Started about 8 weeks ago. I layered compost at the bottom before starting to pile scraps. This composter states you don’t have to turn/flip. Just feel like it should be further along by now? Thoughts? New to reddit so no idea if I’m doing this correctly 🙂
by alamby13
5 Comments
if u dont flip it you are going to need to wait a year or so. most non flipping com,posters have alot of air holes and such. This looks like a bad design but i havent looked at this model before. this appears to compost slower than just throwing it in the yard.
Yeah, I chop things up more finely for my compost bins but that’s because I’m feeding worms. Larger pieces take longer to break down. What I see in your bin is like unchewed food hitting the stomach.
~~This things feels like it leans more into “food waste disposal” than “compost bin for gardening.” My tumbler would’ve been farther along.~~
Did a little more research. It has a lung that provides aeration, so it should work fine. I think the main issue here is that there’s not quite enough mass yet to get the temperature up high enough.
Certainly chop it up finer. Also, if this is 8 typical weeks worth of food scraps this model might not be for you – it will all compost eventually but it might take ages to get there. To put it in perspective mine was full to the brim after 8 weeks (although that was over winter when things were taking longer to decompose).
It looks like you are doing fine to me. as you mentioned starting with finished compost in the bottom, you bring some of that to the top or just add another layer on top of your scraps.
there is plenty of structure/air and it’s not too wet. just keep adding to it, and the magic will happen.
That’s weeks of material, which tells me this pile
is being built slowly, and will likely breakdown slowly. If you assume a cold pile takes about a year, you are only 15% into the cycle. Dont worry about running out of room yet. it will start breaking down and make space for more.
I also have an aerobin brand, although not this fancy model. I would love to hear how you like it after a while.
this model has a novel feature for collecting “compost tea” which in this case is just extra liquid that drips off. You are going to want to empty that tank often to keep it from stinking. just use it to water around the drip line of a tree or shrub.