One Good Turn Deserves Another
A couple of years ago we purchased and built (OK, Mike built) a run of three compost bins. The theory went that I spent half my life generating heaps of green waste from multifarious garden tasks and I really should turn it into something I could use. The only minuscule fly in the ointment was that I’d never had any luck producing compost. Zero. Nada. Zilch. A horrible smelly soggy mass or a pile of dried twigs. But never anything in between.
It called for some proper research. For your benefit but mostly mine I wrote up the results (here). Quite overwhelming really, the things you can put in a compost bin. And by no means limited to weeds. An impressive list of 163 different items included nail clippings, stale wine (as if), dust bunnies from under the bed. Even dead starfish. Really? Well yes, so it appears. Assuming you have a ready supply obviously. Indeed so many things could find their way into the heap I began to wonder whether three bins would be enough. Especially as it does need a good few months for it all to break down, once the bins are full. Fortunately the system we bought into is modular and it took little more than the suggestion of an extra gin and tonic night to turn three bins into four.
February 2018
So, two and a bit years further on, how did it all go?
Well, brilliantly as it turned out. It is important to find the right balance of stuff to put in. I never did walk all the way to the end of the garden to deposit a single nail clipping. Fingernails and gardeners don’t tend to sit happily together in any event. But it does seem that my average mix of brown wood prunings with piles of green weeds, enhanced by the occasional bag load of cuttings from He Who Mows, ticks all the right boxes because it all decomposed beautifully. But there’s one thing we did do differently this time and it’s important.
It’s the turning of the compost that is the game changer.
Fresh garden waste goes into the right hand bin and, assuming all goes to plan, wonderful crumbly compost comes out of the far left. Roughly twice a year we empty the left hand bin of its stash of black gold and then everything else in the system is forked out and shifted one bin to the left, ultimately leaving the right hand bin free to refill again. Turning it like this aerates the compost, avoiding compaction. The microbes which break down the waste need air to breathe. If they are allowed to suffocate decomposition slows down.
As the material rots down it decreases in volume. Turning the first bin is easy enough but it gets harder the further to the right you go. Worth it though. And it’s a great total body workout! A Fitbit exercise day is guaranteed even if, like me, you do it in stages. One bin a day..
I’ve had probably two cubic metres of gorgeous crumbly compost over the last couple of years which I’ve used to mulch the terraced beds. It’s never enough, I’d need to get into industrial levels of production for that. But it’s free, after the initial cost of the bins. And a wonderful way to recycle all that organic ‘waste’ back into the soil. The annoying thing is having to dump potentially compostable material in a far away corner of the woods because the bins are full. So. What’s a girl to do?
May 2020. Spot the difference.
Four becomes five.
It took more gin and tonic this time because, as with so many things in our brave new world, the price of compost bins has gone up. Nor was the delivery straightforward. It took over a month from placing the order. And then the driver decided that a locked gate wasn’t a barrier intended for him and instead looked for a way around (or over) it. Nor did he bother to ring the bell. Unaware of his presence I raced round the corner of the house at my normal on-a-critical-gardening-mission operational speed and almost crashed straight into him. So much for social distancing. I believe even in extremis I managed to retain the crucial two metre separation but nevertheless I was livid.
We used sheets of aluminium for the lids on the previous four bins but with no means to get another at the moment Mike has made a wooden lid out of a pallet. Actually I think I prefer it. And it certainly won’t blow off in the wind..
That’s it now.
If we want six bins we’ll have to burn some logs.
Looks just perfect! Hope you are both coping and keeping busy. I expect so. x
Coping by keeping busy.. and this weather helps. Need some rain though. (I said it very quietly).
Can never have too many compost bins – unless you have a smaller garden! Nice job, and they look super quality. Ours are thrown together bits of wood found when we moved here – including an old oak front door with a cat hole that had been left in the elements but still good for a few years yet!
I’ve already half filled the new one. Luckily the volume does seem to reduce quite quickly. But even so, I think the first four part turn is coming up.
Any ducklings yet?
