Compost Bins

Over the last year or two, I've sort of neglected the compost bins. I've simply chucked used compost and veggie peelings wrapped in newspaper into the big pallet compost bins, but not had time to turn the compost or anything.

The bins don't have lids, they're a bit sheltered from the sun and rain, and they are cold - the waste isn't composting. Well, it IS composting, just very very slowly. A good compost heap will warm up and rot down faster than a cold heap.

Meanwhile, I've had 3 plastic dalek compost bins doing nothing. So it's time to deal with all the compost bins.

The pallet compost bins are on the left side of the apple tree. I've cleared the small patch to the right of the apple tree and moved the daleks on to it.

We wrap all our veggie peelings in newspaper and chuck them in the compost bin. We also put in any used compost. Apparently it's best to mix about 50% dry material (newspaper/cardboard) with 50% green waste. We've been nowhere near the 50% of dry material.

I've filled the first black dalek with a mix of the veggie peelings in newspaper and some of the spent compost from the top of the pallet bins, and a couple of sacks of Croypost, the free compost we get when we take stuff to the council dump.

Croypost is a bit rough to use for potting etc. Croydon Council say that Croypost is a "soil improver", rather than a compost. I can't see any harm in mixing it with other material to keep on composting for another year or so.

All new peelings / waste compost etc will now go into the green dalek until that's full. I'll add a lot more cardboard and newspaper to this bin.

Over the next month or two, I'll be digging everything out of the two pallet compost bins. The material in the bottom half of each might have rotted down enough to be usable - the material in the bottom of the first one has been in there for a couple of years now. Anything not rotted down will go back in again with a mix of new material and more newspaper and cardboard. Hopefully turning the waste like this will aerate it and restart the composting process.

I must make lids for the bins too - we need to keep the heat in!

Men's pee is good for compost too - it contains nitrogen that helps activate the composting. So when I'm down in the garden, I'll pee in the compost bins.

Pallet Compost Bin

A few weeks ago I built my first pallet compost bin at home. I used 3 pallets all nailed together for the sides and back. The one on the left side is a double-sided pallet - I'll be adding another compost bin on that side later. I nailed a length of 4 x 2 across the top to stop it pulling apart. I lined the inside with compost bags stapled to the pallets.

For the front of the compost bin, I nailed a few cut-down floorboards together. They are held in place by other floorboard pieces nailed to the front of the bin, so that they can be lifted out when I need to empty the bin.

I now have another couple of pallets, plus a big box of nails, so can build the 2nd bin when I get a chance. I'll be collecting a few more pallets to build compost bins for the allotment too.