On 2011-08-01, Jake wrote:

On Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:10:50 +0100, Adam Funk
wrote:

I have one of those basic worm bins that councils often promote (open
bottom, narrower at the top, hatch on the side at the bottom for
shovelling out), and I find it quite difficult to get all the good
stuff out of the bottom without unfinished stuff collapsing down.
....
Just checking here - are we talking some sort of "wormery" or a
"Dalek" type compost bin? Sounds like the latter which I wouldn't call
a "worm bin". Whilst worms are a major (and essential) element in a
wormery, they are incidental in a compost bin/heap.

Aha, you're right. I have the "Dalek" type, which is (at least now)
described as a composter. In practice in my garden, it's an
open-bottomed worm bin, because (1) it's full of worms & (B) I have a
lot more kitchen waste & shredded paper than compostable garden waste.

I used to have two home-made worm bins (old dustbins with the bottoms
cut out) and replaced them with the Dalek when the council had a
special offer & I calculated that it would have more volume than the
two and less footprint.


Whilst the "Daleks" are reasonably well-performing bins, provided they
are sited right, their one downside, compared to the open compost
heap, is that they are difficult to turn unless you fork out for one
of those special turning tools. I have two which run on a 2-year
cycle. Dalek 1 gets filled in year 1 and left in year 2. Dalek 2 gets
filled in year 2 and left in year 3. Dalek 1 provides my spring
mulching etc. in year 3 and then gets refilled. From that point on, I
harvest each Dalek in alternate years when the contents are entirely
composted. So emptying doesn't present a problem. If you can't wait
for the entire bin-full to turn to compost, then you're really stuck
with the design flaw.

I don't really have room for two of them, or for a traditional pallet
composter, but that's a good point about the turning problem.