What are the best compost bins?

[Mikekkk]

My compost bins, old style - require some effort and material to build

 

[Mikekkk]

And new style - just take some metal fence, wrap around and use plastic zip ties to fix it

 

[harrylee]

Since this thread came back up might as well throw in my 2 cents.
I basically have a spot in the corner of my yard, well away from the house that I make a compost pile. Leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste mainly. Turn it over every few weeks. Will add that to the garden in the spring when I till.

 

[Marck]

... I've always just piled up my compost in a big pile, but obviously that isn't ideal...

I have no idea why the OP thought a big compost pile "obviously isn't ideal".
I have two large ones, several small ones, and a lot mot organic mater decomposing in place as mulch, pathways and logs.
If I was tight for space I would use bins, but otherwise for cold composting its just extra hardware.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The black plastic bins do have some advantages, they warm up in the sun, round plastic is rodent proof if you stand it on a bit of aviary wire, The environment inside stops really persistent weeds, things with tap roots and such, surviving, and they contain the smell from kitchen waste well.

The wire circles illustrated above work fairly well, but the outside dries out and doesn't really rot. It's not a problem, just put it in with the next lot, but obviously the bigger the circumference the greater the proportion rotting, provided you have sufficient volume of rubbish to put in.

 

[davidinsydney]

We have one of those black compost bins which our local council subsides. We put our kitchen waste and yard trimmings and grass clippings there. We don’t go through that much kitchen waste compared to the size of the bin, so it is going to take a while to get finished compost, but it’s good way to reduce the amount of kitchen waste going to the landfill, as we can just dump it into the bin. It doesn’t smell and the lid is good to keep critters away. Sometimes when it rains, I take the lid off go the materials get water.

By the way, does anyone have experience composting Palm Fronds? They’re the bane of our existence as apparently they aren difficult to compost as they take shes to decompose.

 

[Marck]

If your kitchen waste compost is too hot, fragrant, or 'green', slow it down with more carbon-rich 'brown', material. This can be leaves and trimmings from your garden or shredded cardboard and newsprint. If you get the C/N balance and amount right you can 'hot' compost, but even if it doesn't get to the point that it generates its own heat, it should still break down fairly quickly in warm weather.

For palm fronds and other material that is slow to break-down. Do either one or both of the following
1.) Break the material up finer. Use clippers, heavy, shears, a pruning saw, or your hands, whatever works best.
2.) Put the material where it can decompose slowly without being a problem. This could be as mulch under a shrub or tree, as pathway material, or in an out-of-the-way cold compost pile especially intended for slow material.
I'm always adding clipped twigs and fallen leaves to my wood chip garden paths. This kind of slow, carbon-heavy composting can be done many places. I'm not in a race to get finished compost as fast as possible. I 'm happy knowin that much of my compost is being slowly and constantly made. Much of it decomposes where it will remain, either in planting beds or in the pathways which are immediately adjacent to the beds, and thus close enough to still benefit the garden soil.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I saw someone on here was using palm fronds to spread where some critter was digging up their crop, I think it might have been yams. Wish I lived in a climate where we could grow palm fronds and yams

 

[Marck]

Consider planting a Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). They make very intriguing and attactive specimen plants for temperate gardens, and have been reported hardy to -15º C.

 

[MariGolding]

I just use a bottomless 200l bin and turn it using a pitchfork. Nothing fancy and does the job.

 

[mac1911]

Guess it depends on what you generate. I generate such small amounts I just have a small pile in the sunny part of the garden. Im lucky to get 5 gallons of any table scraps/cut offs over the year and only generate sticks and leaves in the yard. The lawn gets mulch mowed.
Anything is better than nothing

 

[Meadowlark]

Guess it depends on what you generate. ...

So true....my compost pile from winter feeding livestock is quite large compared to the typical homeowner compost pile. No need for a "bin" as it would just get in the way.

I'll turn this every couple of months until fall when it will be some of the richest compost to be found anywhere.... estimated volume at 1800 cubic ft. You can feel the heat standing next to it.

 

[mac1911]

So true....my compost pile from winter feeding livestock is quite large compared to the typical homeowner compost pile. No need for a "bin" as it would just get in the way.

I'll turn this every couple of months until fall when it will be some of the richest compost to be found anywhere.... estimated volume at 1800 cubic ft. You can feel the heat standing next to it.

View attachment 89017

You probably have more compost stuck in your boots than I generate

 

[Meadowlark]

LOL, one can never ever get enough compost!

 

[headfullofbees]

Compost piles smell bad if they are too wet. Otherwise, they don't smell at all until you start to bring out the finished compost, and then it just smells like good earth (perfume to a gardener!).
The "toss stuff in the garden" method is called sheet composting. I do that with the chicken coop cleanings on the fallow part of the garden during the winter. The grass/chicken manure mix gets turned in about a month before planting.

The "toss stuff in the garden" method is called sheet composting.

Broadcasting in the UK.

I have 4 black compost bins.
I have access to so much fouled bedding, both horse & cattle, grass cuttings, seaweed etc. that I fill them twice a year, (they are still less than half-full when it comes time to use them. I like black because it absorbs heat, speeding the process.

I used to gather binloads of leaves every autumn, and spread them & soak them.
Worms loved it & it suppressed weeds, but since I moved, leaves are less available.

 

[Wrout22]

If you want to keep it simple and cheap I was watching this video and he just made a home made wooden box to fit down the side of his house, then emptied in to bags to continue the process when the main bin gets full.

I don't have a compost bin, I've always just piled up my compost in a big pile, but obviously that isn't ideal. I was wondering what people tend to use for compost bins? What are the best things, and that are preferably pretty cheap too?