Cat(h) wrote:

On May 16, 2:29Â*pm, Zaf wrote:
Ive got one of those large bin-like composters and have been using it
for vegetable household waste for around 6 months , Â*it has 3 layers
where you have moveable shelves so that once the top layer has got full
you can move it down to the second layer, and so on till the 3rd layer
is ready to use.

BUT...

Mine is a horrible slimy soggy mess, Â*Ive been turning it religiously
every week and only putting in the things that are suggested.

what can I do to improve the situation? Â*HELP!!

--
Zaf

Add shredded paper or newspapers. Try to layer wet organic stuff (veg
peelings, weeds, grass clippings, etc.) with dry stuff (paper,
cardboard, straw, that sort of stuff) on an ongoing basis.
I'm not sure I know what you mean with the various shelves, mine is
just a straightforward bottomless square plastic box, but when I found
I had your problem some years ago, I emptied out all the soggy mess,
and re-started layering it with paper. It was not the most pleasant
of jobs, but it sorted out the problem.

Cat(h)

Had exactly this problem in our new garden, moved house recently. The
previous occupants obviously thought the "dalek" based compost bin was just
somewhere to dump grass cuttings. Hence one big nasty wet ball. Took the
bin off it all, broke it up. Put it back in the bin in layers of a few
inches of wet smelly grass and then cardboard and scrunched up paper.
Seems to be working, though it's early days yet. Probably have to do at
least one more turn before it'll settle down but hey that's what composting
is all about.

What Zaf mentioned sounds more like a wormery than a traditional compost
bin, they tend to be multi-layered so the worms can be kept away from the
compost you want to use, and away from the liquid they generate.

Duncan