Compost bin query...

[huntsman]

I'll start a compost programme this Spring (today!) and would like your advice from personal experience -

Are purchased compost bins the correct way to go, or do I just commit a small section of the garden to a pile and go from there?

Thanks!

[RJ_Hythloday]

I had a large section of the garden commited to piles made of chicken wire. I think hardware cloth would be more sturdy and a better way to go. When I move if I had enough room I'd go for the 3 bin pallet setup.

At the moment I have black plastic bins purchased for $40 ea. One is sitting on top of a hardware cloth bottom that gives it an extra 18" or so of material to really get it heating up. 1cu yd is supposed to be the minimum size for proper ''cooking''.

I have these bins to appease the wife who didn't like the way my open piles looked in our small back yard. Completely unnecessary to get finished compost. I've had a very wet summer so I'll state that the covered lids have been nice to keep it from getting too wet which can slow things down and also cause a stink.

Good Luck!

[Barbee]

If you need to worry about looks or a homeowners association, then you might want to purchase a bin. Otherwise, you can make one pretty easy with scraps. Or you could just pile your stuff on the ground. I never had much luck with that as stuff kept wanting to blow all over. But technically you don't need anything except the goodies to go in it

[huntsman]

We're fairly slack over here, so we can do pretty much whatever we want in the garden, Barbee..

Thanks for the input so far, folks!

[RJ_Hythloday]

Not my pic, but a 3 bin like this would be great, especially if you can get free pallets.

[mjc]

RJ, thanks for the pic and the idea...I can get pallets...probably enough to do several three bin setups.

[habitat_gardener]

Yay compost!

I use bins (4 of them), as piles would not be allowed here.

The key to success is to keep it as wet as a wrung-out sponge. Usually I water it with the hose for a couple of minutes every time I add some layers of kitchen and garden waste, and add more mulch on top if fruit flies are starting to congregate.

The smaller you can chop your compostables, the better, but one of my fellow gardeners doesn't chop anything and still gets good compost, just has more big chunks to sort out.

I don't turn my compost. In the summer, it takes a couple months for a binful to be finished. In the winter, maybe 4-5 months. I sift out the big chunks and return them to the bin.

[Barbee]

And I do my compost totally different
I start with a bale of straw. Fluff it up and into the bin. Water it. As the season progresses, spent flowers, etc get thrown in there too, but straw is free to me so that's the base of my compost. When I add kitchen scraps, I dig a little hole in the straw, dump the scraps, then cover back up. When I can't find another place to dig a hole without hitting old scraps. It all gets forked next door into bin 2. Then the same thing over and forked back into Bin 1. Once I can no longer turn the compost with my pitchfork, I shovel it into Bin 3 for it's final last bit of sitting.

[huntsman]

Very interesting!

So it's clear that the expense of a plastic bin is purely for aesthetics and to comply with various by-laws, but it's really not necessary? I was guessing that the heat built up by the bin would assist in the breakdown of the material, but perhaps the pile creates enough internal heat?

Oh, BTW, must it be in direct sun or shade?

[mjc]

Originally Posted by huntsman

Oh, BTW, must it be in direct sun or shade?

That is something you have to play around with...too hot and it stops 'working' and putrefies, too cool and it slows down and takes longer.

A covered bin does retain heat, so it can be more exposed than an open bin or pile. It is also easier to control moisture, because if it gets too wet it also slows down or can putrefy.

[Barbee]

I have had them in sun and shade. Either way works, but the sun dries everything out faster. Which may mean watering more often. Like habitat says ^up there^ you want to keep it wet like a wrung out sponge.
I rarely water my compost. I always water a new batch I've started, but I live in a part of the country that gets decent rain and I add so many kitchen scraps to mine, that between the scraps and the rain, I don't have to do much watering.
Try not to worry about the specifics too much. There really are no absolutes when composting. No matter how bad you booger it up, eventually it will rot. Air and water are the only 2 things it MUST have. Key things to remember:
*Locate your bin where you'll use it. Ask yourself where the majority of your compost material is going to come from. If it's your garden, locate your bin near there. If it's your kitchen, you want to locate it near there. If it's both, look for a location in the middle.
*Locate your bin near a water source. Your probably not going to make 10 trips with a watering can to water your compost very often. So if you located your bin near a water source, you're going to be more apt to water it when it needs it.
*Pay attention to what's going on in there. You'll soon figure out if you tend to build up an excess of greens or browns. For me, I always have too much greens. Tons of kitchen scraps here, so I'm always needing to add brown matter. I keep a bale of straw sitting right next to the bin for that reason. A leaf bin or trash can would work just as well if you have plenty of leaves. I also keep an old hand trowel right in the bin to bury my scraps and my old pitchfork is jabbed in the ground right beside it. I'm going to be more likely to fluff that pile up if my tools are right there.
As for plastic bins, I don't like them. I want my compost in contact with the ground. That way, the worms and bugs don't have to be added, they just show up on their own.

[RJ_Hythloday]

IALBTC = It all leads back to compost.

Not too much you can do that won't eventually turn it into compost.

My plastic bins are mainly for aesthetics, I had an open pile last winter and the housing mgr did make a comment about it might be a good idea to have a bin. I live in military housing, so I consider my self very lucky to have a garden and compost bins at all.

As I mentioned earlier, I do like the bin to keep it from getting too wet, as it's been a very wet summer. When I move back to UT I'll have pallet bins and let them cover w/ snow in the winter, and probably not worry about it during the summer.

[Barbee]

By the way RJ, those pallet bins are awesome. I have seen them with a front pallet on hinges, but the ones with the open front are even better, IMO. Hubby is going to make these for me and add enough width so I can back my gator up to it and hit the dump button.
I need to make some new bins as my old ones out of fence posts are pretty much rotted. So it's going to be these.
Thanks so much for posting that pic!

[huntsman]

Solid info guys - thanks!

[roxtar]

I think composting is almost as rewarding as actually gardening. After marginal success with my maters and peppers last year, I'm anxiously awaiting my two bins to be done so I can add them to next years garden!! I raise pigeons so I've got a pretty much endless supply of "green"