Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: jamesld8 on 30 April, 2016, 09:50:47 am
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we`ve got three dalek compost bins as well as traditional heap; I`ve been adding veg waste / grass cuttings / sawdust to bins over winter and keeping watered so they seem to be doing OK. Bottom layer is looking to be good compost but how the heck do you get it out ? It is a firm layer which I can pick away with a trowel but getting to sides and backs ? Ther`es loads I can`t access
I can`t lift bin off compost either as it`s way too heavy (was wondering about just taking bin off, getting good compost and recombining remainder in a single bin) , any suggestions ?
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I too would be interested in the 'proper way' to do it!
What I end up doing is pushing the bin over - when it gets to about 30^ you can get the good stuff out, the when is fully over get some more useable compost out, rake the rest out of the way, re-site the bin and shovel the remainder back in.
The dalek bins with little doors aren't much better.
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Dig it out and then ram the top down. It takes a bit of effort but it will eventually collapse downwards. I'm sure there is a better way to do this; the tumbling bins ensure it mixes properly and should work faster, but are strictly a batch system so you'd need at least two.
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Looks like it`ll have to be ramming down method; although on other dalek bins I`ve done Millimoles method these three are so heavy and firmly `rooted` I can`t shift them at all :( ---which is why good old compost heaps are probably far superior methods (plenty of room in our garden for them :thumbsup:
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We just stop at some point and leave them until all the content has composted. We have three that we rotate so it's 2years old when we use it.
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IME Dalek bins are only useful for one thing: forcing rhubarb.
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IME Dalek bins are only useful for one thing: forcing rhubarb.
That's what I use mine for. The trouble is that the rhubarb is so vigorous that it has pushed the bin apart!
(I have 3 larger, pallet-sized bins for compost, on the allotment)
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1) remove plastic dalek cover
2) do rough sift with a fork of very uncomposted stuff into pile "go again"
3) place a sieve over a wheelbarrow and shovel and sieve the good stuff into the wheel barrow. Empty crap out of sieve onto "go again"
When you have enough compost ( it can be bagged for future use ) replace dalek ( or move it elsewhere) and refill with left over "go again" material
If you move the dalek then the place where it was will be good for growing squashes, runner beans and other gross feeders