[adri123]

Hi

I've a DIY compost tumbler set up and it looks like it will do the job very nicely.

I have a load of material in there comprising old leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste (peelings egg shells etc)

Is there a way of telling if I need to add more 'brown' or if I need to add more 'green'?

It seems very hit and miss and I'd love to have a clear way of diagnosing what needs putting in...carbon or nitrogen.

Thanks for any tips.

Adri

[Fairy Plotmother]

I try for a layer of green then a layer of brown especially in summer when there are grass cuttings. When collecting compost at home to carry to the lotty, I line the bottom of the bucket with paper shred dings, throw in all my kitchen waste, making sure to cut up any cardboard tubes to mix in. I find this helps me get a reasonable mix without being paranoid about it. Seems to work!

[compostqueen]

Don't worry about the science. If you do a good job the bin will take care of itself. Site is most important. Put it behind the shed and you'll be disappointed    Full sun gives best results I find.  If it's too wet you will soon know as you'll have a smelly mess that won't break down. You'll soon get the hang of it.  In dry weather you might have to actually add water. I use run off from the greenhouse etc (not fresh tap water)  I like kitchen waste as it makes compost quickly and no weeds!  What could be better    I keep a long metal pole by my bin and I regularly give it a good prod and stir.  I have many, many bins. So much work      I am a compost anorak. Bins for manure, bins for kitchen waste, bins for hoss muck, etc etc 

[Yorkie]

I agree, it's not as complicated as some of the articles and books can make it.

If it's not breaking down much and looks too dry, add more greens.  If it's a bit slimy then add more browns and give it a stir.

[Trikidiki]

You sound like a girl after my own heart, compostqueen.

I have multiple bins. Kitchen and garden waste goes in one bin and gets turned out into another bin then another before finally being sieved into Bin 4. I use the end result in oversize 'growbags' for my tomatoes and various other potting duties. The first bin is open to the elements, the other three are covered, it doesn't need any extra watering once it is turned into Bin 2. By the time it reaches Bin 4 it has about the moisture content you would expect in decent bagged compost. I'm trying to devise a compost steriliser to get rid of the weed seeds that do make it through to the end.

Compost is usually mixed with leafmould. I hoover up the leaves on my local Rec and fill a 1.2 m³ bin with shredded and compressed leaves. It gets turned out into a smaller bin after a year then sieved into a third after another year.

Horse manure gets stacked in another bin when I can get it then used as and when it is ready.

I'm thinking of starting a seaweed bin especially for the Asparagus beds.

[compostqueen]

Good plan if you have it nearby, otherwise you'll have your work cut out 

I go and get spent hops from the local microbrewery, which smells fab but takes ages to rot down. Lovely stuff mind you - when it's free it's even better

I have a leafmould bin, which I made from four poles and some chicken wire. Good though.  Leafmould is a bit like gold dust I reckon so I am skinny with it. I crush it up in my rotary sieve and use it to mark rows before sowing carrots.  My husband bought me the sieve bless im. Very therapeutic work      I always sieve my homemade compost. The bigger bits get chucked back in to start another batch

[Trikidiki]

I also find sieving compost therapeutic. It's a pleasant job to do on a sunny summer day as the bins are in dappled shade. One of my plot neighbours laughs at me sieving the compost but I laugh a the rough stuff he puts on his plot, full of sticks and partially composed bits and pieces. I laugh even more when he has spent good money on bagged compost.

Is your rotary sieve one of the big motorised beasts (trommel)? It is on my list of projects, to build one.

I'm not too far from the beach and the dog enjoys the sea and chasing seagulls.

Never thought of spent hops, we have a small brewery nearby, might pay them a visit and see if they have them available.

[compostqueen]

It's a hand crank sieve.  I got some free bits for it as they worked themselves loose and fell off. I just rang the firm 😃  I use a bit of sharp sand to help the sieving the if needs be - if my husband has some hanging about, or,bonfire ash if I am on the plot

At the mo I have ants in one of my kitchen waste compo bins, which means very shortly I will,have the finest compost known to woman. They reduce it to a consistency of dust 😃👍

[sunshineband]

Hello from another compostaholic! I have fewer bins than some ... just the three cubic metre pallet bins, filled and used in rotation, with a 2.5 m long leafmould one and the same for manure

But back to the original question: if it looks slimy and needs more brown, shredded paper is an excellent addition. I always mix this in the grass cuttings as it stops them congealing into a thick mat inside the bin.

Each layer gets stirred into the one below as it goes in (we have a large bucket at home for kitchen waste, several around the plot for soft green weeds, cut up comfrey or nettles, plus the shredded paper in large bags ready in one of the sheds)

Serious business, feeding that soil 😁😁😁

[Thrutchington]

Shredded paper is a great addition, as is ripped up Brown corrugated cardboard, not the printed on stuff though. I mix it with grass and hedge trimmings, kitchen cuttings, clean (weed free) allotment stuff like finished tomato plants etc, aerate it with a fork and it does great in those Dalek tubs in sun. Have separate bins for weeds etc.

[greenjay]

I must be very lazy! I have 4 bins usually 2 filling and 2 cooking.
I don't ever turn just empty  the cooked ones each spring.
anything too coarse goes back to cook. With the exception of the egg shells.
I always grow my peas and beans on it.
there are often volunteer spuds coming up from peelings which I just dig out.