At least 10 days, maybe 15 for these birds – 3 under the broody hen. 15 under Dixie Duck. She is a feisty mama though – I’m wearing bruises up my arm! Cooter who was hatching way too many before was so nice – she squeaked but let me stroke her. This one might be renamed Tasmanian Devil after the cartoon version! Her clutch will be another 20 days though. Like watching paint dry. On the plus side all are fertile and the little hen is doing a great job – hope she doesn’t get fed up after 21 days which is when normal chicken eggs hatch. These ducks are anything from 33 to 35 days!
Thought of you today as I was shovelling compost this morning! LOL!
You are going to be overrun with ducklings!
I was once bitten by a goose and I can confirm that it isn’t a nice experience. Very nasty bruise as well.
Ouch! I only found out recently that geese have teeth on their beaks . . . and . . . their tongues! Which is why they are brilliant lawnmowers – and very painful when nibbling humans! Thankfully Dixie doesn’t have that – all smooth. She is quite sweet the rest of the time though. None of the muscovies seem to be – they do have huuuuge claws though that inflict deep gashes if you pick them up and they don’t want to be. On the other hand I think they are such funny birds, especially when they have a heated discussion which consists of snakey head movements and squeaking. Duke on the other hand sounds like a steam engine. Should have called him Ivor!
The stupid thing is I was feeding the geese. Talk about biting the hand which feeds you.. except the bite was on the thigh. I suppose it felt it wasn’t getting enough of the corn.
How many ducks have you got?
We now have 2 girls and one lad. We were supposed to be raising them for meat which is more lean than normal ducks. There’s a poultry (chickens, geese, turkeys and ducks) guy up the road that is getting a set up so that he will do the dispatching and dressing for locals – I’m still thinking about those claws and the stress of packing them off – on both sides! Seemed like a good idea at the time – but not so sure. Plucking and dressing is the easy bit – it’s the dispatching I never like. Well unless we have a lot of lads hatch, I won’t be doing that with the girls. Then managing the size of the flock will be interesting – the freezers can only hold so much!
I can understand your doubts. I couldn’t do it personally. Living with an animal you get to understand its personality. It becomes one of the family and I’m just too soft. No doubt it’s possible to get hardened, especially if it’s a commercial reality. I could never be a farmer!
I think when you do become hardened then that’s not good for you or your animals – welfare might well be an issue with uncaring farmers/smallholders. I feel I have to thank each animal – dunno why, I just feel it’s the right thing to do. It has had a happy life as such and when buying meat I’m lucky enough to see how the farmers are looking after their livestock. Our friends rear sheep and Dexter cattle and still hate sending them off to the abattoir. Before we moved we looked into farm shops and found a lovely farmer (anyone interested and living near East Tistead then I recommend Bowtells) and we shopped there for years. As long as the deed is done quick, that’s the best way, as I had one very traumatic time – which I absolutely hate myself for, so future dispatches have been swift and proper. Ducks will be different, so I will have to continue my research before I attempt to do anything for myself.
We eat very little meat these days but I think when we do it should come from a good known source, so you can be confident that animal welfare standards are very high and that it is organic, free from added chemicals and hormones. Our local supermarket offers a very limited range, it does mean seeking out quality independents.
If you are lucky enough to source good farm management and their relationship with their animals is likely that the abattoir that they use is equally of good quality. Sadly those are mainly small concerns which are becoming more rare. There is talk of mobile abattoirs for smaller farms – which means the travel and stress for those animals is reduced. In this day and age I think that’s positive news. Plus if they aren’t any good then word of mouth will rectify any shortcomings and they will close.
Why did I grow so many blooming veg plants that need to go in while the sun is baking and the ground is cracked? Whyyyyyy!!!!!! End on a high note – 5 to 10 days before the first clutch hatch. Need to candle again I think!
I am relying on being able to clear my veg patch of garden plants awaiting new homes. Trouble is it’s now so hot that relocating them is too risky.. veg plants are stacking up with nowhere to go!
I know exactly what you mean – the only plus is that they will be breathing a sigh of relief to get out of the greenhouse without needing to be hardened off! LOL! Have to admit, it does make me wake up early because it does play on my mind! Better leave you in peace – was up early shifting compost and watering – egads we are running out of our saved water and had to top up the pond too!
