4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kerrie]

Hello, was just wanting some advice. I'm thinking of getting the bokashi buckets for the kitchen waste and was wondering what people thought of them? Also, I need a compost bin to put the stuff from the chickens in. I need it to be easy to empty as it's just me and the kids-Jennifer and Megan are 11 and Josh is 9, and I have rhumetoid arthritis so it needs to be easy to use and empty-and big enough for a family of 4 (plus pets!)

Thank you so much x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hello again, Kerrie (I'm not stalking you, honest )

 

I tried bokashi bins and they worked great the first couple of times. Then I got a slimey mouldy mush the next two times (no idea why ) and haven't had the heart to try again .

 

Re compost bins, I have one like this and another one similar with a hinged lid. The first one filled up so quickly with poo and shredded paper (and kitchen waste) I had to get a second one. I'd think you could get your kids to dig the compost out of the door fairly easily!

[kerrie]

Hi aint "Ooops, word censored!"ody here -some people think we geordies live in Scotland so we could be neighbours!

I had looked at that 1 as the local council have a discount on it. Just wasn't sure if I'd be better off spending more money and getting a different one that would be more suitable.

I had looked at wormerys but (I hate to be a woosy) I really don't like worms and I've heard they can be more bother than they're worth. My son who is 9 would love it but as he goes to his dad's 1 night a week and spends a couple of days there in the main school holidays I can bet something worm related would need doing when he isn't here! My twin girls (who will be 12 in March-where does the time go??!) are very much not into worms and not even offering a higher rate of pocket money for the task would work!

I've looked at the bokashi buckets for a while but haven't yet dived in. (I have a habit of reasearching and asking for as much advice and as many opinions aa possible before I commit to these things! )Don't fancy slime in the buckets though!

[dancing cloud]

I didn't get on with my bokashi bin either, but have had a can o' worms bin for about seven years and get on very well with that. It doesn't need a lot of attention - certainly not every day and can be left happily if you go away for a fortnight .

 

I use a blackwall tumbling composter, which breaks down the chicken bedding and poo very quickly but is a real pain to empty on your own. You really need someone to hold it so you can scoop out the contents (or you can struggle like I do!). There are some tumbling composters I have seen advertised that you can detach from their frame and roll to wherever you need the compost thoughI suspect they may get heavy to push. There are also tumbers that have openings on the side to empty them out - best to shop around (or google) to see what might suit you best.

[Lesley]

I've just been looking at composters - even though we have space to make some big heaps, I also wanted a quick composter.

 

I chose a Tumbler made by Blackwall - I bought it from Greenfingers (online) Their site said it was out of stock until the end of February but I could order it anyway. We had a phone call on Tuesday to say it was being delivered on Wednesday....and it was!

 

We haven't put it together yet, but it looks easy to use and to empty.

[AJuff]

I hate my dialek compost bins. They are not easy to empty at all despite having access at the side. I use a compost stirrer to mix it round and although it looks about right with lots of worms in it it just doesn't seem to produce any compost. Not sure how much you have to put in to get something out???

[Charlottechicken]

I use an old black plastic dustbin with lots of holes drilled in the bottom and bottom half around the sides, as a compost bin. It produces lovely dark well rotted compost after a few months, no stirring. Mind you, I have to drag it to where I want the compost and then tip it up Anything not rotted can go straight back in the bin

 

This year I am going to find space for another, so will be watching for any good cheap recommendations

[Egluntyne]

I have a **Green Johanna** Composter. It is excellent. In fact I like it so much that I intend to get a second.

 

They are expensive, but work very well.

[kerrie]

I have looked at the green johanna but when I read the instructions it looked like you have to have pretty exact amounts of different materials for it to work properly? Mind you this was late at night after speing the day looking at different composters on the net so I could well have read it incorrectly!

[Egluntyne]

I have looked at the green johanna but when I read the instructions it looked like you have to have pretty exact amounts of different materials for it to work properly? Mind you this was late at night after speing the day looking at different composters on the net so I could well have read it incorrectly!

 

I bung everything in willy nilly, and add the occasional layer of poo mixed with spent aubiose and the odd shovelful of earth. Nothing more scientific than that, and there is some beautiful compost brewing.

[Matthew]

The compost I get with chicken poop in the mix is very very good

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Love the new avatar, Egluntine .

[TAJ]

We have 4 of the black dalek ones as they came with a huge council discount (our 3 water butts were also on the same deal). We just bung everything in and every spring empty the lovely rich brown compost onto the beds here and at the allotment - the hens are very good at spreading it for us

 

We find it easy to shovel out from the 'door' in the side, but due to the shape we sometimes just lift it off completely and then we can transfer it to the wheelbarrow quicker.

 

Tracy

[milli]

I have been coveting a Green Johanna for ages. The big plus point for me is the hot composting so you can put in a lot more than in a normal compost bin.