Composting July 2018

Here are my observations about collecting the compost on Friday.

It is over three years since we have been using the hot-bin compost bin, you might think we would be experts by now.

As previously, I emptied material from the bin onto the ground, and then took a spade full or two at a time onto a tomato grow-bag sized tray, sifting through to remove unwanted material before tipping it into a 50 litre garden carrier.

What I removed was mainly - twigs, set aside to re-use; they help oxygen get to the composting process - tea bags,  to discard; it seems they are made of plastic as well as paper, - and stones, presumably from garden rather than kitchen waste. There was also a brass buckle.

What was left included a lot of eggshell fragments. I thought this would look unsightly, but even used as a top dressing, it looked okay.

I started the task in light drizzle, a bit of a rarity this summer, but it brightened up. I still ended up quite wet, from leaks and splashes using the hose to clear up.

I collected less this time than eleven months ago, hopefully I will continue with little and often. Including some additional tidying up, it took just under two hours.

By taking less, the remaining material stayed in place, making it easier to replace the door.  Later I pushed the material down while bracing the door with my knee.  The luggage straps holding the door closed had snapped since last time, and for now, the door has held good without them.

So that is it for a month or two, hopefully less than eleven.