Compost heaps-the ideal.

[Trailoftears]

As to turning (he shudders at the very Idea).

Assuming you roughly know what your at-dimensions/materials etc.

Picture this scene of domestic harmony.Its Saturday night,Your wage-slavery stint is done.The work boots are off and you lovingly cradle your 3d tin of lager within your horny hands,she who must be adored and humoured is on her 3d large glass of pinot grigiot (the 3d glass seems to help kill the awful aroma emanating from your wool-rich clad feet).

Little Johny and Mary stare avidly at their smartphones/tablets and are blessedly quiet.In the background the large T.V drones providing a moving background to stare vacantly at.In short-all is well in you and yours World.

Suddenly,Your house is ripped from it's very foundations,a massive rheumy eye glares at you through the window in a malevolent way.Suddenly the whole dwelling is sharply turned upside down then back up-several times.Not content with this,this massive alien entity shakes the whole entity back and fore rather like a recalcitrant ketchup bottle.Well,by now the booze has gone for a burton,the t.v. is history and leaving aside the manifold  broken limbs all round,it now falls to you to gently remove state of the art tech hardware from your children's orifices.

 

[sime42]

24 minutes ago, Trailoftears said:

As to turning (he shudders at the very Idea).

Assuming you roughly know what your at-dimensions/materials etc.

Picture this scene of domestic harmony.Its Saturday night,Your wage-slavery stint is done.The work boots are off and you lovingly cradle your 3d tin of lager within your horny hands,she who must be adored and humoured is on her 3d large glass of pinot grigiot (the 3d glass seems to help kill the awful aroma emanating from your wool-rich clad feet).

Little Johny and Mary stare avidly at their smartphones/tablets and are blessedly quiet.In the background the large T.V drones providing a moving background to stare vacantly at.In short-all is well in you and yours World.

Suddenly,Your house is ripped from it's very foundations,a massive rheumy eye glares at you through the window in a malevolent way.Suddenly the whole dwelling is sharply turned upside down then back up-several times.Not content with this,this massive alien entity shakes the whole entity back and fore rather like a recalcitrant ketchup bottle.Well,by now the booze has gone for a burton,the t.v. is history and leaving aside the manifold  broken limbs all round,it now falls to you to gently remove state of the art tech hardware from your children's orifices.

 

 

Fair point, well made. Delivered in an eloquent if somewhat lengthy manner!

 

So what we are saying then is to approach your compost like your vegetable bed: employ a no dig method. I've not dug either for years, so thankful that I was on the right side all along!

 

 

[Trailoftears]

Absolutely,again,given the size/variety of materials/temps are good,You've now created a little World,an ecosystem,a varied community who are all bent on feeding and living harmoniously in an incredibly efficient manner.Whe you think about it the last thing they want is some lunatic with a pitchfork laying waste to their painstakingly constructed World!

[Paul in the woods]

My bins can look after themselves....

 

[Trailoftears]

Wow,now that's a handsome devil 👍

[nepia]

Wow; turning compost - such an evocative subject.  At least we now know how to wind up a fellow member in the future.  'I bet you turn your compost.  DON'T YOU; DON'T YOU'!

 

I'm a turner.  There - I've said it.  I may not be proud but it's me.  I do it to aerate; sometimes I generate new heat by doing it so it's not all bad.

 

But I'm also a no digger of woodchip veggie beds so please forgive me the error of my ways

[Paul in the woods]

4 minutes ago, Trailoftears said:

Wow,now that's a handsome devil 👍

 

She's the beautiful female, the handsome smaller chap often shared her bin. She often reared up and hissed which was a bit of a surprise. They spent a couple of months moving between a couple of bins and laid their eggs and we also had several slow worms in the same bin.

 

I tend to pile up material, mix it, then pop in the bins. They then get left until winter before emptying. 

[Trailoftears]

17 minutes ago, nepia said:

Wow; turning compost - such an evocative subject.  At least we now know how to wind up a fellow member in the future.  'I bet you turn your compost.  DON'T YOU; DON'T YOU'!

 

I'm a turner.  There - I've said it.  I may not be proud but it's me.  I do it to aerate; sometimes I generate new heat by doing it so it's not all bad.

 

But I'm also a no digger of woodchip veggie beds so please forgive me the error of my ways

I forgive you-absolutely.However,in the 'next place' it might not go so well.There will be ample heat and turning aplenty too- indeed I'm seeing rotation,hot bonfires,skewers etc.Remember-there's  still time to mend your ways.... 👹

[scbk]

I built a compost area with a tin roof, and more old tin on the sides. Split into 2 bays at first but now going to be 3 bays. Given we get plenty of rain, and you don't want the compost totally sodden, or the nutrients washed out.

And even though the old tin has a few holes in it, I think it's too dry now. Maybe work better if you were constantly chucking wet/green material on it.

[Welshfred]

I build a single pile each year, about 6x6 square, starting now with a layer of sticks and stems for airflow. I don't have sides so the rats don't get cosy but build it straight up as layered and straight sided as possible with all the garden and kitchen waste, comfrey, wood ash, chicken shit/straw, grass clippings, brown cardboard and quite a lot of piss. It get to six foot high sometimes but drops again quickly, over days and does get a heat up in the summer.

I then leave that for a year before turning to mix any dry spots, clumps etc and leave for another summer before use. Last year I got 12 barrows full off it.

This year I'm experimenting growing potatoes in the 2nd year heap to get them out of the garden rotation and avoiding Lots of digging. Also hoping to grow some alfalfa in the area round the heap as another bulk composting crop, soaking up any leached nutrient.

All a bit behind this year as I had to fell a big Ash into the area and didn't want to trash the spuds.

 

Edited March 20 by Welshfred
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