[chrissie B]

My compost seems to take an age can anyone tell me what product i can use to speed it up a bit , in up here in  Northumberland and on the coast which isnt allways the warmest although did have a couple of good summers .
chrissie b

[Goosegirl]

I'm not the best composter by any means but it all depends on how much green and brown stuff you put in and how well it is mixed beforehand. Don't let it get too wet, or too dry which I tend to do.

[JayG]

You can't expect anything other than a giant heap of material to either get hot or stay hot in winter - a dalek or heap which is only added to a little at a time is unlikely to get hot even in summer.

As GG says, the right mix of ingredients is important, as is air (aerobic decomposition is much quicker than anaerobic.) If your compost heap is compacted and airless it will benefit from being 'stirred' and turned to get some air in.

I bought some 'Garotta' a few years ago and I did get the impression it 'worked', although it's impossible to really know how much difference it actually made.

Some say that human wee is a good activator - I couldn't possibly comment! 

[Kristen]

I just work on the basis that it takes 12 - 18 months.  Meant I got nothing for the first 12 - 18 months, but now I get the expected amount, regularly, just each new batch takes some time to "simmer".

[Dave NE]

I am taking a proactive approach to composting this year, I have already built up a supply of shredded corrugated cardboard for the grass clipping glut which is coming, some guys on youtube are completing the process in less than 2 months and if I can do the same I will be happy, in a previous life as a clockmaker all my gear had to earn its keep and to me compost bins are no different, cheers Dave

[chrissie B]

Thanks for the input .
today having one bin empty i pulled out all the stuff from the other bin bit by bit and gave it a good chop and took out the twiggy bits , top and middle were fine but the bottom allways gets blocked and i think its not draing as the weight had pushed it down into the soil , we have put the other one on bricks and will do this one once ive cleaned it out , we also have a brown bin form the council so we can get rid of all that grass  and only put in a little .
chrissie b

[Goosegirl]

I'm not sure about the draining part because if it has a lid the amount of water it gets is up to you. As compost decomposes, the level goes down so leaving space for adding more stuff which all helps to compact it. I think that's ok but I remove my Dalek bins and shovel it out that way rather then the little door at the bottom which always gets stuck. To help with aeration, I have read that putting twigs etc at the bottom helps the air to get in there but, as they tend to have solid sides, I don't think that is so. Turning it and/or mixing the "greens and browns" (depending on how much you have and if it will fill a bin all in one go) should do the trick to incorporate air (the aerobic way) but you can leave it un-turned - you will still get compost but it takes longer (the anaerobic way).

[chrissie B]

Mine was a bit sludgy at the bottom , the problem being once they are quite full it is hard to mix so im going to have every thing out, itsa waste of time through the little door , there is a lid but im cutting way back on the grass.
Chrissie b

[Kristen]

If you put a lot of grass in, all at once??, that would be likely to form a soggy anaerobic slime, which might then account for the soggy block that you found at the bottom perhaps??

[chrissie B]

I recon it was, even though hubby turns it for me  once you get an almost full bin you carnt get to the bottom and its not easy through the door , i would love the ones with a handle but hubby says no  as theres no where to put it ha ha.
Chrissie b

[Goosegirl]

Mine was a bit sludgy at the bottom , the problem being once they are quite full it is hard to mix so im going to have every thing out, itsa waste of time through the little door , there is a lid but im cutting way back on the grass.
Chrissie b

Any water that gets in will naturally go down to the bottom so thst's probably why it is more wet there, especially if your OH turns it for you. I agree how hard it is to mix once it starts getting full, so best thing is to mix any additions into the top layer already there. You can add shredded paper to help the grass decompose. I bought a paper shredder and it's amazing how many old docs you accumulate and how much shredded stuff you get out of them.

[chrissie B]

Allways wanted one of thoseespecially with the ammount of fraud these days best to get fid of as much as you can and a great way to do it .
chrissie b

[JayG]

I recon it was, even though hubby turns it for me  once you get an almost full bin you carnt get to the bottom and its not easy through the door , i would love the ones with a handle but hubby says no  as theres no where to put it ha ha.
Chrissie b

I've got one of THESE and it works really well (as long as you don't get too careless and it comes out too quickly and socks you in the face!   

The 'folding V' type don't seem to be as effective, and the plastic ones are easily broken.

[Dave NE]

Thanks for the link JayG, never seen one of those before, looks like an easy diy job, 8mm rod should be man enough, cheers Dave

[JayG]

Thanks for the link JayG, never seen one of those before, looks like an easy diy job, 8mm rod should be man enough, cheers Dave

Certainly not going to argue with a man who can bend 8mm steel rod!