Compost Bin and Building Compost question
 

I read a couple composting books over the winter and after doing some research on compost bins, tumblers, DIY options, I'm leaning toward this ([url]http://www.wayfair.com/Redmon-8.7-Cu.-Ft.-Compost-Bin-8000-RDM1107.html[/url]) We have an average sized suburban lot, so that eliminates some options that some of you may suggest. But before I go for it, I have a few questions I'm hoping some experienced composters can answer.


1) Anyone use this compost bin and have comments?

2) Regarding building compost, the two biggest things I want to make sure of (which to my understanding go hand in hand), are to make good, complete compost for the garden and do it without creating a stinky mess (my wife's largest concern about starting composting is unpleasant odor in the backyard). So you need to build the compost with the proper ratio of greens and browns--which gives you the right temperature and balance of nutrients in the final product. Also the right ratio keeps the N from being too high and the composting materials from turning into a stinky ammonia puddle. What do you use for browns, especially in the summer? I can see plenty of greens (produce refuse, pulled spring plants from the garden, etc. etc.), but don't see much in the way of brown materials (maybe leaves in the fall and spent straw mulch, but nothing of note in the summer).

3) After the compost is done, how/where do you store it?

Thanks!
Justin

1) I never used that one
2) I use leaves and woodchips for my "browns". I have a pile of wood chips just for that purpose. But when I didn't have a stockpile, I simply pruned the trees and chopped it. If for some reason I had an excess of "green" and no supply of "brown" I simply dug a hole and buried the green.
3) When my compost is done I generally use it immediately. Sometimes I may store it in plastic bags for a little while, but storing it too long kills much of the beneficial biology.

I haven't used that one, either. I'm skeptical about those doors in the bottom -- I've always found the compost in the bottom is wetter and needs to be aired out a bit before i can sift it.

I use mulch, sometimes newspaper, for browns. Mulch is usually what I've sifted out of the previous compost bin. (I normally have 3-5 bins.) To avoid odors, you need to bury new kitchen waste in the pile a few inches deep, so that it's fully covered, or else cover any new additions with some browns. I've also used coffee grounds (free in quantity from coffee shops) to cover new kitchen waste.

I store my sifted compost in 5-gallon nursery pots until I'm ready to use it. I cover the tops so that they don't get waterlogged in the rainy season. The holes in the bottom help the worms or other macrofauna escape if they want, and keep the compost from getting soggy and anaerobic if it does get caught in the rain.

Hello!

I haven't used that composter before either, but thought I'd at least throw out the suggestion of vermicomposting, with red wiggler worms. It's just my wife and I, so I have a medium-sized worm bin in my basement, with no odors, escaping worms or other things my wife would find unpleasant. I made it cheaply and easily using stacked rubbermaid containers ($8 each) and drilled some holes to get started. Once they get going, those little guys really can chow through the fruit/produce scraps we have and also the newspaper, brown paper, and cardboard we tend to accumulate. I also dead leaves from the previous year, but I try to chop them up a bit with my mower so they break down faster.

There's a ton of easy info online if you look.

I know it may not be the right solution for you, but I just wanted to mention it.

Best of luck with your choice!

I haven't used that one, or anything like it. For years I used a Compost Tumbler, and loved it. I did have to remember to turn it every day or two, but it heated reliably, never smelled, killed all weed seeds, was easy to turn, fill, and empty, and could make great compost in two weeks if I shredded everything pretty small. Unshredded stuff still works, but takes longer, and may require sifting, depending on your intended use.
For browns I use old leaves, old grass clippings from the lawn, shredded branches from pruning, sawdust and wood shavings from my shop or a nearby sawmill... Whatever I can find for free.
The only reason I no longer use the Compost Tumbler is that I got more into farming, got bigger, and got a tractor. I still shred most stuff, but now I just have a big pile, which I turn with the tractor bucket.
I stored finished stuff in plastic garbage cans, if I didn't have a use for it right away.

My compost pile lies between four large stacked stumps and then I have a low brick wall in front of it. I didn't like the container approach because access was awkward especially for turning. The days I don't turn anymore, I cold compost back then it was really annoying trying to get the shovel into the mix with my short arms.

If you have trees around, there are lots of browns available in summer. Leaves come down after every storm as do sticks, pods from last year, eggshells, tea bags, plain cardboard, pine needles, a bit o wood ash (not too much) and sawdust from non-pressure treated wood are all good browns.

