Living the Good Life - mortgage free and living in line with our values

greenbee

I love my hotbin (it's my second one). It would work even better if I gave it a bit more TLC... 

themadvix

Ooh that's good to know greenbee!

greenbee

Not only does it dispose of (almost) all food waste (I don't put meat/bones/fish in it, but don't produce much of that), but it allows me to process things much faster. Having said that, I have two large wooden bins, and leaf mould bin, and two plastic barrels - one for borage (will be comfrey when I have some growing) and one for perennial weeds. I have plans to expand my composting facilities further as the soil here is so poor, and I can't keep buying in compost and mulch!

Greying_Pilgrim

tmv - it is second nature, but then we can always learn something new from each other - for example, was it you or Cheery who prompted folk to look if they have a 'library of things' local to them, over the summer?  Whilst some folk found that there wasn't a scheme near them (I'm one, living in a sharing desert - and that's the brown sandy stuff, not the stuff covered in cream and hot chocolate sauce that you need 2 spoons to share....... 😉), others found schemes that they weren't aware of.  

I like to read how others 'do it' - so please keep listing 😁 And I sometimes find (and I'm speaking entirely personally here), that if I'm having a bit of a grump or downer, about not having this, that or the other, then it helps to remind myself we're living how we live, to be able to 'afford' (money or time), to live how we want (within reason).  I know it's perhaps boring to read, but everyday I can line dry the clothes, is a day I don't have to spend £10 (and it would be £10 min.) in the launderette, or give the electrickery company the 'excuse' to whack the DD up a disproportionate amount, just because I 'dared' to put the dehu or the heating on.  I wouldn't mind if it was a rise for the electric used, but it's an extra  £50/£70 until the company decide to take it off, "just in case" 🙄  

I'm sorry to learn of your work uncertainty - and hope whatever the outcome, you just keep flourishing.  

I was thinking of you earlier.  Melania T, whilst she's here, is getting shown around by Catherine, PoW, and she's taking Melania to see Dwayne Fields and some 'Squirrel' scouts who are doing activities for their 'gone wild' (or some such), badges.  Catherine and Melania are then awarding the badges to the kiddos.  Irrespective of politics or anything else - what an incredible opportunity, experience and memory for those youngsters.

Greying X 

themadvix

greenbee said:

Not only does it dispose of (almost) all food waste (I don't put meat/bones/fish in it, but don't produce much of that), but it allows me to process things much faster. Having said that, I have two large wooden bins, and leaf mould bin, and two plastic barrels - one for borage (will be comfrey when I have some growing) and one for perennial weeds. I have plans to expand my composting facilities further as the soil here is so poor, and I can't keep buying in compost and mulch!

That's quite a setup! If I find it goes well, I may invest in a 200l one for the allotment. I need to know how well it does at destroying perennial weeds though - marestail and bindweed are endemic on my plot and I don't need to help them along. But as a result, there's not a lot that gets composted there as most has to go in the council bins (which I am very grateful we have) - which is frustrating, as that's where I could do with the compost the most.

 We have very little meat waste, but if I can get it hot enough, I'll give it a go (being in a concrete desert, we've never seen any furry things in the garden to worry about (cats and the one-off hedgehog notwithstanding). How does it cope with egg shells? I stopped putting them in the normal compost as they just come out the same as they went in, which was really irritating. Does it break them down better?

themadvix

Greying_Pilgrim said:

tmv - it is second nature, but then we can always learn something new from each other - for example, was it you or Cheery who prompted folk to look if they have a 'library of things' local to them, over the summer?  Whilst some folk found that there wasn't a scheme near them (I'm one, living in a sharing desert - and that's the brown sandy stuff, not the stuff covered in cream and hot chocolate sauce that you need 2 spoons to share....... 😉), others found schemes that they weren't aware of.  

