[sharon13]

I just brought a big plastic composter today, I have googled what to do and it appears I just throw whatever in it (expect cooked food, meat and dairy) is this right? do I have to do anything else?

Online also said I can put in my gueine pig shavings and droppings in, along with small amounts of card - is this correct?

Many Thanks
Sharon

[potatogrower]

hi Sharon,

Do not put meat produce in it. only put vegetable food waste, I have heard people put shredded paper in it, grass cuttings. don't put big wood shavings, as they will take up nutrients to decay, i would put that in a separate pile and leave it a year or more until it starts to get damp and breaks up. no dog mess in it. not sure about gueine pig shavings but you can put horse manure in it and let it rot away over a year. the pile up will generate lots of heat and that will decay the matter. collect from the bottom, not the top and that will be your quality mix. it may stink a bit but you can't beat the stuff.

good luck

[Janeymiddlewife]

Hi Sharon13,
the idea is to layer everything to stop it going mushy & smelly. So you sort material out into dry or "browns" - corrugated card, loo roll inners, paper bags, vacuum cleaner waste, and "green" or damp, veg & fruit peelings, dead flowers, egg shells crushed up, stir it around from time to time and after a year or so you'll get compost at the bottom. You can stand it on a wire grid on top of soil to prevent vermin getting in, if you're putting in grass cuttings, don't dump a whole load in at once as it will rot down into a slimy mess as it has a lot of nitrogen in.
Have fun,
JMW

[Yorkie]

Just to check what you've actually got - is it a dalek type composter, or one of those 'green cones'?

[sharon13]

Hi
Thanks for all your replies, never knew I had to stir it LOL

this is what I have http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/compost+composters/sankey-garden-products-ecomax-compost-bin-black-220ltr/invt/0313405/

thanks
sharon

[Trillium]

That's usually referred to as a dalek style (after the Dr Who Dalek invaders  ).

You need to arrange the various piles as mentioned earlier - greens and browns, so that it all starts cooking, and only then does it gets 'stirred', to heat up the items originally on the outer edges.

[sharon13]

Ok :-)

Thanks for all your help, once I have sorted my lottie out tomorrow and know where everything is being squeezed in I will put it on a square of wire and then do as you all say :-) lets hope next year I dont need to go to and buy loads of compost as I just did today

Sharon

[Yorkie]

Given the type of composter I agree, no dairy / cooked food / meat / poultry products.