"The stink" is pretty easy to avoid, don't worry too much about it. Don't put meat or poop in your pile and make sure your grass clippings are well distributed. There are books and books on composting but what I have found over the years is that if you stick organic stuff in a moist pile it will make compost quite nicely. The processes in the books make it happen faster, but if you do not have an urgent need for piles of the stuff, the lazy girl approach (cold composting) is also quite satisfying.

Don't you have lots of leaves where you live, in the fall? I live in real suburbia, so I have to literally seek out and gather leaves wherever I can find them. Several trips in my car over the course of 2 months. Whatever I cannot use in my composter, I save in large trash bags with holes punched in them. Then I have a supply all thru the summer. By then they are all crushed and crumbly, perfect for mulch too.
That composter looks like it would be hard to reach in with a pitchfork to turn over the contents. My main one is nice and wide, with a top you can remove to easily access. Forget the name but got it at HD a few years back. Just looked online, they don't have 'em anymore but it is a well-known plastics company. I am lazy now and just do cold composting like a lot of members do too. Used to wet and turn and do all that stuff, but you know what they say, Compost Happens. And it does!

There's a college across the street with over 100 wooded acres. Plenty of browns, t's my year round leaf supply. I'm sure you might have something available near you as well.

-Jimmy

Thanks all! And going to a nearby woods for leaves is a great idea! I think that should solve the brown problem. Think I will get that bin, worth trying anyway. The reviews are favorable.

Hi Justin,

Did you get this composter? How has it been working for you, and would you recommend it for someone in a similar situation?

Thanks
- Chris

I have a similar-looking composter. Mine was referred to as "the Cadillac of composters". I've had it a good 20 years and it works pretty well. It's difficult to get all of the finished compost out through the doors, but I occasionally empty it all out and start again.

As others have said, it's a good idea to have a pile of dried leaves to add occasionally. They also keep down the fruit flies in late summer!

I love to recycle, and I sometimes pick up leaves after others have raked, bagged them, and left them curb-side. :lol:

Linda

Thanks Linda. At my last house, I had space to do a pile in a cylinder of chicken wire and turn it with a pitch fork, but now we're in a development and I need something compact that looks reasonably presentable.

This one is on sale for $60, so I'm trying to decide whether to get it or just use two trash cans. Home Depot sells 32-gallon cans for $25 (galvanized) or $15 (plastic). I won't be generating much compostable material (mostly kitchen scraps, small garden waste, shredded Sunday newspaper) so I think it might be better to rotate between two smaller bins. I've read you can just strap the lid on top and roll it to aerate the mixture. But will a small trash can be big enough to really get the compost hot? I've read a larger pile is better to kill weed seeds, etc. Thanks!

Cscross, a garbage can would work and is a lot cheaper. You can drill some holes in a plastic one it to let the air in. I did that once to make a huge worm bin and now I use it to store my excess leaves.

I keep my composter strictly for veggie and fruit scraps, egg shells, paper, coffee and filters, leaves and grass. I try not to use it for diseased plants or weeds.

Linda

You can also check Craigslist for those large barrels with the screw on lids. I have two that I think we're about $30 a piece. My husband drilled a bunch of holes in them and the one I'm working on sits on top of a couple of cinder block to allow for air passage and drainage if things get too soupy.

It is fed primarily kitchen scraps (no citrus, meat, or fats) and a lot of coffee grounds. It lives right outside our back door and thankfully gives off almost no stink. My husband had moved it in front of the exhaust vent for the dryer thinking the heat would help speed up the process, but I decided I didn't want my compost smelling like dryer sheets and it get plenty hot on its own!

Every now and then I drop it down on it's side and roll it around on the driveway. When it's full, I roll it across the yard to my garden where it sits until I can empty it and the second barrel takes it's place.

[QUOTE=Csross;524891]Hi Justin,

Did you get this composter? How has it been working for you, and would you recommend it for someone in a similar situation?

Thanks
- Chris[/QUOTE]

I did not get the bin yet. I delayed it until this spring--I'm going to put in a shed on the side of the house and will have a good place for it there once I'm done with that project. I still plan on getting that bin. I will update the thread this fall. If you get one I'd love to hear how it is working for you.