bethben Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I'm looking to start composting. What type of composter would you recommend? I'm looking for something enclosed (due to wanting to be a friendly neighbor), not homemade and not something that will wrench my back (which in my opinion negates open systems). I don't have a bunch of dead material due to a bunch of new puny trees and really don't want to have to haul it in. Also, I've heard about red worm composting. Any suggestions appreciated! Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) I have a wooden bin like this. Actually I have three, but we have a lot of grass that we mow. The front comes off board by board, so you don't have to heave everything over a high side. I do turn the compost every couple of months (fork it all out and then put it back in, giving air to the bacteria) but composting still works if you don't - it's just slower. The first year I didn't turn the compost and it took about a year to make. If I turn it it's done in less than six months. When you talk about being a friendly neighbour: compost doesn't smell. It doesn't smell when it's making and it's completely neutral when it's done. The contents aren't rotting, as such: they are being eaten very fast by ravenous bacteria and worms. ETA: composting works (and doesn't smell) if you have an equal mix of 'green' and 'brown' materials. When I have too many grass clippings and not enough other stuff, I just scrunch up newspaper or rip up cardboard to add. It works really well. Last year I added lots of obsolete Post Office leaflets - they worked well too. Laura Edited March 8, 2012 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I bought a black plastic one at Costco that works very well. Just make sure it sits in the sun and you water it regularly. Regarding worms, we don't put worms in ours on purpose, but they just appear. We take the compost out twice a year (spring and fall) and there's always just gobs of worms in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I don't have a container because it's a pain to put stuff in and then later take it out. I'm all about easy. I've used three hay bales as sides in the past. We compost on the ground, usually in various flower beds. This is sometimes called trench composting. I just scrape the ground a bit and pile on the materials to compost. Water, turn, repeat. After a few weeks, we start a new pile elsewhere and let the other one cook a little longer before using. A well functioning compost pile doesn't smell bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.