"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it"

EssexHebridean

gilligansyle wrote: »

I think I may be out of luck too! Although one of those dalek ones can be small enough, it would need to be too near the house really.

Back to the drawing board.

Just catching up KC, not been around for a few days. Definitely look at self assessment. When I was 'just' self employed it was quite straightforward and even when I got stuck they were helpful on the phone.

Hope you sort something out, as it's a lot to be short of.

You are sounding like you've still got your 'get up and go'

Gill - can I ask what your concern is about the bin being close to the house? The nearer it is, the easier you will find it to just pop things into it.

Another one here about to go down the line of self assessment so might well be looking for some advice/input in due course. Will certainly pop over to the HMRC board in due course and look for that fact sheet that Pippajo was talking about.

Kittikins

I've recently stopped using my compost bin (green cone I think, wastepaper basket affair in the ground with a solid bin part above ground) as I had "furry friends" come into the house and the pest control chap from the council said that they had been burrowing into it

My parents have a weekly kitchen waste pickup, wish we did around here, I hate putting scraps in the landfill bin, but to be brutally honest, hate the thought of rats running freely around my house even more

macgirl

I'm glad you've said that Kittikins. You've confirmed my fears. I have such a phobia to the R word and that's always put me off composting.
Everyone says "You don't get them!" But I don't believe them, so thank you

Cheery_Daff

were you putting table scraps in it kittikins? I've never had trouble with mine, but it never gets cooked food of any kind (or meat, or dairy), only raw veg etc. I think that's meant to lower the risk maybe?

gilligansyle

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Daft question here

Do you have room for one of those smaller tumbling compost bins - they do it quicker (oh er missus) and they manage to be free standing - so if its not in the right place you could move it around?

Or a green cone - which will soak away the composty stuff and not too intrusive?

Or - do you have a local home composting service and ask their advice - we have one here

Worm farms are great and quite small space - but maybe not practical?

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Gill - can I ask what your concern is about the bin being close to the house? The nearer it is, the easier you will find it to just pop things into it.

Kittikins wrote: »

I've recently stopped using my compost bin (green cone I think, wastepaper basket affair in the ground with a solid bin part above ground) as I had "furry friends" come into the house and the pest control chap from the council said that they had been burrowing into it

My parents have a weekly kitchen waste pickup, wish we did around here, I hate putting scraps in the landfill bin, but to be brutally honest, hate the thought of rats running freely around my house even more

Thanks to all those above, and others who responded.

I've never seen 'tumbling' ones, a bit like a cement mixer? Will do some research. Can get one for a fiver from local authority, but they are 330 litres, we'd never have that much stuff or need that much compost!
I only have a small space so would have to give up some pots in order to have a compost bin, so that is the balance. Im not sure we have enough waste to justify giving up some growing space. I also want some space to actually sit and enjoy the fresh air. Because its only a small area, nothing is too far anyway, but it would have to be right next to the door and I worry about smell and rodents etc. We have a problem with mice as it is , and the cats doing their business in my grow bags.

Pippilongstocking

Gillian
Down at the bottom of the page a bit like on here

they can be tiny - and movable..................

gilligansyle

Thanks for that pippi, KC said you'd know.

I've been doing a bit of reading, but need to some more I think

Sorry for the hijack KC!

Pippilongstocking

gilligansyle wrote: »

Thanks for that pippi, KC said you'd know.

I've been doing a bit of reading, but need to some more I think

Sorry for the hijack KC!

Not much help to be honest, gardening is very personal - you'll find something that works for you - does'nt hurt to think out of the box and get something composty that works for you.

I never *Know* but I often know where to look to overload folk with alot of informaton :rotfl:

If I can ever help give me a shout - flowers and mud are my life (sad huh!)

Lula-Hula

apologies for another composty hijack ...

gilligansyle - you can put a phenomenal variety of stuff in your composter; apart from fruit & veg peelings, you can put in tea bags, crushed eggs shells, ripped up plain cardboard ( eg loo rolls) hoover contents ( never done that to be honest ) & any small veggie aimal bedding ( hamster , rabbit & guinea straw & sawdust etc).

I too loather ratty things, but as I regularly put all our meat scraps out for the foxes I think that helps. And before anyone says anything about encouraging urban foxes, I live on the edge of acres of pasture land & our garden backs directly onto fields , with the composter right at the end . I'd rather feed foxes than it go to landfill.

Kittikins

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

were you putting table scraps in it kittikins? I've never had trouble with mine, but it never gets cooked food of any kind (or meat, or dairy), only raw veg etc. I think that's meant to lower the risk maybe?

I was putting our veggie table scraps in as instructed - I might try and do raw food when I get the courage to go down that end of the garden!! To be fair to us, there's not much cooked food waste in our house as I turn it into soup :rotfl:

Having a furry friend jump out of a kitchen cupboard having helped himself to our oats was gruesome :eek: