Such a great time of year for infrastructure work on the plot i struck gold with woodchip last weekend and iv chipped the whole plot plus my garden paths plus a load of manure and iv now aggrivated my shoulder arrrggh irritating good luck 4 the season
There's definitely a knack to get good compost from a hot bin. I've been told not to do lasagne layers and think more along the line of Bolognaise sauce - mix all the ingredients together each time you add some more in. I hope that helps!
Fascinating update on the hot composter. Not sure I'd be able to generate enough matter to do the hot composter method. I use a geo bin myself, and I'm able to generate enough compost for supplementing my needs during the season.
JB don't be too down hearted picking up new skills takes time and persistence. If you take the time to do the preparation of the materials (chopping and shredding) film it so it then becomes part of the process and we will be able to see what it involves over time. Plod on and stick with it 👍
I'm reference to the hot composter. I grow comfrey in my garden (makes available lots of minerals for plants. I plant beside my fruit trees). But it can produce lots of green material! You could put in spots out if the way as a way to help make more green material.
Got a hotbin for christmas and i'm enjoying the process of learning how it works. I'm putting a lot of cardboard and paper in compared to green to stop it getting wet, have pre-shreded sacks full of material and stored it as the ratios have to be right for it to work so need stuff on hand. I did get it up to 60c fairly easily but has struggled in the freeze of the last week. I think your expectations of having some kind of ready seed compost straight from it are somewhat unrealistic. Whichever way compost is produce it would require further processing in the from of sieving and drying to get seed starting compost from it. Think it's worth persevering with the hot composter, but they are a lot of constant work to get them to work efficiently
I have a small hot composter There’s 2 of us but I mow my daughters lawn to. I put kitchen waste and scrap paper Amazon card board in twice a week fully mixed. I add grass clipping every other week and repeat through the season. Lasagne style composting doesn’t work you do need to mix before you put/in the bun. I had a valve at the bottom of mine for run off but yes it get wet the thermometer is not a tight fit and let’s in rain water. At I harvest with a trowel as it’s heavy and easier to remove small amounts from the opening side panel. Overall I like it more than a deleck but I do have 2 of those for hedge waste and large things I don’t cut up when I’m feeling overwhelmed A mix and match approach
JB I have the small Hotbin. I like it as processes everything very fast. I agree it runs very wet but I get loads of run off liquid fertilizer which I’m storing in milk bottles for use on the garden in the spring and summer. What I do (I’ve had this for a year now) is empty it every 10 weeks approx. putting back in the top third to the bottom to mix with the new intake. Then what I’ve harvested I leave to cure in bins/bags etc., as it’s very mulch textured at that point. Fine to go out on the beds but not yet compost as we want it. I need to just keep the process going to increase my stock of curing compost hitch I’ll dry off in the warmer months. I do get it up to 50-60 every four days so I know it’s doing its job, the worms move up from the bottom as the layers cool. I’ve always got them in there on the lower cooling layers. I figure that’s their job and they go into the curing batches.
I think your hot bin compost will be full of goodness. Perhaps the worms invaded it after it composted down at high temperatures (maybe). I don't really know much about it but even though it was wet it did look like nice compost to me. Hope you have a great gardening year, and a lovely trip to Japan.
Thanks for the insights ref hotbins, I've always contemplated them but never got around to it as the three "pallet" style home made ones at the plot work really well for us, although they have needed repairing a few times over the last 25 years. We get several cubic meters of good compost out of them every year with minimal effort (everything goes in whole, and they get turned once). Then I have two wheelliebin style wormeries at home that take the garden weeds, food waste and card and paper. The idea of having to phaff around chopping everything up really doesn't appeal, I'd rather be 😊 gardening 😊😊
I only use my pallet bins which do give me now a decent amount of compost to top of my beds. I have wondered about getting a hotbin as you can put more cooked food waste in apparently, as I think Eli and Kate do (need to go back to their videos again it has been a while). But apart from the cost (I would have got a small one) I am concerned about vermin, even though they are sealed pretty well. I grow at home and I already have an issue with the occasional rat in my cold bins and that is just peelings and greens from the veg beds and cardboard but rats eat anything. Luckily my local foxes have been dealing with that issue at the end of the garden. Like you I was expecting you to turn out a gorgeous layer of compost so it's a shame but at least it will give your crops in the greenhouse a great start for sure.
