Last fall, I had one bin and enough compost at the bottom to topdress my small backyard. I added a second bin, and have been doing small debris on the right, and branches Ans whatnot on the left. What can I do to speed up, or at least improve, the process?
(My wife wants to grow tomatoes in the smaller wooden bin again this year.)
by maceo107
6 Comments
You need a machete for the middle bin. You may think I’m joking but they are so useful for composting. I made quick work of all my pumpkins and vines last fall with one. Or a small wood chipper would work, but a machete is more fun.
Those “compostable” bags are really just compostable in commercial composting facilities. I’ve never tried any myself but have not heard good things. And as the other commenter said you’ll probably want to cut down that stuff in the other bin if you want useable compost within the next few years.
All you need is time. My 1/3 acre garden is not patient. I shred everything and build a finished load in 3-4 weeks
I have a two step process as well. One bin (tumbler) for all my kitchen scraps and one pile for yard waste. When the yard waste has compacted and gets moldy, and the scraps are mushy and poopy I combine the two with a health dose of greens and coffee grounds. You’re kind of doing the same thing here. However, the middle bin needs to be chopped up or run through a chipper, a pile of sticks will take years to break down where as a pile of wood chips will take a fraction of the time, especially when you mix in all those food scraps and come coffee grounds.
Nice work !!
I love your set up with the posts and removable side parts! I am going to steal your idea