I like to read how others 'do it' - so please keep listing 😁 And I sometimes find (and I'm speaking entirely personally here), that if I'm having a bit of a grump or downer, about not having this, that or the other, then it helps to remind myself we're living how we live, to be able to 'afford' (money or time), to live how we want (within reason).  I know it's perhaps boring to read, but everyday I can line dry the clothes, is a day I don't have to spend £10 (and it would be £10 min.) in the launderette, or give the electrickery company the 'excuse' to whack the DD up a disproportionate amount, just because I 'dared' to put the dehu or the heating on.  I wouldn't mind if it was a rise for the electric used, but it's an extra  £50/£70 until the company decide to take it off, "just in case" 🙄  

I'm sorry to learn of your work uncertainty - and hope whatever the outcome, you just keep flourishing.  

I was thinking of you earlier.  Melania T, whilst she's here, is getting shown around by Catherine, PoW, and she's taking Melania to see Dwayne Fields and some 'Squirrel' scouts who are doing activities for their 'gone wild' (or some such), badges.  Catherine and Melania are then awarding the badges to the kiddos.  Irrespective of politics or anything else - what an incredible opportunity, experience and memory for those youngsters.

Greying X 

Thanks GP - I will keep listing - not just for the 'pros' round here, but if there's anyone out there who happens upon my diary (although I do wonder with the jargon, how easy it would be to understand!). We all learn from each other all the time - definitely! It can even be as simple as a reminder to check/ something ourselves - many's the time I've read your diary and thought, 'ooh, the sun's out, I could get some washing done', and I'm pretty sure if I mention pelvic floor exercises, you'll all have the same reaction 😆 (I can't remember whose diary that was, but it was definitely helpful (and hilarious!)).

That is most definitely going to be a badge-awarding moment to remember for those squirrels (and their parents!). How amazing!

rtandon27

My pelvic floor thanks you for the reminder Vix! 🙃

greenbee

themadvix said:

greenbee said:

Not only does it dispose of (almost) all food waste (I don't put meat/bones/fish in it, but don't produce much of that), but it allows me to process things much faster. Having said that, I have two large wooden bins, and leaf mould bin, and two plastic barrels - one for borage (will be comfrey when I have some growing) and one for perennial weeds. I have plans to expand my composting facilities further as the soil here is so poor, and I can't keep buying in compost and mulch!

That's quite a setup! If I find it goes well, I may invest in a 200l one for the allotment. I need to know how well it does at destroying perennial weeds though - marestail and bindweed are endemic on my plot and I don't need to help them along. But as a result, there's not a lot that gets composted there as most has to go in the council bins (which I am very grateful we have) - which is frustrating, as that's where I could do with the compost the most.

 We have very little meat waste, but if I can get it hot enough, I'll give it a go (being in a concrete desert, we've never seen any furry things in the garden to worry about (cats and the one-off hedgehog notwithstanding). How does it cope with egg shells? I stopped putting them in the normal compost as they just come out the same as they went in, which was really irritating. Does it break them down better?

Eggshells really need crushing, but TBH I'm not bothered about my mulch/compost being lumpy... they break down eventually in the beds The smaller you chop stuff up the better it works - and you need plenty of paper/woodchip to balance out the green (and I shove grass cuttings in to heat it up too). 

My perennial weeds go into the barrel to rot down before being mixed with compost, but I've seen other suggestions of putting them somewhere to dry them out first. 

Viking_mfw

I love my hot bin! Eggshells do need crushing but I've recently been saving mine up in an ovenproof dish and shoving them in the oven when it's just been switched off then crushing with a rolling pin end (you're supposed to use a pestle and mortar). You can then just scatter that on the soil. 

I suspect I would get better results if I transferred the hot bin contents to a regular compost bin after six months. Key is giving it enough roughage to keep air flowing - wood chip is ideal. I use cardboard and it's not quite good enough. Apart from eggshells the only things that come out looking the same as they went in are bones, so I put them in the council food waste collection.

greenbee

My veg plot has a scattering of chicken bones, eggshells, and not-very-home-compostable coffee pods! They do all compost down eventually .