Just fill the hotbin with manure I have lined pallet bays I fill with fresh horse manure from jan to may and I use it in oct nov dec it's imo fine 2 use is generally loose and well broken down probably only take a cpl mths in a hot bin
Hi JB I will be making a hot bin from pallets and insulation to finish off the compost created by the chickens. And if my peppers don’t germinate this week I will order from Grown Local and start again. Hard work therm raised beds? Is it worth it as they don’t seem to last. Anyhow you’re putting in the graft, hope you have a great season.
If you want more heat in the hotbin, then maybe you need more greens as that is the nitrogen, and that makes the heat, not the brown, that is the carbon
I am surprised at the results of your hotbed compost does not look too good. In my small home garden 20ft x 24ft, compost bins are too wide to fit along side of my bungalow, instead I use 3 x 120 litre heavy duty garden waste bags which I have made holes at the bottom and approx 6” up the sides, to let out moisture. I follow the procedure of layers, cutting up contents. regular turning and moving contents from bag to bag. Don’t throw away any garden waste and produce approx 150 to 200 litres of compost per year. Also do a lot of container gardening both flower/Veg keeping all the used compost, mixing it with fresh home made compost plus a feed. 2025 will be 3rd year
Such a great time of year for infrastructure work on the plot i struck gold with woodchip last weekend and iv chipped the whole plot plus my garden paths plus a load of manure and iv now aggrivated my shoulder arrrggh irritating good luck 4 the season
There's definitely a knack to get good compost from a hot bin. I've been told not to do lasagne layers and think more along the line of Bolognaise sauce - mix all the ingredients together each time you add some more in. I hope that helps!
Fascinating update on the hot composter. Not sure I'd be able to generate enough matter to do the hot composter method. I use a geo bin myself, and I'm able to generate enough compost for supplementing my needs during the season.
Good honest review on the hot compost bin 👌 Last vlog was good BTW it showed you are normal 😊
JB don't be too down hearted picking up new skills takes time and persistence. If you take the time to do the preparation of the materials (chopping and shredding) film it so it then becomes part of the process and we will be able to see what it involves over time.
Plod on and stick with it 👍
That was really interesting JB. Thanks!
I'm reference to the hot composter. I grow comfrey in my garden (makes available lots of minerals for plants. I plant beside my fruit trees). But it can produce lots of green material! You could put in spots out if the way as a way to help make more green material.
Got a hotbin for christmas and i'm enjoying the process of learning how it works. I'm putting a lot of cardboard and paper in compared to green to stop it getting wet, have pre-shreded sacks full of material and stored it as the ratios have to be right for it to work so need stuff on hand. I did get it up to 60c fairly easily but has struggled in the freeze of the last week. I think your expectations of having some kind of ready seed compost straight from it are somewhat unrealistic. Whichever way compost is produce it would require further processing in the from of sieving and drying to get seed starting compost from it. Think it's worth persevering with the hot composter, but they are a lot of constant work to get them to work efficiently
I have a small hot composter There’s 2 of us but I mow my daughters lawn to. I put kitchen waste and scrap paper Amazon card board in twice a week fully mixed. I add grass clipping every other week and repeat through the season. Lasagne style composting doesn’t work you do need to mix before you put/in the bun. I had a valve at the bottom of mine for run off but yes it get wet the thermometer is not a tight fit and let’s in rain water. At I harvest with a trowel as it’s heavy and easier to remove small amounts from the opening side panel. Overall I like it more than a deleck but I do have 2 of those for hedge waste and large things I don’t cut up when I’m feeling overwhelmed A mix and match approach
JB I have the small Hotbin. I like it as
processes everything very fast. I agree it runs very wet but I get loads of run off liquid fertilizer which I’m storing in milk bottles for use on the garden in the spring and summer. What I do (I’ve had this for a year now) is empty it every 10 weeks approx. putting back in the top third to the bottom to mix with the new intake. Then what I’ve harvested I leave to cure in bins/bags etc., as it’s very mulch textured at that point. Fine to go out on the beds but not yet compost as we want it. I need to just keep the process going to increase my stock of curing compost hitch I’ll dry off in the warmer months. I do get it up to 50-60 every four days so I know it’s doing its job, the worms move up from the bottom as the layers cool. I’ve always got them in there on the lower cooling layers. I figure that’s their job and they go into the curing batches.
