Compost

Austin_Allegro · 14 March 2005 at 5:08PM

I'm interested in starting a compost heap, but would like to do this as frugally and cleanly as possible.

Do I need any special equipment? My father has this big box thing in the garden - would I need that or could I just dump stuff in a heap?

Would this attract rodents?

How long do you have to leave stuff before using it?

Can I use an airtight box to store the 'ingredients' in so that I only need to tramp to the bottom of the garden when its full, not every time I use a teabag?

Yours stinkingly....

Debt_Free_Chick · 14 March 2005 at 5:18PM

Everything you need to know here, including how to construct your own bin. From the Henry Doubleday Research Association - the "Organic" association

http://www.hdra.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_pf.htm

Magentasue · 14 March 2005 at 5:24PM

You can just build a heap but it's neater in a bin of some kind. If you can get hold of four pallets you can make a box out of them and cover with a bit of carpet.

I don't think rodents are much of a problem unless you put cooked food, meat etc in the heap. I've found mice in one of my bins but I think it was just a convenient nest for one family! They soon moved out when the bin was emptied!

If you make a heap all at once it gets very hot, do this in good weather and you can have compost in three or four months. Our bins that were filled through the summer will be ready in a few weeks. The one that is nearly full will probably be ready Octoberish.

I have an 4l ice cream box for peelings, egg shells, tea leaves/bags and coffee grounds in the kitchen. Must have a lid or you'll get little (and big) flies. When it's full it gets emptied. You need it damp so if it's too dry add water and if it gets wet and slimy add newspaper. Also you don't want layers of grass cuttings - they need to be mixed with something or added in small quantities.

Last thing, you need more than one bin or box so one can be rotting while you fill the other one. Our council gives them away free.

Hope that helps!

Queenie · 14 March 2005 at 5:25PM

AA - I got my (plastic) compost bin from the council - it does the job

Before I had one made from 4 pallets which were held together by wire coat hangers at each corner (top and bottom of corners).

It won't attract rodents because you wouldn't be putting any meat related items in it.

I keep an enamel lidded milk urn thingy in the corner of my kitchen surface and I chuck my tea bags, coffee grinds, egg shells, kitchen rolls plus the kitchen roll cardboard - smaller debris - into that. With my family, by the time I've peeled veggies (which I wrap in newspaper) I simply carry that out to the CP - no point putting it in the urn, it would fill it every time!

I also put my shredded papers into the compost bin (but not glossy leaflets!) you are going to notice such a huge difference to the amount of rubbish you leave the bin men each week

Noozan · 14 March 2005 at 5:27PM

You could just dump the stuff in a heap but it would probably take alot longer to break down. Phone your local council and ask if you can get a voucher for a subsidised compost bin; alot of councils will subsidise compost kits and water butts. If your local council doesn't do this, try and get some old wooden pallets to build a bin. I got a cheap compost bin from the council, sold it the freead paper and then made my own (bigger) bin. I got some pallets from the council tip and used them to make a bin. You could also knock 4 posts into the ground and wrap chicken wire around it to make a "box".

As long as you don't add any cooked food or meat products to it, it shouldn't attract rodents. It can take between 6 and 18 months for it to become ready to use depending on well stacked the ingredients are and what you put in it.

I keep 2 lidded buckets in the kitchen - one is for any fruit or veg scarps for the chickens and the other is for stuff to put in compost bin. They get emptied at the end of every day. Stuff you can compost include any fruit or veg trimmings/peelings, annual weeds (but not if they have seed heads on!), pet bedding if you keep rabbits/guniea pigs/chickens, grass clippings, egg shells, coffee/tea grounds, etc.

Happy composting!

Debt_Free_Chick · 14 March 2005 at 5:43PM

I hate to say this, but I never put cooked food in my compost bins (have two) and last year a rat nested in one of them! We only found out when turning the heap - stuck the garden fork in .... "squeak, squeak" ... turned the heap and .... ugh! about 5 pink baby rats!

Whilst cooked food will avoid encouraging rats, they will nest in the warm, close to a food & water supply. A compost bin is ideal - with or without cooked food.

Xbigman · 14 March 2005 at 5:55PM

Or you start a waste trench. Now I'm growing my own veg I plan to leave one quarter of the garden unplanted each year IE as in crop rotation, and gig a trench or two through it. You just dump your compostable waste in there each week and cover it over. It rots away out of site and secure from rats / flies. Simply dig over before use the following year. Supposedly this works well.
Regards

X

Ted_Hutchinson · 14 March 2005 at 6:12PM

Human urine provides a useful source of nitrogen to increase the fertiliser value of the compost and speed up the composting process.

It can (particularly for males) be easily applied directly to the heap or diluted with water first. A 4 litre milk container (for male donors) can be filled to the one pint level and then topped up with water and sprinkled over.

tiff · 14 March 2005 at 7:40PM

Blimey, saves on flushing the toilet!:D

MATH · 14 March 2005 at 8:14PM

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

Human urine provides a useful source of nitrogen to increase the fertiliser value of the compost and speed up the composting process.

It can (particularly for males) be easily applied directly to the heap or diluted with water first. A 4 litre milk container (for male donors) can be filled to the one pint level and then topped up with water and sprinkled over.

Have you any idea how overlooked our garden is:eek:

Jay-Jay_4 · 14 March 2005 at 8:45PM

It'd take me half an hour to climb up on my compost bin for a wee :eek: :rotfl:

Anyway!..... I got a freebie compost bin from my council along with a lidded worktop bin and two rolls of biodegradable liners

Phone your council and ask if they do it in your area. Most councils are now subsidising compost bins.

BTW, does anyone put pet or human hair in their composter? (I cut OHs hair every month)

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Compost

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free