Hotbin composters - any fire risk
 

On 08/08/2017 12:56, Martin Brown wrote:

I confess to being a little mystified that people have trouble getting
lawn clippings to go. Mine go very quickly indeed provided that I don't
compact them - peak temperature is reached in about three days. I'm
adding about 1m^3 at a time and they are mostly gone within a fortnight.

I think it is all a matter of scale.

I find that it helps if the clippings are added as soon as they are cut
and not left to dry out on the lawn before collection. With a petrol
mower I can cut the grass when it is damp and tend to get better
composting results when the moisture content is medium to high.

To get a compost heap/bin hot, even during the summer, it does take a
minimum quantity of composting material added at the same time. Even in
the videos for the Insulated Hotbin they state that the claimed results
are only achievable with the with a minimum fill with new material.

I have a plastic dustbin in which I store torn up cardboard, paper
shreddings and small amount of kitchen waste and the collateral damage
from weeding. When I cut my lawn I get around 4 collection baskets of
clippings or at the end of growing seasons when I get a large amount of
plant material I add a couple of buckets of water to the dustbin with
the card etc. and thoroughly mix the contents with the grass clippings
or green material when filling/topping up a bin. I also add a small
amount of fully or partially composted material from one of my other
bins. This usually rots down fast in the summer months.

If you have a bin that has 'stalled' the next time you have a large
quantity of grass clippings of fresh green material mix the contents of
the old bin with the new material. This may/will get you above the
critical mass and probably result in faster composting.

A tip for tearing up large cardboard boxes is to flatten them down and
leave them outside until after a period of rain. Wet card tears easily
and parcel tape etc. is easily removed. Just watch out for boxes that
have a shiny fully printed images. The shiny bit could be a plastic
layer but again can often be pealed off easily if the under-laying card
is fully soaked.

My recollection from my parents small garden
was that grass cuttings on a cold heap often went slimy and anaerobic.

But once there is enough materials tuning it over and re-mixing with
woody material or torn up cardboard will get it started.


I did originally seed my compost heaps with Garotta (sp?) which may have
made a difference and might help get a smaller heap going well and hot.


Just add a bucket of urine or if you have some privacy just pee on your
heap.

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