What are the best compost bins?

[Oliver Buckle]

Rodents are not much interested in garden waste like mowings and weeds. I have a small separate black bin for food waste, black warms up nicely with any sun. Rodents can usually get through the holes in chicken wire, I stand it on a sheet of aviary wire, tougher and smaller holes.
My main heap is made from four sticks in the ground joined half way up by a wire with quartered trunks from felled conifers stacked two one way two the other , leaning against the uprights with the compost pushing them out.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Rodents are not much interested in garden waste like mowings and weeds. I have a small separate black bin for food waste, black warms up nicely with any sun. Rodents can usually get through the holes in chicken wire, I stand it on a sheet of aviary wire, tougher and smaller holes.
My main heap is made from four sticks in the ground joined half way up by a wire with quartered trunks from felled conifers stacked two one way two the other , leaning against the uprights with the compost pushing them out.

Good point. I see a lot of wet skinned creatures, like worms and salamanders. I do not see ants. In the household waste bin sometimes the surface is moving with insects. Usually in the warmest months.

 

[Marck]

Yes, the Slender Salamanders (Batrachoseps sp.) in my garden like my compost pile best. Many people don't think this way, but a compost pile is really a garden feature that fosters habitat, entertainment, education and beauty. Mybe someday people will put the compost pile in the center of the garden where everone can admire it... well, maybe.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yes, the Slender Salamanders (Batrachoseps sp.) in my garden like my compost pile best. Many people don't think this way, but a compost pile is really a garden feature that fosters habitat, entertainment, education and beauty. Mybe someday people will put the compost pile in the center of the garden where everone can admire it... well, maybe.

If they realized they were growing such a large living mass you may find more interest! Compost piles are their own B movie!

 

[sathisarkar]

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?

I have used an old plastic bucket as a compost bin to try my hands on. I was a beginner then. Then I moved to use old terracotta flower pots and the best part is, I painted them and kept them in my balcony. I also have a mini garden on top of my compost system.

 

[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.