Composting on a small scale

[LauraT]

I would like to hve some sort of compost bin but the only ones i see are huge and as i live alone there is no chance I would ever fill it. would it be possible to compost in a bucket?

[Chickpea]

The thing is, size matters in composting. The bigger the better. Decomposing materials give off heat and heat speeds decomposition. A little heap loses heat quicker than a big one, and decomposition can grind to a halt.

The way around that is to use worms, so how about a wormery? Here's one:

http://tinyurl.com/nu8jt

Here are some more:

http://www.originalorganics.co.uk/wormeries.htm

I've never used one myself, but I've noticed that everyone who does get one turns into a huge worm fan, even if they were very sceptical to start with. In fact they can be quite annoying in their evangelical zeal, so I reckon wormeries must be good.

[Boots]

I made my first compost in a garbage bin, which I first put in the back yard uncertain if it might smell... It didn't, so I brought it up next to the back door for convenience.

I put small holes around it, and have always given my composts the odd water - but we are pretty hot over here, and moisture/humidity would have a different effect to chilling/freezing I guess.

I kept a bag of potting mix or a pile of dropped leaves/blossoms/grass clippings/mulchy stuff handy and would just sprinkle it on top of anything I added, and after forgetting it for a while, I ended up with a gorgeous compost and was really impressed.

I have a few different compost systems here now, and a real quick one (if I am building new beds) is to layer manures, stall muck, hay, paper and green mulch deep and then top with a cover of soil to plant in. I've had no probs with that, so I figure you could do that too, if you were wanting to pot plants... Quick compost in a bucket, and use as your base soil...half fill... then just top with potting mix or soil to establish your plant in. By the time the roots reach down, nature has done its thing.

Dunno... but it would be worth a shot if compost is your goal.

I'd give it a go - and once you start composting you might be surprised by how much you can actually add to it! Don't forget your vaccum cleaner bag or dustpan stuff... your cooking water... any pet litter... papers (rip small, shred or pulp for small system)... Hair from your brushes... bottom of the birdcage... and the stuff on the back shelf of the fridge

I dunno if Floot is still floating around, but he has some good CHEAP alternatives to commercial worm farms...

Good luck with it!

[Kirstykbart]

I've read somewhere that you can make compost in a small bag, like an old compost bag (cos it's black inside). Can't remember where I saw it. Shall have a look and see if I can find it.

[Kirstykbart]

can't find it at all now, and wondering if I've just made it up!!!

oh well, at least I'm Jerry now 8)

Kirsty

[Andy Hamilton]

you could try the composting with worms book by G pilkington, it is pretty good and covers all you need to know.

I also think that you would be surprised about how much you can compost, remember you can put torn up cardboard and paper in there too. There are only two of us in our house at the moment and our bin manages to stay pretty well topped up.

[DaisyDaisy]

I am still a bit of a worm newbie but it seems to be a handy solution in a small garden.

I started out with a Junior wormery, but one way or another it didn't have a good start in life and after a while when I investigated the contents only 1 worm was left!! I also found that despite being a single person houehold I was producing too much compostable matter for it to cope with.

Now I have a can-o-worms from wigglywigglers http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/fo ... qSg1749EF3
This seems to be going along nicely - after only a month I've taken some worm tea from it and the worms are still a-wiggling. Every couple of days I need to check the worms aren't trying to escape downwards, but hopoe that this will get better once I add the next layer of the contraption to it.

[wulf]

If you compost your garden waste and suitable kitchen waste (vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, etc), you'll probably be surprised how quickly you build up a fair amount of material. With two of us in my household, we get plenty of compostable material and I'm sure that, through economies of scale, one person will produce somewhere more than half as much as two.

Wulf

[Wormella]

here's another site offering work top wormeries

I just can't seem to convince my OH that
a) we have room for one
b) we have room big enough to take all of our food scraps
c) we'd have use for all the worm tea
d) that it's perfectly safe and natural to have a big tub o worms in the flat

[Ranter]

I'll give another vote for the wormery - I wouldn't be without mine. I also have the junior one & it's not really big enough, even though there's usually only me here. Thankfully, I now have shares in an allottment & have a large compost bin there, so everything I can't fit/ put in the wormery is taken up there.

The wormery liquid is a fantastic liquid food for house plants as well as those outside. If you can't use it all, I'm sure you'll know people who can.

[Wormella]

The wormery liquid is a fantastic liquid food for house plants as well as those outside. If you can't use it all, I'm sure you'll know people who can.

Thats my argument too - might just buy one at some point!

[the.fee.fairy]

have a look at wigglywigglers.co.uk they've got some bokashi composters that are designed to compost on a small scale in a small space.

[The Chili Monster]

I'm looking to purchase one of those worktop wormeries (for the kitchen). Meanwhile, I continue to trawl the web for some instructions I saw on the net for constructing my own.

Editing

Here's a link for a DIY Wormery:
http://www.troubleatmill.com/wormbin.htm
No good for indoors, though.

[Christine]

My sister bought me a wormery for a birthday and the liquid was great for the garden. Unfortunately, all the worms vanished (oh, OK, they died and decomposed) after about a year but I kept it in the kitchen and it didn't smell at all (unlike the liquid - which is rank!)
I'm on my own and have a similar problem with quantities but I'll try adding paper as per Boots' post. Anyway, it takes about a year to fill half a standard bin with compost - but it's really good stuff.

Anyone know whether I could put the cat's waste food into the bin? It forms most of the organic matter (except paper) that I produce and put in the bin but most advice says no meat, no cooked foods...