Green Cone

[Odsox]

I was given a Green Cone digester about six months ago and have been using it since, mainly as a depository of bones.
I have to say that I was very sceptical about it's claimed abilities to digest bones, especially when you see archaeologists on TV digging up 5,000 year old bones.
But ... I opened the lid this morning to throw some more bones in and was very surprised to feel a waft of warm air on my face.
So I decided to investigate a bit.
Now, we have just had 4 days of really cold weather with night frosts ... very unusual for this location before the new year.
I have a digital thermometer with a remote probe, so here are the measurements.
Ground temperature ... 6.0c, air temperature at the time ... 7.5c, temperature inside the Green Cone with the lid shut ... 14.1c.
Clearly something is going on in there, presumably digestion, so maybe it does work.
I'm still slightly sceptical, but maybe less so now.

[ellie12022]

I didn't know the Cone took bones as well. I have been wondering about one, in fact looked at the websit the other day.

I would love to know how you get on. And how was it to set up?

[JulieSherris]

....................Now, we have just had 4 days of really cold weather with night frosts ... very unusual for this location before the new year.
I have a digital thermometer with a remote probe, so here are the measurements.
Ground temperature ... 6.0c, air temperature at the time ... 7.5c, temperature .....................

Whaaaaa!!!!!!

I am wishing hubby took the job at Abbott's in Cork right now!

The last few nights, our outdoor thermometer has been reading between -3 & -7.... during the day I don't think it's gotten above 1 degree in the shade, although the sun was nice yesterday...... I don't want more rain, I think we've had enough this year, but a little cloud cover would be nice to raise temperatures.
When was it this cold so early on in Winter? Is it a warning of things to come?
Where's global warming when you want it?

Julie

[Odsox]

Whaaaaa!!!!!!

I am wishing hubby took the job at Abbott's in Cork right now!

The last few nights, our outdoor thermometer has been reading between -3 & -7.... during the day I don't think it's gotten above 1 degree in the shade

Oh dear, it sounds like you are living at the wrong end of the country
I just checked my weather station and the minimum temperature since it was last reset (abt 2 months ago) was +3.4c
Still low enough for a ground frost though.

[Odsox]

I didn't know the Cone took bones as well. I have been wondering about one, in fact looked at the websit the other day.

I would love to know how you get on. And how was it to set up?

From their website .... The Green Cone System takes all cooked and uncooked food waste, including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, fruit and vegetables.
The only problem setting it up was digging a circular hole about 2 feet deep, other than that twas easy.
I think it must be working, I feed it mainly bones .. everything else is either composted or fed to the dog or chicken, and it doesn't seem to be filling up.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I didn't know the Cone took bones as well. I have been wondering about one, in fact looked at the websit the other day.

I would love to know how you get on. And how was it to set up?

From their website .... The Green Cone System takes all cooked and uncooked food waste, including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, fruit and vegetables.
The only problem setting it up was digging a circular hole about 2 feet deep, other than that twas easy.
I think it must be working, I feed it mainly bones .. everything else is either composted or fed to the dog or chicken, and it doesn't seem to be filling up.

Digesting bones sounds highly impressive. I'm not familiar with green cones: what do you do with the effluent? Can it be used as normal compost or is it more a concentrated plant food?

[Odsox]

Digesting bones sounds highly impressive. I'm not familiar with green cones: what do you do with the effluent? Can it be used as normal compost or is it more a concentrated plant food?

No, it's not like composting.
You just keep throwing stuff in and it's supposed to disappear, as if by magic
Any liquid effluent soaks away into the soil, about two feet down.
As I said, I am still a wee bit sceptical. But it cost me nothing, and bones and chicken carcasses are the only things I can't recycle so I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[Annpan]

Have you put it by fruit trees by any chance? I fancy trying one but not having the funds at the moment I had thought about somehow sinking an old soil pipe (3feet long) into the ground by my fruit trees so I can dispose of food waste there.

I currently put everything (including chicken bones and cooked food) on my huge daleks - they hold about 1.5 cubic meters and get pretty darn hot... I have yet to find any remnants of bones older than 6-9 months old, so they are disappearing somehow. We don't get rats here either, our cat and next doors jack russel seem to have scared them off.

[Odsox]

Have you put it by fruit trees by any chance?

Yes, it's surrounded by fruit but as the drain off is 2' down I don't think it helps the closest plants .. gooseberries, raspberries and a loganberry.
But it is only a few feet away from the apple trees so may do some good there.

I currently put everything (including chicken bones and cooked food) on my huge daleks

Not an option for me, my (next door) daughter's dogs would get at them.
My veg garden is fenced, but if I forget and leave the gate open when I have been using bone meal, or especially chicken poo pellets, my garden ends up looking like a battlefield.