I bought a 60l outdoor bin planning to compost the leaves that are falling into my yard but have got cold feet about it. About the commitment, whether it’s going to turn sour and smelly, whether I need a second bin to store the finished compost so I don’t have to sort it out immediately… I don’t have as much energy anymore.
The zucchini plants are still bravely sending up male flowers but this powdery mildew has them in a bad way. I sprayed a week or two ago but keep waiting for the cool of night to spray them again and forgetting. When they’re finished the potting mix probably needs to be sterilised before reuse or I need to plant things that aren’t susceptible to it.
Didn’t think this through… it’s a bit much to sterilise in boiling water and I’m not sure if solarisation with bin bags over the pots would work. I haven’t drilled holes in the big black bin yet so maybe if I piled it in there and left it in the hot sun for months. Things could turn mouldy or sour though as Autumn and Winter might not keep it hot enough.
If it’s just leaves it shouldn’t stink up the joint (depending on how sensitive you are to smells). Is the bottom of the bin exposed to the ground or is it fully sealed when the lid is on/closed?
Everything is fully sealed. The guide (if this is for actual composting) asks for air holes to be drilled but I haven’t done it yet.
I am pretty picky about smells but more just worried about things getting mouldy or slimy in the wrong way and having to deal with that. And the organisation aspects
Edit: There would be grass clippings and possibly the occasional vegetable scraps too. There’s a bag of old onions that would work
I have pretty much just a hole in the ground probably about 400mm deep, a bit smaller then the size of a pallet, with 4 pallets around the out side to from a kind of fence to keep dogs and fox’s out, and i throw everything in there, even a full dead chicken, feathers and all, and i probably only noticed the smell maybe twice, every few weeks just threw in some of the dirt and straw layer and let the worms and bugs and microbes do there thing then dig out a bit when you need it but without knowing your yard layout or physical ability it might not work for you
Maybe start with just the leaf litter. Add some soil if you’re going to drop some worms in there otherwise it’s probably not necessary. The litter should be lighter to work with then all three together (soil, litter and scraps) and shouldn’t slime or mould the tub up as much as scraps (if at all). It probably wont need as much attention as composting scraps as well. An alternative to soil for worms is a peat brick if you can get a hold of one. Not sure if it’s the environmentally friendly thing to use any more though. If you do add worms use a fork to stir and not a spade, don’t let the bottom get boggy and make sure the tub is always in a cool shady spot all year round as the worms wont have anywhere to retreat to in the heat.
Thanks. I might not add worms because they’re expensive and I don’t want to accidentally burn them or accidentally let them dry out. My yard doesn’t get shade
I bought a 60l outdoor bin planning to compost the leaves that are falling into my yard but have got cold feet about it. About the commitment, whether it’s going to turn sour and smelly, whether I need a second bin to store the finished compost so I don’t have to sort it out immediately… I don’t have as much energy anymore.
The zucchini plants are still bravely sending up male flowers but this powdery mildew has them in a bad way. I sprayed a week or two ago but keep waiting for the cool of night to spray them again and forgetting. When they’re finished the potting mix probably needs to be sterilised before reuse or I need to plant things that aren’t susceptible to it.
Didn’t think this through… it’s a bit much to sterilise in boiling water and I’m not sure if solarisation with bin bags over the pots would work. I haven’t drilled holes in the big black bin yet so maybe if I piled it in there and left it in the hot sun for months. Things could turn mouldy or sour though as Autumn and Winter might not keep it hot enough.
If it’s just leaves it shouldn’t stink up the joint (depending on how sensitive you are to smells). Is the bottom of the bin exposed to the ground or is it fully sealed when the lid is on/closed?
Everything is fully sealed. The guide (if this is for actual composting) asks for air holes to be drilled but I haven’t done it yet.
I am pretty picky about smells but more just worried about things getting mouldy or slimy in the wrong way and having to deal with that. And the organisation aspects
Edit: There would be grass clippings and possibly the occasional vegetable scraps too. There’s a bag of old onions that would work
What guide are you using?
This one https://www.younghouselove.com/younghouselovedotcompost/
I have pretty much just a hole in the ground probably about 400mm deep, a bit smaller then the size of a pallet, with 4 pallets around the out side to from a kind of fence to keep dogs and fox’s out, and i throw everything in there, even a full dead chicken, feathers and all, and i probably only noticed the smell maybe twice, every few weeks just threw in some of the dirt and straw layer and let the worms and bugs and microbes do there thing then dig out a bit when you need it but without knowing your yard layout or physical ability it might not work for you
Ah yeah, I don’t have a lot of physical ability or space. A pallet bin would have been good if I did
Maybe start with just the leaf litter. Add some soil if you’re going to drop some worms in there otherwise it’s probably not necessary. The litter should be lighter to work with then all three together (soil, litter and scraps) and shouldn’t slime or mould the tub up as much as scraps (if at all). It probably wont need as much attention as composting scraps as well. An alternative to soil for worms is a peat brick if you can get a hold of one. Not sure if it’s the environmentally friendly thing to use any more though. If you do add worms use a fork to stir and not a spade, don’t let the bottom get boggy and make sure the tub is always in a cool shady spot all year round as the worms wont have anywhere to retreat to in the heat.
Thanks. I might not add worms because they’re expensive and I don’t want to accidentally burn them or accidentally let them dry out. My yard doesn’t get shade