Composting - a clean slate

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by Wobbly Goblin, Nov 23, 2015.

  1. Wobbly Goblin

    Wobbly Goblin Gardener

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    I’ve just moved into a house with a larger garden which is relatively sparse (except for leaves dropping from the neighbouring trees) and I want to start preparing my own compost.

    I’ve got a shaded space at the back of the garden behind some bushes where I can site a compost pile but I am also thinking of a way to accelerate the composting. Here was my plan:

    - Tumbler to take veg peelings, grass clippings, guinea pig bedding and leaves
    - After it has been well mixed and broken down (10 weeks?) transfer to a dalek bin with bottom access
    - Use dalek to break it down further and use as needed
    - Start on the next batch with the tumbler

    I’d looked at something like this for a tumbler:

    (sorry, can't post links yet - it was a link to a Good Ideas 140 Litre (2x 70Litre) Twin Chamber Tumbling Composter)

    Our local council has a subsidised supplier for the daleks.

    The tumbler I would site in the open to catch the sun. The dalek could probably go in the open as well.

    So, does this seem like a sound plan? Am I on the wrong track entirely? Any advice welcome (be brutal if it’s a bad plan).

    Cheers


    WG
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I think your plan is good for getting a quick turnaround. Maybe you should think on a larger scale as those Dalek bins are quite small, you will need several for a large garden. I've got three on my allotment and they fill up in no time.

    At home I've got a three bay system, made from old pallets - one is being filled at the moment, the second is rotting down and should be ready in the spring, the third has good stuff in it and can be used now. I just rotate around the bins. Each bay is around 1 cu metre but being open I can really pile it up - when it has fully rotted down it is about 1/3 full - just to give you an idea of quantities. Also my system takes about 18 months from filling to emptying which is quite a long time, your tumbler will speed things up to begin with, but once the 3 bay system gets going it will generate the same amount of compost without the hard work.

    I wouldn't worry too much about siting them in the sun, personally I hide mine away as they don't look nice and I'd rather use any sunny spots for growing stuff. Also they will generate their own heat once the composting process starts, it's better to try and insulate the sides and keep an old carpet on top to contain the heat. I use old polysterene insulation boards packed into the pallets, this still lets in a bit of air to fuel the composting whilst preserving the heat.
     
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    • Wobbly Goblin

      Wobbly Goblin Gardener

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      Thanks JWK - really appreciate the advice. I've got a nice screened area so maybe I should site them there if the sun won't be completely necessary. I can always move them if things are slow.

      In that case, I'll rethink the dalek. I can build something homemade as a larger open bin and add a couple as I fill them up.
       
    • silu

      silu gardening easy...hmmm

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      Agree with everything JWK has said. All my various compost heaps are out of the way and not in a sunny spot. I have a huge garden and matching compost heaps. To be effective and make a difference to soil structure/fertility you really do need to use large amounts of compost. I got 1 of those tumbler bins but managed to fill it in about 1/2 an hour! I'd maybe use the tumbler for material which will break down quickly and then maybe also follow a similar system to what JWK has. You could also collect the leaves and leave them in a separate pile to rot down as they rot down slower than most other compostable material, or quicker, collect and put them in black bags (best if leaves a really very wet). Poke a few holes in the bags and then leave them somewhere out of the way (under a hedge is quite good) for at least a year, 2 is better to rot down to lovely leaf mould. I have massive trees and each year make a heap of leaves about 9ft square by 4ft high. That reduces down by at least 2/3rds after 2 years. I use it for just about every application and hardly ever need to buy potting compost. We have just finished this year's leaf collecting and I think because it has been so wet the leaf pile is steaming hot and breaking down already which isn't the norm but delighted it's got going immediately. On 2nd thoughts the reason the pile is heating so quickly could be that a good % of the leaves were collected off the grass with the lawn tractor this year which will also have cut the grass and consequently there will be grass clippings mixed in with the chopped leaves, this is probably a better bet as to why the pile is steaming hot!
       
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        Last edited: Nov 24, 2015
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