It depends what you put in the mix. If it's all very small non-woody prunings and kitchen waste and paper, I can get good compost in three months in a rubbish bin without turning much. The bigger the pieces, the long it takes. A sealed bin (with drainage holes) holds in the heat and the moisture. As I'm adding bits from the garden - plus a bit of soil, and manure (if I have it), the compost is packed with worms and bugs and fungi that speed up the process. Like sour dough, add a dollop of your last finished compost to your next bin to get it going. A low rubbish bin (with a lid) makes it easy to empty and turn. They cost about £10. My bins are in a sheltered spot against a shed, on the ground, so that will help keep them a bit warmer.
I don't really turn them. Once during a cycle, I empty the contents from one bin to another, to aerate and finish off. At that point, I add more of what might be needed - paper/wood chip to dry things out or greens/water to moisten things up.
Thank you everyone again, in hindsight I should have asked the builders to leave a gap of 4 paving stones.
Fire & Posy: The mix has already been removed, sifted and put back 5 times but I will add some earth and commercial compost. Butterfly66: They were originally standing on large plastic trays but the rain collected in them, also, small daily amounts of used hay with the chicken poo was added but no twigs that would take longer to break down. Fairygirl: Until this year the larger bin produced perfect compost by April.
The most successful year was 2018 when adding several large bags of seaweed and 3 year old leaf mould made the seedlings grow 30% faster and produced 40% more tomatoes alongside identical pots using John Innes No3.
To be honest, I think they're too small. You'll get compost eventually but it will be quite a small amount in the end. The bigger the heap the more 'activity' it will create. It wont necessarily heat up - domestic heaps quite often don't - but you'll get more fungal activity. I think one or two 'dalek' type bins would be more useful.
Chris-P-Bacon: My friends have bigger gardens and their proper heaps really heat up whereas my bins never have. However, I've heard cold composting eventually produces a richer mix and the commercial bags are 'steamed' for sterilisation purposes which kills off the weeds but also reduces the goodness.
Fairygirl: If you look at the 2 photos, last year I had my garden improved with a shed/cabin taking priority. The builders then filled in the gaps with gravel paths, paving plus fruit & veg cages and the space for compost bins got overlooked.
Is there room in the corner by the shed? How about purpose built, long bins, along the fence where you have the current ones? That would give you more capacity. Your fruit/veg/greenhouse area is lovely - bigger than my entire garden
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you everyone again, in hindsight I should have asked the builders to leave a gap of 4 paving stones.
Fire & Posy: The mix has already been removed, sifted and put back 5 times but I will add some earth and commercial compost. Butterfly66: They were originally standing on large plastic trays but the rain collected in them, also, small daily amounts of used hay with the chicken poo was added but no twigs that would take longer to break down. Fairygirl: Until this year the larger bin produced perfect compost by April.
The most successful year was 2018 when adding several large bags of seaweed and 3 year old leaf mould made the seedlings grow 30% faster and produced 40% more tomatoes alongside identical pots using John Innes No3.
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Fire & Posy: The mix has already been removed, sifted and put back 5 times but I will add some earth and commercial compost.
Butterfly66: They were originally standing on large plastic trays but the rain collected in them, also, small daily amounts of used hay with the chicken poo was added but no twigs that would take longer to break down.
Fairygirl: Until this year the larger bin produced perfect compost by April.
The most successful year was 2018 when adding several large bags of seaweed and 3 year old leaf mould made the seedlings grow 30% faster and produced 40% more tomatoes alongside identical pots using John Innes No3.
You'll get compost eventually but it will be quite a small amount in the end.
The bigger the heap the more 'activity' it will create. It wont necessarily heat up - domestic heaps quite often don't - but you'll get more fungal activity.
I think one or two 'dalek' type bins would be more useful.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Your fruit/veg/greenhouse area is lovely - bigger than my entire garden
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Why add commercial compost?