plastic compost bins

My Plastic composter arrived yesterday Its blummin huge. I live alone and dont have any lawns so this may take a while to produce any decent amounts of compost. Thanks for you advice though Kirsten. I think I may have to raid my neighbours "green bins" on collection day :D Just need to clear a space for it and in off....... watch this space.....
One question where can one find/buy/steal the implement for churning the stuff up with plz?

 

Here's the sort of thing I was thinking of, but probably cost more than your Dalek, and you may not need it - I don't have one - yet!

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/product/GCO-558.htm

 

errrr Kristen just tell em when you get one and where you live and Ill come nic it

 

Thanks for the info.
I have already got a fare bit of stuff in it.
I saved the shredding from 2 weeks ago.
It was kept in plastic bin bags.
As I tipped it into the bin it was already hot and starting to smell like fermenting alcohol.:confused:
I think I'm making wine not compost:D:D:D

 

That looks quite reasonably priced, at the moment I use my old konked out garden claw, it`s tines are bend from a bit of enthusiastic clay work a few winters ago, but thats great Kristen thanks.

Now if you know of anywhere that has a just as cheap just as effective shredding thingimijig I will be eternally greatful. Just chopping them up with secateurs at the mo-very time consumimg)

 

"starting to smell like fermenting alcohol"

Should be a sweet-ish sort of a smell. Not a rank smell (is that how you spell rank in this context??)

 

" That looks quite reasonably priced"

It was the first one I found on Google Lollipop, so it be worth shopping around.

"shredding thingimijig"

ebay I would expect. caveat emptor and all that though ...

... I could do with one too, but I don't have electricity anywhere near the compost bins :(

 

Hi I don`t have electricity up that end either, I was considering some kind of home made hand turning type shredder, grinder maybe using old parts from things. It might have to wait until the long winter months before I start on that one though. I am currently trying out a rainwater irrigation plan using old guttering and hosepipe bits-it`s a long time since physics at school.

 

No it's not a bad smell.
It is sort of sweetish.
Does remind me of our home brew days of many many years ago.:o
But saying that one batch did give us all kidney infections.:D

 

I have visions of a dam holding back the rainwater to generate hydroelectricity for the shredder. Seems like a decent winter project to me

 

Lyn, how did you get kidney infections from Home Brew:confused:
I've been making it for years and all I get is "falling over" infections:D

 

Going for it! Any where I can download some plans or just get ideas.

 

What are you looking for Lollipop? Some water storage off Greenhouse / Shed roof - or an Aswan dam :D ?

IBC's are good for water storage. (IBC = "Intermediate Bulk Container" - I think). 1 metre cube (that's 1,000 litres / 200 gallons NOTE: that will weigh ONE TON when full!), with a metal frame, designed to fit on a pallet / fork lift truck. Can be stacked, make sure you get ones that have contained something that can be cleaned out (fruit juice perhaps), and are close to you - carriage is the biggest cost, you need to collect them to be cost effective. eBay is a good source, for starters - use your Postcode so you can keep an eye on the Distance from you.



Consider whether you want black ones, to stop algae growing. Might be OK to paint clear ones black - there are more clear ones to be had, possibly cheaper, and you could paint them but leave a small vertical strip so you can see the level. But I don't know how easy / difficult they are to paint.

There are also blue-barrels which are smaller, but also will have carried fruit juice or similar. Generally 100 - 220 litres (20-50 gallons)


Consider how to connect them together. Relatively easy to connect the taps at the bottom to a hose and daisy-chain them all together (i.e. with some T-connectors for each bulk container).

But a hose stuck into the top of each tank will do too - you need to syphon from one to the next, but so long as the level never falls below the bottom of the syphon-hose then it will continue to work. (You don't have to suck the hose :eek: the start the syphon; submerse the whole hose in the tank until air has escaped, stick your thumb over the end, withdraw end and place, lower down, into second tank, release thumb.)

Only other thought is if you are fitting a tap at the bottom, e.g. to fill a watering can, then fit a BIG one. (Big = wide diameter pipe + tap, not a big handled one!! e.g. 3/4" rather than 1/2" or smaller). The bigger the bore the faster the watering can will fill. Not so important for drip irrigation - you can just run that for a longer period of time.

Automating the watering requires a timer-valve thingie. Either clockwork:


or battery operated


beware that not all timers will work on a water butt. Some need significant water pressure to work (i.e. only really work off mains supply). I can't remember why this is, but I think the valve is either a rotating colar with a hole in the middle, or a ball with a piston/spring. One of those types needs pressure to make it close, or somesuch. I'm pretty sure that Gardena have one that works with very low pressure / water butt.

If the whole thing is remote from your house you might want to consider a card-programmed timer. That will stop idiots from trying to be helpful by ASBO-reprogramming it for you :( You set the times you want on the card, slide it in, take it out, and it is set.


Then you need some drip-irrigation stuff, or sprinklers, or seep hose.

Gardena also have a multi-way distributor - each time the timer comes on it selects the next "output" for the water. So you can have different zones receiving different amounts of water.


I can't provide links directly to Gardena's products because of the way they have built their site :( but start with:
http://www.gardena.co.uk/catalog/index.cfm?lang=uk
and open up the tree on the right (you have to press the [+], not the words-link - muppets!)
Irrigation Systems : Watering Controls
and so on

Links:
http://www.rainham-history.co.uk/html/beat_the_drought_water_saving.htm
http://www.smithsofthedean.co.uk/Rain Savers.htm
Somone else who has done this

 

Wow thanks for all of this Kristen-very very helpful. I will have to go through it a few times-never done anything like this before.

I understand the principle but it`s been awhile since I did anything with the stuff I picked up in physics, so it`s time to dust off the old brain cells.

Thankyou so much Kristen-again, and will definitely put you on my people to bug with loadfs of questions list LOL

 

Are well, I don't really no .
We went to a home brew party where the lads had brewed loads of beer and wine.
They had to start to drink it quick because it had started to explode in the parents airing cupboard.

Anyway we had a good night, a very good night as it all had to go ,Mothers orders..
But within a couple of weeks most of us had gone down with water infections and kidney problems.
We were very young and soon bounced back :D