cold compost

hi all,

I have a large wooden compost bin that I have got filled with horse manure and garden bits and bobs, it did seem to start off quite well, we added some worms and have been turning it every so often.

Last time I turned it, it felt cold, hadn't composted down much and all the worms seem to have disappeared.

Also, have a plastic 'dalek' type form the council which doesn't seem to be doing anything at all, use this one mainly for kitchen waste and newspapers.

Any ideas welcome please :cnfs:

kerry

 

Books and leaflets about composting tend to exaggerate a) the likelihood of a compost bin heating up and b) the importance of heating up. They also tend to exaggerate the speed of decomposition - they do this to try and win converts to composting!

I agree with John's advice about adding green stuff. Over the years, I've found that a large volume of green waste added to a compost heap in one go will usually heat up. But of course, any heat that's generated will be lost if you turn the heap (recommended) and the outside edges of the compost, or the corners, will not heat up at all. Brown waste, or small amounts of green waste added over time, will not heat up.

It usually takes me at least 12 months to get reasonable compost and it's the result of worm action and accelerated natural decomposition. Sometimes, you just have to pull it all out, mix it all up and start again. I had to do this earlier this year.

 

Kerry. Is your dalek on the ground or on a concrete base? It really needs to be on the ground with base access to the worms and rest of the bugs. It's not just worms that help the rotting process. You need the bacteria etc. to help the process. If you look in the GC's they sell products that you add to the compost to help the rotting process. It's got all the bugs etc. in it.

 

thanks for all your advice.

I have asked the nearby pigeon man if I can have his grass cuttings so that seems like a good point to start.