[BOB3554]

Sorry this is a bit of a basic question.Have just received my plastic compost bin from the council scheme.Have a site for it,what should it stand on,am sure I have read different articles stating,
  place on slabs,
  place on layer of sticks,
  place straight onto ground.
 All answers gratefully received,

P.S.  Has anybody got one of the tumbler composters,do they work as well as the adverts say,how sturdy are the cheaper plastic types,

 Many thanks,if I dont place another question before Christmas,everbody have a good one,
                     Bob.

[gregmcalister]

Just put the compost bin straight on the bare ground.

[DD.]

Yep - bare ground - let the worms get in!

[noshed]

Never had a tumbler. But the dalek type bins are easy to turn - drag the whole thing over to one side and pull the bin off. Then put the bin back where it was and shovel all the stuff back in again. This makes it rot faster.

[mikem]

Never had a tumbler. But the dalek type bins are easy to turn - drag the whole thing over to one side and pull the bin off. Then put the bin back where it was and shovel all the stuff back in again. This makes it rot faster.

Noshed alias "Superman"!  

[Sideways]

Slightly off topic....

I picked up a large compost bin for my plot last week (green, plastic).

It didn’t cost me a bean, got it off Freecycle  

Someone also gave me two large bags of seed trays, herb plants, and a large bottle of 'wiggly juice' (organic feed from their worm farm), liquid gold!

[Stevens706]

I agree place it straight on the bare ground, one drawback is that the vermin can tunnel in.

[penance]

Yep, direct on the ground. I normally loosen up the surface a little before placing the bin, I think it helps get a bit more air to the bottom of the bin and also means you can push the bottom edges in to halp level it.

If vermin is a problem stick some chicken wire under the bin.

[Lee G]

Ref the "tumbler" type bins, Gardeners World ran a comparison a couple of years back and they performed brilliantly, it really did make a massive difference in terms of how quickly everything composted.

Trouble is the ones I've seen are very expensive, I'm too tight to pay £50+ for a compost bin  

[Etherelda]

I would also recommend somewhere that gets the sun all day, the warmer it is, the better for the bacteria.

[corynsboy]

http://bp0.blogger.com/_DLKc5Q3AWDg/SIMgs10o1BI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/YYGJnIc-IGE/s1600-h/allotment+016.JPG

These are mine last spring I've dug them in a bit, say four inches or so, not a great deal, just to stop the wind popping the lids off.  A house brick on top also helps.

As Etherelda says the bins in sunlight perform better that those in shade.  The compost created in under a year was excellent.  I guess I mixed them twice since April last year.  The brandling woms (dark red about two inces long ) were magnificent.

[r1bazza]

I'll echo what others have said but make shure the area has no pernicious weeds as they can come up under the compost (mostly nettles in our case).

[fatbelly]

Definitely on the bare soil, and loosen the soil underneath with a fork before you 'plant it'

[noshed]

Compost turning is very exhilarating this time of year.