Quick composter question

Toodle

Hi all, just a quick question if I may?

I read somewhere when researching compost bins that you can make one from a bin with holes drilled in it.

I have a metal bin with holes already in it that I inherited with the house. It's one that you can buy to have small fires in. Can I use this or can I not use metal?

Thanks in advance

Jake'sGran

I don't think it matters that it is metal. Some people use spare dustbins and the ones in the gardening programmes on TV are always have big square wooden home made ones with spaces left in the sides. They seem to use pieces of old carpet to cover the top. They always turn them from time to time with a long fork.

The bins I've had were free from the Council and they all had a lid on them and a place at the bottom where we can get the compost out (after a year in our case).

Be careful what you put in one i.e. no cooked food. Ours gets most garden clippings, veg and fruit skins, vac contents etc and in the warmer months I add some water. The contents should not smell bad.

Finally, you could Google for "compost bins+home made" and see what comes up.

Toodle

Thanks for replying.

I tried googling but they all seemed to be instructions to make them from pallets or old plastic dustbins. However, I did find one set of instructions to make one from corrugated metal sheets, so assume it shall be ok? This is just like a metal dustbin, with a lid, the lid has a small funnel/chimey on top, but that wouldn't be a problem to close. It's on little leg things, with a small hatch underneath to remove the ashes.

SailorSam

There are pages and pages of home made compost bins here, many of them using dustbins,
Instructables - Make, How To, and DIY

Jolaaled

I've also got one of these...a garden incinerator.
I personally wouldn't use it for compost as it'll go rusty and the bottom will fall out. Also, dunno if yours is the same as mine, but my incinerator has legs to keep the base off the ground, which would prevent the lovely little red 'composting' worms from getting in to do their good work.
For my composter, I have just tied 4 pallets together in a square shape over a patch of soil and dump my stuff in there. I was also lucky to get a 'green cone' off Freecycle, so I can also dump cooked food safely (not that there's much cooked food that isn't eaten here!).


HTH

Toodle

Jolaaled wrote: »

I've also got one of these...a garden incinerator.
I personally wouldn't use it for compost as it'll go rusty and the bottom will fall out. Also, dunno if yours is the same as mine, but my incinerator has legs to keep the base off the ground, which would prevent the lovely little red 'composting' worms from getting in to do their good work.
For my composter, I have just tied 4 pallets together in a square shape over a patch of soil and dump my stuff in there. I was also lucky to get a 'green cone' off Freecycle, so I can also dump cooked food safely (not that there's much cooked food that isn't eaten here!).


HTH

Thanks, I hadn't thought of the bottom falling out! I think I'll go down the pallet route, have some of those kicking about too. SoI could just take 4 pallets as sides, a board on the top and away I go?

Jolaaled

Toodle wrote: »

Thanks, I hadn't thought of the bottom falling out! I think I'll go down the pallet route, have some of those kicking about too. SoI could just take 4 pallets as sides, a board on the top and away I go?

Well..I'm no expert, but it's worked well for me a few years now. I get lovely compost which is full of worms too. All good! As you can see, I don't fully cover it, (dont have enough wood), but it seems to survive.
Good luck

Toodle

That's brilliant, thanks so, so much for your help!

Invalidation

Its also worth checking out your County or Local Council Website as many have deals for cheap Compost Bins. Mine certainly did and we bought 2

Primrose

Toodle wrote: »

Thanks for replying.

I tried googling but they all seemed to be instructions to make them from pallets or old plastic dustbins. However, I did find one set of instructions to make one from corrugated metal sheets, so assume it shall be ok? This is just like a metal dustbin, with a lid, the lid has a small funnel/chimey on top, but that wouldn't be a problem to close. It's on little leg things, with a small hatch underneath to remove the ashes.

It should be OK but just remember that a metal compost bin full of compost will be quite heavy so when it's all rotted down and ready to use it may be a two person job to tip it over and get all the compost out.