[poultrygeist]

Have finally got a heap that steams !!  

It smells slightly of ammonia. Is this good ? or does it need some 'brown' stuff adding to balance all that nitrogen ?

Also. I'm going to add a second compartment to it. What's the process for turning into the new bit ?
eg. Do I add fresh soil and grass/veg at the bottom first or just turn the old heap straight into the new bit, leaving a small amount to keep the old bit active ?

Or something else ?

Don't want to mess it up now it's cooking.  :?

Thanks  

Rob

[compostqueen]

you could add some cooked stuff (don't need much) to get it going. I put some twiggy sticks in the bottom so you get a bit of air circulating under there, but you don't have to.  Keep it covered to keep all that heat in.  You can add browns if you have them  

[poultrygeist]

lovely stuff

my plan was to turn the old cooking heap into the new (empty) bin then replenish the existing bin with fresh onto a bit of the old.

This is what i saw on gardeners world a few months ago. This obviously turns the old heap and gives extra capacity.

Or do I just put a bit of existing into the new bin and build up again into that ?

Rob

[peggyprice]

I'd go for turning the whole old bin into the new one & then start fresh - gives you a chance to see if there's any bits not breaking down properly & chop them up (beetroot roots!  go on FOREVER!) - and good exercise to boot  

Did you see Monty Don's piece about composting in the GW magazine a couple of months ago?  He was talking about the Cuban allotments he'd visited for his series.  Apparently they do the 'first rot' in trenches, then put the compost into wormeries to really break it down thoroughly.  Then they just spread an inch or so onto their raised beds - and they get fantastically productive results.

MD's view was that it was a whole new way of looking at compost - getting the best possible value out of every ounce, rather than going for quantity.  Seems like a gorgeous idea to me ... guess what I want for Christmas, now that I've got four compost bins on the go ...

[poultrygeist]

It's been pointed out on other threads how efficient the Cubans are in everything. Necessity/mother/invention/etc.

This is the first time I've ever had a heap go hot so I'm rather excited but obviously it'll take a while to break down the stalks and the woodshavings in with the manure.

From what I've seen, the turning is to get more air in and to bring the sides into the centre to get even breakdown. It's about a metre square and about 60cm high (3x3x2 in old money). I'm planning to mow this evening so I need to put the mowings somewhere and a new bin is the only answer !

Thanks for the advice both of you

Rob

[Ruby Red]

We emptied our black dalek last week and shovelled it all back in again. What we noticed was , because it had an open bottom, the aerial roots of the horse chestnut it was close to , had started to grow up through the compost. It made it very difficult to shovel the last 18 inches because it was all matted with the tree roots. We put it all back shaking it as we did it to get it aerated. Then we added a layer of cardboard egg cases halfway to help get air in. It had already started to get dark brown and earthy.

[poultrygeist]

We emptied our black dalek last week and shovelled it all back in again. What we noticed was , because it had an open bottom, the aerial roots of the horse chestnut it was close to , had started to grow up through the compost. It made it very difficult to shovel the last 18 inches because it was all matted with the tree roots. We put it all back shaking it as we did it to get it aerated. Then we added a layer of cardboard egg cases halfway to help get air in. It had already started to get dark brown and earthy.

   That's the trouble with making such good compost !

Mine's on concrete so nothing coming up. I did notice that the top few inches of grass mowings is getting white and mouldy. I guess this is desirable. I'll mix it all round when I turn it.There's plenty of manure and straw half way down. I'll give it a go and hope for the best. I'm like a kid at Christmas  

Rob  

[Trillium]

I've set all my bins on patio slabs butted closely together with weed barrier underneath (just in case). I have a lot of trees nearby and don't want roots or vermin sneaking in. Also have patio slabs in front of the bins to help make the turning process easier to scoop up.

[muntjac]

turn it every 6 weeks and water it .then cover it with black plastic to get the heat going. black attracts the heat from the sun better , cooks it nice ,, incidently a large manure heap can be used to cook eggs and also roast a piglet , cook all of these and banana's in aluminum foil etc  

[Oliveview]

My compost bin is a large plastic tub (bottom cut off) with a tight fitting lid.  The contents are rotting down nicely- do I have to turn it over or is it ok to just leave it? I would say it sits in the full sun, but we have hardly seen the sun for 2 weeks  I´m hoping you say I can leave it without turning it!
Pamela

[compostqueen]

you can yes but it just takes a while longer I should say  

I like my bins on the earth rather than a slab as I want the worms etc to get in.  I have had a mole or mouse in mine and it's been burrowing through the turfs I chucked in there. It's lovely stuff now, it looked like a plum duff full of holes where mousey had been  

[peggyprice]

Just found this through the Garden Organic website ... http://www.homecomposting.org.uk/content/view/32/38/


Do I have to turn the contents of my bin regularly?
As with the conventional wisdom regarding layering, this technique has its roots in the large compost piles traditionally associated with keen gardeners or large gardens. It involves literally turning the whole heap over in order to open air spaces in the material and to reduce compaction. This can be quite discouraging to people who either do not have the physical capability to lift large volumes of material, or do not wish to spend a lot of time composting.

Air is essential for the survival of the microbes that degrade organic waste and help to turn it into compost. Although turning the heap is the best method to ensure there is sufficient air, there are a number of easier methods. The first is to mix the material around in the bin using a garden fork or compost aerator. The second is to use a broom handle to poke holes in the material creating air channels. However, easier still is to ensure there is a good mix of materials in the bin that will help to create air pockets amongst the material. Materials that are particularly good for this purpose are those that provide structure in a heap, such as corrugated cardboard, egg boxes, the cardboard centres of loo rolls or kitchen rolls, scrunched-up paper, or a jumble of twigs and small branches.

And I've got a new ambition ... I want to become a Master Composter, you get a name badge and a graduation ceremony and everything  :!:    :!:    :!:

[peggyprice]

And a conference        :!:

[poultrygeist]

Peggy.....you need to get out more  :roll:

Rob

where do i join ?

[poultrygeist]

I did it. I turned about 80% of heap1 into bin2.
Most of it was just grass clippings steaming away but i guess it gets the bacteria commuting along the mouldy road into everything else.

i now have 2 cool heaps with loads more green stuff on top. I clipped round the lawn edges and created another barrowload or 2 to go on. I'm hoping for some sunshine to heat them both up and get things going again.
And when I next go to the tip I'll pick up some 'oss muck on the way back to chuck on.
If only I'd realised the joys of composting sooner. Do the OU do a degree in it ?

Rob