I did the early morning thing today.. you get so much more done when it’s cooler. But knackered now!
Oops – I meant none of the muscovies seem to be spiteful.
🙂
Well that’s certainly made me very envious! How lovely to have the space for 5 bins and the promise of a good workout. I’ve bought a Hotbin composter this year which has reached the dizzying warmth of 110C but the bulk of my garden waste still has to go to the municipal tip. I’m also very impressed with Mike’s pallet repurposing, I suppose he has a special tool for taking them apart?
If Mike thought for a second there might be a special tool he’d be straight onto Amazon to find it. So I’m hoping there isn’t. I believe the closest we got was a crowbar but there was a lot of huffing and puffing and not a few expletives. One of the pieces split and it was then touch and go whether we’d have enough. One of the advantages of having any kind of building work done is the acquisition of pallets. I’d never realised how useful they are!
Wonderful. They are proliferating as fast as plants. A fairly recent tip I learned fro another blogger is that you can compost elastic bands – or even wellies if you can wait long enough.
I now have a vision of compost heaps the world over topped off with discarded wellies. A bit like farmers use tyres..
What a lovely compost story – I laughed at your soggy and twiggy stage – as this is how mine is. The Dunnocks seem to love the top twiggy bit, like a hedge, and so I’ve been loath to turn it or interfere at all!
We seem to have lost our dunnocks, I don’t know why. Last year’s building work and all the activity in the garden maybe frightened them off. A pair of woodpeckers have made a welcome reappearance but the nuthatches are awol as well.
They are exceedingly handsome compost bins. We have two large plastic bins, but do the same turning as you do. The compost has been amazingly successful and so satisfying. I’ve decided not to do weeds though, because despite everything the bins don’t seem to be hot enough to render the seeds unviable, but most other garden stuff goes in, the larger bits to be dealt with by Gargantua, our trusty mulcher.
I have noticed quite a few weedlings in the mulch I’m extracting so I don’t think ours get hot enough either. Fortunately there aren’t too many and they’re easy to pull. I have tried to avoid things like bindweed, which can resprout from the tiniest piece of root.
Hi, Jessica, long time, no comment (sorry). I have been reading your posts, honestly. Anyway, the compost bins look fantastic, but … I am in awe of your log piles!
Hello! Hope you are well and coping with lockdown.
Yes the log piles are fearsome. I doubt we’ll ever use all that wood and there’s plenty more where that came from. It’s the bounty from all the tree work over the years. Mike has a log splitter which makes the task a whole lot easier.
Oddly enough, Himself and I were having compost bin discussions this very morning. We’ve decided on four. Thank you for your informative and timely post. I’m with you on the gardener’s fingernails.
I was never into long painted fingernails. Just as well really..
Well done! I’m envious of your 5 bin system. I used to have a metal tumbler, which made turning relatively easy but it didn’t hold all that much and it eventually rotted away. As a replacement, my husband built me a 2 bin set-up because that’s really all we have room for, at least on the main level of our garden. I’ve been tempted to request another set at the bottom of the slope but I may need to wait until Christmas to ask for that. My husband’s resistance to new projects weakens when he’s confronted with the prospect of coming up with a Christmas gift…
What a brilliant idea. I can see that I’m going to have to work on a shortlist in preparation for this festive season.
Lovely! Nice woodpiles, too. There’s something very satisfying about seeing your winter warmth all stacked up like that, ready to hand.
I’ve been composting perennial weeds in a compost tumbler, which has successfully turned them into compost tea as the tumbler leaks into a bucket placed beneath. All except the tradescantia. Several weeks encased in hot black plastic (occasionally watered to speed up decomposition) and all it does is start to look pale and peaky.
I have hopes that our council will introduce a municipal green waste composting collection so we can get rid of the blasted stuff without having to fork out for endless council bin bags to carry it all away to the dump.
We tend to grow tradescantia as a houseplant over here and I’ve had my fair share over the years. At least in a pot its wandering habit can be restricted. I’m not sure how well it would survive outside though. Perhaps it’s just as well!
