Homemade compost bins.  

I was going to post a question about homemade compost, too. I know nothing about how to get started on it. I was thinking about it as I was peeling an orange. I also have plasticware made out of potatoes that biodegrades. Is that the kind of stuff you can use in compost? How exactly do you make it? And, then, of course, what are the directions for use?

I am thinking you just keep adding to it all the time. It will not be ready to use until next year though. But as long as you add to it and then turn it then it's okay... I think. I used a compost pile where we took the "good stuff" off the bottom. Winter I think will work as long as you keep it turned. The process may slow considerable though due to cold weather.. depending on where you live of course!! Just remember not to put meat in the thing or it'll ruin it.

Hi taface..you don't have to use the compost soon as it's done. You can continuously add to it but if you want to actually use it, stop adding to the bin and let it cook for another 2-3wks. before using. I'm always having continuous compost bins/piles going. Can even comost in a garbage bag. Just layer the material and close it up then set in sun for however long it will take to decompose. A garden fork is the best way to turn the compost in small spaces like a garbage can or narrow bin. Compost will stop cooking once the temps drop to around 40 degrees but once spring comes and the temps are back up over 50, it will start cooking again. What I like to do is empty a bin or 2 in the fall and start fresh with a scoop of soil and maybe a little garden waste then add to it all winter with my kitchen scraps. It will then start cooking when the temps warm up and be ready by mid spring. I use the 55-gallon drums for diverted rainwater since they will last almost forever if taken care of.

I had a bad experience of composting bins. I don't know why but there had been so much of the foul smell in them that I couldn't keep those and had to throw away along with the materials. Those smelled so much that the whole premises were affected.

Hi there!

You do not have to use it right away. You can just keep adding and turning. I did a paper on composting for a class last semester, so I learned a lot about it. The drawback of composting in the winter is that the materials will take a lot longer to break down. In a compost pile, there is a heat that is created during the process and winter just slows that down because it's cold outside (obviously). You can put a tarp over your bins to keep warm air in it.