buying a compost bin

countrywoman

Can anyone recommend somewhere I could buy a plastic large/extra large compost bin
Preferably online

Thankd

magicbastarder

you'd get a dalek style one in any garden centre or hardware store like woodies.
buying online is an odd one - postage fees might be a bit much!

Marhay70

Try your local council, I got three of the dalek type for €15 each a few years ago. Very effective IMO. I would get at least two so when one is filled you can turn it out into the other and speed up the process.

Xcom2

I made my own from pallets(5'x4'x4'high) on bare earth.

It has been happily swallowing up all our peelings and garden cuttings for years now, its amazing how quickly a heaped pile two feet over the top just sinks down into it.

Recently I put an extension onto it(more pallets roughly the same size added to the side) so I can remove the top layer and finally get at the mulchy goodness underneath.

Is there a best time of year to do this?

magicbastarder

well, the composting process will be getting much slower now that the temperatures are dropping, especially for dalek style composters which don't really run hot. someone else better informed than me may know if hot compost heaps work well this time of year.

Hocus Focus

The Dalek-style bins do their work anaerobically, which is a very slow process. The open ones made out of pallets work aerobically and with any luck will produce enough heat to neutralise weed seeds.
The best method is to stand three pallets on end to form an open-sided square, tying them together at the top corners. You then obviously start throwing in your garden waste and (uncooked )veg waste from the kitchen, along with a SMALL amount of grass cuttings and plenty of hedge trimmings, (these chopped up by the lawnmower). When your heap has reached a height of a couple of feet it's time to get two more pallets and add on a new bay beside the original one, then temporarily take out the pallet dividing the two bays before forking over all the compost from one bay into the other and then replacing the dividing pallet. The more frequently you turn over the heap from one bay into the other, the better your compost will be, because you are allowing it to become aerated. The ideal time to do this turning over process is when you have cut the grass, because then you can add grass cuttings and distribute them right through the whole heap. You will be surprised how much heat will be generated in the compost when you do this.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have a Dalek style one that I get at least 3 good loads from in a season. Steam rises when I lift the lid. I slide the bin off the heap every 10 to 14 days or so in Summer and toss the contents back in again. Very fast and very productive.

Marhay70

Hocus Focus wrote: »

The Dalek-style bins do their work anaerobically, which is a very slow process. The open ones made out of pallets work aerobically and with any luck will produce enough heat to neutralise weed seeds.
The best method is to stand three pallets on end to form an open-sided square, tying them together at the top corners. You then obviously start throwing in your garden waste and (uncooked )veg waste from the kitchen, along with a SMALL amount of grass cuttings and plenty of hedge trimmings, (these chopped up by the lawnmower). When your heap has reached a height of a couple of feet it's time to get two more pallets and add on a new bay beside the original one, then temporarily take out the pallet dividing the two bays before forking over all the compost from one bay into the other and then replacing the dividing pallet. The more frequently you turn over the heap from one bay into the other, the better your compost will be, because you are allowing it to become aerated. The ideal time to do this turning over process is when you have cut the grass, because then you can add grass cuttings and distribute them right through the whole heap. You will be surprised how much heat will be generated in the compost when you do this.

Whichever method you use you are going to have to turn it. Like Srameen, I get several loads of good quality compost a year from the Dalek type, plus I don't stick rigidly to the green/brown formula and throw in the odd shovel of manure. As long as the worms, slugs woodlice etc are happy you'll get good compost. Another benefit of the Dalek type is they are neat and compact, don't take up much space and are easy to handle.

okedoke

on a related note - anyone know if you can buy this in Ireland? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dolmen-Compost-Mixer-and-Aerator/dp/B0050I2FB4/ref=pd_cp_kh_0

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

okedoke wrote: »

on a related note - anyone know if you can buy this in Ireland? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dolmen-Compost-Mixer-and-Aerator/dp/B0050I2FB4/ref=pd_cp_kh_0

I haven't seen it here but I wouldn't pay £20 for a bent metal rod.

okedoke

fair point Srameen - I think i would though, too lazy to tip out composter and refill regularly.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

okedoke wrote: »

fair point Srameen - I think i would though, too lazy to tip out composter and refill regularly.

Shove a small border fork in it and just stir it up.

okedoke

I can only reach down about a foot into the bin with a fork

Hocus Focus

Emilia Scary Nail wrote: »

okedoke wrote: »

fair point Emilia Scary Nail - I think i would though, too lazy to tip out composter and refill regularly.

Shove a small border fork in it and just stir it up.

Would you get one of them in Forkhill?:)

tampopo

okedoke wrote: »

on a related note - anyone know if you can buy this in Ireland? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dolmen-Compost-Mixer-and-Aerator/dp/B0050I2FB4/ref=pd_cp_kh_0

Oh these are great. I've used one, in Dublin. Then it went missing. I miss IT!!