Latest attempt to create good compost

I have 330 litre Blackwall "plastic" bins, bought from the council, lidded, never drilled holes in either walls or lid. I got lucky first year and was delighted with a perfectly acceptable crumbly result, but I seemed to have a lot more total volume input then, particularly spent annuals and kitchen peelings.. As we've got older our mobility's reduced, and the three bins are reduced to 1/2. Two years ago the result was too wet to use; last spring much better but still a bit too wet.

Last year was diffficult with no heavy work possible. I'd resited the one bin in use, still set on soil, but hoping to have prevented previous bindweed from attacking from beneath. It seems to have worked; still bit wetter and glueier than I'd like, but it's had very little "brown" stuff.

In the past I've put in shredded paper - not loads, also shredded newspaper (probably 10 years ago), only to find after a year that it hardly composted at all, so dropped that idea. Our household gets loads of deliveries, so no shortage of cardboard - from C5 and upwards cardboard envelopes, Amazon-type, to proper boxes of all sizes. While laid-up I've had the time to break up hundreds of boxes into smaller say 1 - 2" "squares", as everything I read on here says cardboard is good for composting - taking off tape and labelling. I've kept envelopes aside till now to check that cardboard envelopes can be used as well as the boxes; similarly egg-boxes (de-labelled), and textured trays(often dark/grey) supermarket fruit ones.

Last year most of the stuff going into the bin would have been kitchen peelings, tipped out of the so-called compostable bags which must take years to rot as my experience had been a mess of partially shredded green plasticky stuff which I had to pick out where I could. I've cut down on leaves from spent bulbs and other plants as the mix was too green to start with. I'd much rather I didn't soak the cardboard, and intended now to simply throw it in dry, given the wetness of the rest?

I have some partially rotted leaf mould and several bags of leaves which I can break down under the lawn mower now it's fixed, and I can walk again.

We live on the edge of the local municipal golf club so I can think again of topping up with as much leaf mould as I can carry.

Am I on the right lines do you think? Any suggestions welcomed.

Thanks

 

Sounds like a good plan to me.

We just shred and throw paper/eggboxes etc straight into the compost, never soak it beforehand. Most of the green going into our bins over winter is just kitchen peelings, then from Spring onwards garden green waste and grass cuttings. We put quite a fair amount of shredded paper in but I haven’t got a sense of proportions of green to brown.

We also put some of our leaves in, like you are planning mow them first to break them down.

UCL did a big survey and experiment in compostable plastics and the overall conclusion was that they do not compost down in your everyday garden compost bins/heaps no matter how efficient your system is.

 

When in a previous life and faced with ceaseless cardboard (retail source faced with extortionate trade waste charges !),I found the best way was to soak on edge before tearing in to strips/squares (because it made it easier ) Then form layers of green/brown material and cover so as to regulate water addition. This made good compost in only weeks ( and raised broods of grass snakes elsewhere mentioned--eek !)

 

I have a Blackwall Bin, kitchen waste, cardboard and paper go in along
with grass cuttings, I might give it stir, not often though.
I can use it straight from the bin or sift it for small seeds, mixed with
Coir and Perlite.

 

Good info here. Sounds promising @DaveMK.

I must/need to improve my composting this year. I put kitchen scraps, a bit of grass, torn cardboard and leafy but not weedy garden stuff. It takes a while, but the compost is pretty good. What I need to do this year is compost more garden waste rather than putting it in council bin, as that only goes every 3 weeks. I think I will have to be quite organised and make an effort to cut or shred more of the woody prunings and glossier leaves. I have two big darlek bins and a rough compost pile (woody bits, glossy leaves, other leaves, apples).

Q. Are the compost bins better in the sun? Mine are hidden away so very shaded. I wondered if the sun’s heat would speed up decomposition.

 

I think sunshine does help @AuntyRach Our bins here get a good amount of sun and they do seem quicker than when we had them in shade in a previous garden. We have the black darlek type and they get very warm to the touch after a sunny day