have the bin in the sun Missy, when the contents start to break down naturally it will produce it's own heat, being in a sunny spot does help speed up the process though. |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 17, 2009 9:27:55 GMT
You will not believe how many peelings to fill a bin Missy,I have a bucket at the back door, I put peelings, (not potato) tea bags , cardboard, egg shells,
it takes a while to fill.
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 17, 2009 10:06:10 GMT
Snap Barbara, I have a bucket at the back door too ;D It gets full at least once a week sometimes twice. Any veg peelings go in it that the chickens don't get, any sort of cardboard packaging, cereal boxes, T bags and the empty box, kitchen roll, junk mail gets ripped up, envelopes, but I remove the shiney window bit, it's amazing all the stuff you can compost really.
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 17, 2009 13:14:04 GMT
so maybe I'd better wait a while before I start saving my peelings. why not potato Barbara? |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 17, 2009 13:58:13 GMT
HI Missy :)I don't put potatoes in because the eyes start growing, so everything is rotting except them, I suspect they feed off the other compost, but I'm not sure.  |
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 17, 2009 14:07:02 GMT
HI Missy :)I don't put potatoes in because the eyes start growing, so everything is rotting except them, I suspect they feed off the other compost, but I'm not sure. As long as they are not whole potatoes or thick peelings they should compo down ok, I occasionally get an odd peeling that sprouts and it's usually a thick one, a sign that I've peeled them ;D If the composting process really gets going and bin heats up then non of them sprout. |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 17, 2009 14:08:34 GMT
Then I must do summat wrong Chuckles 'cause ALL mine sprout.  |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 17, 2009 19:29:31 GMT
I use a tatty peeler so that should be ok shouldn't it? you know you said that you put cereal boxes in....well do you have to rip them up and what about orange, grapefruit and lemon peel can I put that in? oh and what about mouldy strawbs (I've got some in the fride ATM  ) |
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 17, 2009 20:30:00 GMT
Barbara, I bet you do thick peeling like me coz it's quicker than trying to peel them thin ;D Those peelers do lovely thin peelings MRH so you should be fine. I don't bother ripping the cereal boxes up, I just flatten them because as long as you get a good mix of wet and dry in your bin they will be ok.
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 17, 2009 20:32:12 GMT
and the citrus peel?
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Post by Chuckles on Mar 17, 2009 22:02:18 GMT
Sorry Missy I was distracted when I posted earlier As far as I know they reckon too much citrus stuff will make the compost too acidic, I put the odd lemon in but thats all. Mouldy strawberries would be fine, bad girl for not eating them though ;D |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 17, 2009 22:06:40 GMT
Mine will be satsuma skins.....hope that will be ok...as for the strawbs I got 2 punnets from the market one for me and one for my daughter....she forgot hers so......mouldy strawbs |
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Post by Rosefriend on Mar 18, 2009 5:13:47 GMT
I only have the compost bin that the council give to everyone and they stipulate no citrus fruits whatsoever.
RF
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Post by Barbara on Mar 18, 2009 8:21:57 GMT
The thing to remember Missy is, the things that make compost rot down are tiny,ie, microbes, germs, woodlice, worms,and stuff I don'tknow about, so, the smaller the stuff you put in, the easier for them to break down, I rip my cardboard up, I cut lettuce and cabbage leaves to bits, I put the lawnmower over plant leaves like daffs. and daylillies, I try to cut everything at least in half and smaller if I can, because I only have one bin so I ned it to work faster than some-one with more. Sorry about that, ;D lesson over ;D
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 18, 2009 19:45:50 GMT
MRH I too have a black darlek council bin and live alone although the family do come to visit. ;D I get useable compost 2times a year and put all veg skins and peelings in I also put all the garden waste in and break into as small pieces as I can any twiggy bits. I don't have a shredder. I've found that if you peel your potatoes thickly they sprout in mine too. I put the odd lemon and or orange skin in as well but there's never that many. I use my crushed up egg shells around the delphiniums to keep the slugs away rather than compost them, they take forever to break down anyhow. i rip up my newspapers and cereal boxes, I find it quite cathartic actually standing there tearing it to shreds and dropping it in. ;D |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 18, 2009 22:13:08 GMT
so if I wrap my peelings and things in newspaper I can just throw it in like that or should I empty it out of the newspaper first? I tend to stick a bit of newspaper on the worktop and peel veggies over that also I put teabags on it too then wrap it all up and stick it in a bucket outside the back door. This is like a scientific experiment ;D ;D ;D have to get the levels of wet and dry correct or so I'm told, but no-one has told me what are the correct levels of each. ;D |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 19, 2009 8:18:35 GMT
That sounds OK, Missy, I read some where that it should be damp, not wet through, I'll see if I can find the article. I know lots of people who don' get it right first time and just end up with a soggy mess. |
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Post by Barbara on Mar 19, 2009 8:22:30 GMT
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Post by Ladygardener on Mar 19, 2009 10:38:08 GMT
It's all a bit hit and miss really MRH but that's how we learn ;D If you just bear in mind that the smaller things are the quicker they will rot down you can't go wrong. The newspaper will eventually rot down of course and the veg inside it but it will happen quicker if you tear it a bit and make your veg bits smaller. I cut the carrots etc... which I'm putting into mine. Not as wet as to be slimy but the water/wetness helps the rotting process. I sometimes have to pour over a watering can full of water into mine, it depends how much brown waste is going in. Have fun. |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 19, 2009 13:10:27 GMT
She makes it look so easy I am really looking forward to starting....hope the bin arrives soon |
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Post by Dr Bill on Mar 19, 2009 13:29:10 GMT
Have you considered a Bokashi bin mrh? I have two and each one takes about 2 weeks worth of kitchen waste. You can include cooked food and meat and fish which you can't in an ordinary compost bin. And you can keep it indoors, adding your bits to it as you produce them. Then when you empty it out into the compost bin it will rot down in a matter of a few weeks, rather them months. These are the ones that I use |
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Post by Missredhead on Mar 19, 2009 13:32:14 GMT
How big are they dr bill?
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I did have it for a long time though. Then a couple of years ago I got 2 x 330ltr Blackwall bins. Sometimes the local council have offers on for these but I got mine via Severn Trent Water, bargains at £6 each. Someone on here gave us the word up on local water authorities selling them. I've now got 3 bins and also use old compo bags inside out for excess material and stash them away in any place I can hide them in the garden. When there is room in a bin I just add a bag.
)
