[gardener247]

i want to get/make a compost bin is the pallet homemade one better or the plastic one?? which has better compost

[Ice]

Now I like a wooden bin, but I also like a plastic bin, but which one is better?

There's only one way to find out.....FIGHT.

My plastic one is ok and it gets very hot inside, but it is difficult to turn the compost.  I'm sitting on the fence on this one.

[Nikkithefoot]

I would say it depends largely on how much compostable stuff you have. Pallet made ones are very big which is fine if you have loads of stuff to build it properly, and the room. You will need at least two of any type, one being built and one composting down. I have three Dalek ones at home, there are 5 of us in the house.

As Ice says dalek type ones do make it harder to turn, but then I only turn them once, as they get full then leave them. I find it takes me about 1 year to turn a binful into useable compost.

You need as much heat as you can get to destroy weed seeds and TBH even the dalek often ones don't get hot enough.

I have no experience of the tumbling makers but would be interested to hear of others opinions on that one.

[bailey]

I have dalek ones and pallet type ones,, I have found that the dalek ones produce quicker with little effort where as the pallet ones you need to build the layers properly and turn it ect,, I suppose its down to how much time you have?

I now put the kitchen waste and small amounts of grass cuttings ect in the dalek bin and all other stuff in the pallet type,, I end up with a dalek bin of compost ready about now and the palllet bins get dug in as and when ready..

[Trillium]

Compost will happen even if you pile your 'ingredients' on the ground. With the factors of sun, rain and worms, it's inevitable. No containers needed.

I've got several dalek types, which are a nuisance to turn or access so I always need help removing the main dalek frame so I can either turn or access the compost. I've tried the pallet types and they look so ugly in my backyard. I've recently made a number of square 'rings' out of 2x6's with small pegs in every corner so the ring can be locked into the one below, and that is working out very well. If I'm adding loads of fresh material I can add rings to take the excess. When the pile drops I can remove some rings and put them in another set I'm building.

This link will show loads of types and the bottom line is - it's a personal choice on what you feel is doing the best job for your quantity and time

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-your-own-compost-bin/

[mumofstig]

I use a dalek cos it looks neater in the garden.
I fill it up by the end of September and then empty it out for digging in, in the spring.
All my winter compostables go in the bean trench,  I start to fill the dalek again as soon as it's empty. Works for me

[compostqueen]

Dalek for me too    I get mine to heat up in summer by adding layers of either green or browned grass mowings (brown = left out flat on the ground to dry in the sun)
I find mine gets red hot and cooks up a treat. I do stir mine frequently though and I add comfrey and wee

I have a large pallet bin too which again makes good compost but slower.  I tend to put the thuggish stuff in it 

[Shadrak]

compost tumbler for me they speed it up so much just a shame they cost so much 

[Fisherman]

I prefer wooden sided compost heaps.
If you have space make one Mt. cubic heaps next to each other so that they can be turned from one bin to another.
Cover them with plastic sheeting and old carpet to keep the heat in.
If your constructing them yourself make a drop down side so the compost is easy to dig out.

[shokkyy]

I've got a row of 5 dalek bins. They look nice and neat but I have yet to see what the compost will be like because I only started using them last autumn. What I don't like so much about them is they're just not very robust in the way they clip together. The corners keep popping open all the time and the lids fall off. I keep filling them up and the next time I look the level has gone right down, so something must be rotting down pretty nicely. I have to say I wasn't even thinking about trying to turn them because I think I'd be there all day trying to put the corners back together again.

[richyrich7]

The darlek ones are good plus points are they get quite warm and this helps them work better. Neat and tidy looking.
Bad points
Quite often become rat hotels in the winter , and are difficult to turn, but you can get a handy gadget that makes it easier.
Sometimes you can get subsidies from your council for them.

Wooden ones from pallets are much cheaper tho'

[Ice]

My dalek bins are round.  I have two so I can start to fill one then I turn it by forking it into the second dalek.  A good kicking makes the thing easier to remove when it gets a bit full.  New stuff goes into dalek one, dalek two gets spread over the plot and dalek one is forked into dalek two.  Still with me?

[savbo]

garden gourmet plastic bin is very nice - expensive but I got mine off freegle...

[Elcie]

I have both.  To be honest I think I prefer the dalek as it is neater but the pallet bin is just so 'allotment'!

Regarding the cost of them most councils have some kind of discount scheme, with some even offering them free (not mine unfortunately!) The other place I picked one up was the dump shop.  They had quite a range there and I got mine for £5 which was a bargain as it is quite a big one.

[solway cropper]

Being a bit of a tight-wad I wouldn't dream of spending money on one of those compost tumbler things. You'd have to make an awful lot of the stuff to recover the cost. I have 2 daleks, courtesy of the council and a big open heap and the heap produces the better compost. This I put down to the fact that air can get at it much easier and I can also turn it. Whatever you choose make sure that you put a wide variety of material into it. If you fill it with grass clippings you'll just end up with a smelly mess.