Homemade compost is so exciting! (MERGED)

adouglasmhor

wallbash wrote: »

A bit surprised about all the words on the 'Sun' WHY ??
I always thought it was the breakdown of the marterial which causes the 'heap' to warm up. Putting my compost bin in the sun would not do any good, its an insulated box.Also I rather hide it away in a corner, behind the green house.Its not too pretty.

but it's not breaking down because it's soaking wet.

JimmyTheWig

twinklyrach wrote: »

I've tried adding browns

That's the problem, then. You should flush them down the toilet.
No wonder it smells.

JimmyTheWig

twinklyrach wrote: »

MoneySavers, I have smelt evil. It's at the bottom of my garden in my compost bin.

The top is fine - not a lot going on there so far - but if I lift my dalek up a bit the smell is vile. It literally smells of evil. Nothing appears to have broken down except into a sludgy goo that makes my eyes water.

I'm no expert, but is this a case of too much grass cuttings? You're not supposed to put too much grass in all at once, are you?
What you describe reminds me of when we put our grass cuttings in a plastic box one time and left it a week before taking it to the dump. It stank and was all sludgy at the bottom.

wallbash

We all agree that Smell is caused because its wet :beer:

Putting a bin in the Sun , that solves the problem ?

JimmyTheWig

Putting the bin in the sun won't solve the problem if the bin is insulated, as the OP has said it is.

Putting The Sun in the bin may help, as newspaper could soak up some of the liquid.


Is the answer to dig the sludge into the ground (deep enough that the smell doesn't escape) and start again with just the stuff that isn't sludgy?

wallbash

Putting The Sun in the bin may help,

:rotfl:

Thank you

BarneyRubble99

Add some shredded paper. Open the bottom hatch and shovel some goo on top of the shredded paper, this also helps aerate lower level. Kitchen waste is traditionally very wet so put your paper kitchen towel or similar in there. Egg boxes are good at rotting slowly and trapping air for later.

Malski

Have a look at this, few tips on where to put the bin and what to put in it.

http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/composting/index.html

FairyElephant_2

Sorry for the dim question, but I don't know how Russian Vine propogates, and don't want it to start growing in my Compost Bin if I chuck the cuttings in there!
In my old house the compost bin was taken over by bindweed which grew up through it and I mistakenly left bits behind when I spread the compost.....aaarrrggghhhh!

While I'm thinking about it - a friend has admired my Russian Vine, so if anyone DOES know if/ow I can propogate it in a controlled way??????

Thanks,

FE

olly300

You don't put perennial weeds like bindweed and ground elder into compost bins you dispose of them in your household waste.

From the information I've found on Russian Vine I would put in the household rubbish also.

If you can't put it in the household rubbish then take it to your local dump (most are now called recycling centres) and make sure it goes in the stuff that is going to landfill.