"terryc" wrote in message
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:52:13 +1100, FarmI wrote:

http://www.rivenrock.com/composttypes.htm

Frankly, anaerobic composting sounds like a fancy title for making compost
badly and slowly.

I didn't gain that view from reading that cite. In fact I thought the
opposite - the product finally produced takes a lot of time but ends up
being more nitrogen rich and more humus like. That's the sort of compost I
like.

Whoever wrote it certainly doesn't like anaerobic piles though and his
admission that anaeobic piles worked was rather grudging.

If you read the site above, it rabbits on about how to
correct the smelly nitrogen rich pile, which basically comes down to
making it aerobic again.

Indeed. But the writer is rabbiting on about 'piles' not bins. Bins are a
bit too hard to turn effectively and the Geyde is specifically designed as
an anaerobic system.

Caveat, I can not be bothered putting all the work into turning compost
piles either and I loath compost recipes as I have better ways to burn
money. Instead, I just load it all into the top of the bin (10L, 20L,
40L and 2x cubic metres atm) and let it sit there. Sure, sometimes it is
anaerobic aka stinks, in which case,I'll drive the crowbar through the
middle to allow air in, but mostly it is aerobic, as the worms moving up
and down and creating ventilation tunnels. They all have open bottoms as
that allows the worms to escape down into the ground it we have a really
hot day. This is probably an essential difference.

Note, if you want the worm to work all the way to the top, a light tight
lid or bag/carpet on top seems essential.

When it comes time to harvest the compost, the top 6-12* generally
gets turned into the bottom of the next bin, as does any worm balls or
worm rich soil. Also, thick sticks, stalks, clumbed newspapers and
anything else that can not be worked through the 1/2"x 1/2" mesh also go
through a number of bin lives.

They might have an win in that anaerobic composting creates a nitrogen
rich compost as we do really well with leafy greens.

I've found all the same things as you have with my Geyde bins with the
exception of a pong - never noticed that, it may be there but I've never
managed to get a whiff of a pong. And I don't sieve, I just chuck anything
on the outside and top into the other bin, or the bottom of the one I've
just cleaned out.

But, if one of these closed bins is all you have, then it is still
better than consigning the organic matter to landfill.

I have a couple of tumblers too and I like them but I often forget to tumble
them. I have often had to unload them and soak the contents since they've
dried out to be crisp. When I remember to tumble, they are great, but then
I've found they are hopeless for kitchen scraps.

Although, we have friends who consider any composting a complete waste of
tme and effort. They claim you should just bury it directly into holes in
the garden. I guess being in Perth, this is easy in the sandy soil.

That works well too but if there are foxes around, it's not a method I
prefer. The sods dig it up.