I think your hot bin compost will be full of goodness. Perhaps the worms invaded it after it composted down at high temperatures (maybe). I don't really know much about it but even though it was wet it did look like nice compost to me. Hope you have a great gardening year, and a lovely trip to Japan.
Thanks for the insights ref hotbins, I've always contemplated them but never got around to it as the three "pallet" style home made ones at the plot work really well for us, although they have needed repairing a few times over the last 25 years. We get several cubic meters of good compost out of them every year with minimal effort (everything goes in whole, and they get turned once). Then I have two wheelliebin style wormeries at home that take the garden weeds, food waste and card and paper.
The idea of having to phaff around chopping everything up really doesn't appeal, I'd rather be 😊 gardening 😊😊
I only use my pallet bins which do give me now a decent amount of compost to top of my beds. I have wondered about getting a hotbin as you can put more cooked food waste in apparently, as I think Eli and Kate do (need to go back to their videos again it has been a while). But apart from the cost (I would have got a small one) I am concerned about vermin, even though they are sealed pretty well. I grow at home and I already have an issue with the occasional rat in my cold bins and that is just peelings and greens from the veg beds and cardboard but rats eat anything. Luckily my local foxes have been dealing with that issue at the end of the garden.
Like you I was expecting you to turn out a gorgeous layer of compost so it's a shame but at least it will give your crops in the greenhouse a great start for sure.
Just fill the hotbin with manure I have lined pallet bays I fill with fresh horse manure from jan to may and I use it in oct nov dec it's imo fine 2 use is generally loose and well broken down probably only take a cpl mths in a hot bin
Hi JB I will be making a hot bin from pallets and insulation to finish off the compost created by the chickens. And if my peppers don’t germinate this week I will order from Grown Local and start again. Hard work therm raised beds? Is it worth it as they don’t seem to last. Anyhow you’re putting in the graft, hope you have a great season.
When you starting your Chillies JB?
You ought to try and get some Japanese seeds while you’re away.
The no dig Norfolk Gardener has a vlog about his hot bed which he made himself and he seems to get a lot more than you, might be worth a look
If you want more heat in the hotbin, then maybe you need more greens as that is the nitrogen, and that makes the heat, not the brown, that is the carbon
You’re a fusspot! Makes sense tho!
I am surprised at the results of your hotbed compost does not look too good. In my small home garden 20ft x 24ft, compost bins are too wide to fit along side of my bungalow, instead I use 3 x 120 litre heavy duty garden waste bags which I have made holes at the bottom and approx 6” up the sides, to let out moisture. I follow the procedure of layers, cutting up contents. regular turning and moving contents from bag to bag. Don’t throw away any garden waste and produce approx 150 to 200 litres of compost per year. Also do a lot of container gardening both flower/Veg keeping all the used compost, mixing it with fresh home made compost plus a feed. 2025 will be 3rd year
Top Good work jb you the best te bed the compost thans te video Top week 🍁🧤👍😎🧣🧤👌🌤☕️🌡