Yes, you can never have too many composting bins – and you have the space for them too! I have 2, one for last year and one for this but i get my exercise elsewhere and don’t turn them but because they are left for over a year before the compost is used it seems to work out OK…
It feels very satisfying to be turning rubbish into something useful. I’ve been watching Monty do it for years and was determined that one day I’d make it work for me.
You have got a great system there, and I bet you are enjoying your lovely homemade compost. It must be a quite hard turning the bin…although, as you say, good exercise. We have two big plastic drum-type bins, and I find turning them over quite a challenging…but very good as a weight lifting exercise!! (actually leave it to Paul as much as I can). Hope you are enjoying spring.
This is what husbands are for! Mike has done a lot of the work here too. It actually doesn’t take too long to turn a bin once started, even the fuller ones. They are only about a cubic metre each. And all the slats come apart, front and sides, so it’s easy to fork stuff out of one and straight into the next.
What lovely and smart compost bins! You have a great working system there. We only have a large compost heap in the vegetable garden that we leave unturned for a year. Just adding to it whenever we have scraps, cuttings, weeds etc. When we want to make another vegetable bed we move the compost pile and dig the space where the pile was. The soil underneath is amazing.
Before we had the bins we used to drag all our garden waste to a bend in the driveway where we used to burn it all. Then one year the bonfires never happened and we ended up having to move the now enormous pile. The stuff at the bottom was indeed amazing!
I think I’ve heard this story before… 😀 We started with one, 400 litre bin. Next spring I ordered one more. And the spring after another one. We’ve set up the 4th last week. If I want yet another, I will have to build the neighbour’s fence a feet aside.
Keep calm and compost on!
It’s very addictive. But there are worse addictions.. !
Gin and Tonic seems to work all sorts of wonders.
I love your setup and the space you have for it. I’ve always composted but I’m trying to do more and more, to keep the material out of the landfill.
When my arm was broken and useless, I had fingernails on the hand for a while. It was…weird.
While travelling in Australia I grew fingernails. It is weird! And it makes it far more difficult to do some things, like pressing those little buttons on credit card machines. Mike would say that’s probably a good thing..
I love your compost bins. I have one home made bin with wire sides and three daleks. Like you I use the one at the end and when it empties I fill it from the next one. I think it takes at least a year to get from the bin to the end dalek. I do cheat and in wet summers the grass clippings go to the dump, not having a convenient wood. At the moment I only mow the lawn to keep the sumac runners under control. In much more exciting news I am off to Rosemoor, we booked our slot for 13:00 on Monday and are taking a picnic.
Very strange times, the recycling bins have just been emptied, on Saturday!
Have a lovely day at Rosemoor! And make the most of the warm sunshine, I gather it’s getting much cooler this week. Better for gardening though. It’s worth a nose around Rosemoor’s new plant centre, so much better than it used to be.
And I thought I was the only one with more than one compost bin. All of our grass cutting ends up in the heap. This has to be managed carefully unless you are trying to make silage! To avoid this we shred all woody stuff which is then kept in black bin bags. As we add grass cutting the shredded stuff is mixed in. I agree the most important thing is the turning the heap.
You have a lot more grass than we do so the grass cuttings don’t form so much of the input here. If anything I have the opposite problem.. too much twiggy stuff! Fortunately (?) I also seem to generate a lot of soft material from weed clearing, having removed the seeders and the spreaders first!
Rosemoor was lovely, the shop was a bit chaotic. Well worth a visit to see beauty.
Glad it’s still looking good. It’ll be good to get back there.
Once upon a time I had a compost bin…and religiously dumped all kinds of food bits and yard waste and then it sort of got full and there it sat. NOW, I’m awaiting a coldframe and it’s supposed to go where the abandoned bin is now. I vaguely remember the bin being bottomless. Not sure how it will be moved and not sure I can strategically maneuver the coldframe over the bin so when it does get removed the compost just dumps nicely in place. Assuming, of course, there is even good mulch created in there. A gardener I’ll never be. (sigh)
If you have a compost bin AND a coldframe you are as proper a gardener as a gardener can be!