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Hot Composting
Sue B2
Posts: 1
I am a real newbe, I read, in the dentist wating room about hot composting, where even perennial weeds can be used. with a limited garden space would hot composting be a method to use.
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I send perennial tap roots and seeded weeds to the council. I don't believe a small scale bin can get hot enough to kill them.
They say you need a compost bin of at least a metre square to get things hot. Also layering is best for hot composting - that is, accruing all the materials before hand (greens and browns - see link) and layering them at one time for optimum results.
Having a three or more bins makes life easier to collect materials, leave full bins to decompose and start new ones. I have a small garden and I have three smallish plastic bins and they never get hot, even with regular turning and care, because they are too small. They are still great - I get finished compost in about three months from start to finish in the summer - but they do not kill pathogens, weed seeds etc. I, like Fidget, give diseased matter and weeds to the council.
There are loads of great websites and books out there on composting. Check out Youtube also. I hope this helps.
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/
I have a colleague who has a " hot bin". She swears by it.
She admits they're very expensive and she's only got a small garden,but she raves about how quick it is.
I have heard good things about the special hot composting bins, but they are tiny, so you would not be able to make much compost.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I had another 5 cubic metres of woodchip delivered this morning so I'll be sticking with my builders' dumpy sacks.
We've got a source of pure horse poo, no straw, when we turn the compost its smoking in the middle, quick turn over of two months in the summer, we have two, one metre wood containers, five big ex farrm liquid butts, and then put in into compost sacks to finish.
its amazing how quickly you can fill a bin, we also put out five big council bags for green waste every fortnight through the summer. As Fidget says, no perennial weeds. I won't put anything to do with roses or brambles in there either, the prickles seem to stay.
Last edited: 06 July 2017 09:39:36