Compost bin

Do you mean a compost bin where you put your grass cuttings, veg peelings, egg shells, boxes etc in - keep turning it and in 2 years time dig the compost into your garden? Had a couple of those, but hard work so I’ve got rid of them now.
We have green bins here, supplied by the Council, but just for garden refuse/grass cuttings. It’s £30 and is emptied fortnightly from April to October.

Should have added that we bought the actual compost bins from B&Q.

Yes I thought it might be good for the garden,

Apparently it is and it will get full of worms to work through the stuff, which fascinated DGS1!
It is a long term commitment though and there’s a long list of things that should never be added - especially anything cooked.
We had 2 bins and when one was full - the level keeps dropping, so it took ages - we started to fill the other and left the first one for over a year to ‘cook’ - turning it regularly. That then became the rota, because you can’t use the compost from the bin, until it actually is compost, which can take a couple of years.
I think Monty Don has 3 enormous compost heaps continuously on the go.

I’ve just bought two cheap ish litre bins through a council scheme. Should eventually pay for themselves if I can drop from two to having just one £50 pa council-collected garden refuse bin. Happy to fill with garden, kitchen and soft paper stuff as recommended. I expect it to be a long term investment and a small reduction in my carbon footprint, plus convenient for getting rid of window box etc contents (used compost too heavy for council collection). I am in a new build with small garden but grow some annual flowers and edibles plus have soft pruning. I’ve been able to tuck them out of view but ideally they’d do better in a sunny spot for warmth to speed reactions.

I started off with a garden plastic bin which my DIL bought me a couple of years ago. To this I have added two oblong boxes and this year an old good size box which I use to compost in the garage. I tried a wormery for some months before the outside composting and just moved on with the worms to ordinary composting using kitchen scraps, grass with paper and cardboard.
I had a bit of a panic with the large composter when the heat of the temperature inside of the compost was 140 degree Fahrenheit. We had been away all day, the smell was terrible, I emptied the bin and was amazed I actually saved some of the worms. There should be no smell other than something like a forest smell if any.
I still have the pile of compost in the border and everything does seem ok.
If you want to have a go you need to get a balance with greens and browns, turn your pile and use a temperature gauge. You don't actually need worms to compost but the pile goes down more quicky if you do. It usually takes about 4 - 5 months depends on the months of the year. You can also put part composted on the border as a mulch.
I find it very satisfying and it keeps me fit.
I only have a small garden and it all gets used in improving my soil.

I just use a large plastic bin with a lid and keep adding

I started using one but didn’t put mesh underneath it. Had rats living in it which were obsessed with the eggshells I’d put in. Even when I removed it the rats still came round scratching that area to find tiny bits of eggshell. I’m really glad I now have a council brown bin.

I put my coffee grounds in the compost bin MayBee70, rats hate the smell of coffee and I’ve never seen any there.

MayBee70

I started using one but didn’t put mesh underneath it. Had rats living in it which were obsessed with the eggshells I’d put in. Even when I removed it the rats still came round scratching that area to find tiny bits of eggshell. I’m really glad I now have a council brown bin.

It's a common problem MayBee70 and I could never get on with those bins. The compost never got hot enough to get going. We saw the HotBin at the Chelsea Flower Show several years ago and it's brilliant, does exactly what it says. Eye wateringly expensive though - our children clubbed together and bought it for us for Christmas.
www.hotbincomposting.com/

We have a compost bin and bought something from Amazon, which breaks things down. We also add coffee grains to it.
It has been a great success. The bin was bought from B&M.
We also have a brown council bin, where we put food waste and tree waste, which doesn't break down in the bin.

We have one, but the shape of the bin makes it difficult to stir, so it tends to get very compacted. Ours looks almost like a large traditional beehive shape, with a small sliding door at the bottom, and lid at the top.

I think the trick is to have enough 'brown' material, compared to green, and give it a stir every so often.

We have one which we bought through a city council scheme for £10 several years ago. It’s great! It has a base with a cone-like structure in it to deter rats, plus i have surrounded it with old crazy paving slabs. We put raw veg trimmings, soft cuttings eg grass, flower stems etc but nothing woody in it plus empty egg boxes and other dry bits like brown paper to stop it getting too sloppy. It sits in a shady spot.
My DH empties it each spring and puts the uncomposted stuff back as a starter. That’s the only handling it gets. We usually get roughly 3 big IKEA bags full. Some goes as mulch and some goes in pots mixed with topsoil for tomato plants. Its really full of potassium as we eat lots of bananas and always add the skins. At the end of the tomato season the contents of the pits make more mulch.

I have a couple of these 'dalek' style bins and find I can fill one in a year, and then leave it to cook while I fill the other.
Haven't had a problem with rats, thank goodness.

One of mine has a door at the bottom, the other doesn't. Of the two the one with the door is much easier to manage as I can shovel the compost out of the bottom.

I’m very interested to read about the coffee grounds. We make coffee most mornings. Would daily grounds be too much?

I have compost bin I purchased it years ago on line. Our council never had them on offer. I fill it with raw peelings cuttings paper etc. It takes time to break down but it's good for my veg.
That's a good price I would order one if I was you they are dearer in the shops.

Ali23

I’m very interested to read about the coffee grounds. We make coffee most mornings. Would daily grounds be too much?

No, I don’t think so, mine all go in my bin. When you think how full it gets with other waste, the grounds are still a tiny proportion - and fresh grounds smell the strongest, at least that’s my theory.

Our daily grounds go in!

Calipso

MayBee70

I started using one but didn’t put mesh underneath it. Had rats living in it which were obsessed with the eggshells I’d put in. Even when I removed it the rats still came round scratching that area to find tiny bits of eggshell. I’m really glad I now have a council brown bin.

It's a common problem MayBee70 and I could never get on with those bins. The compost never got hot enough to get going. We saw the HotBin at the Chelsea Flower Show several years ago and it's brilliant, does exactly what it says. Eye wateringly expensive though - our children clubbed together and bought it for us for Christmas.
www.hotbincomposting.com/

I’d really like one of those!

I have 2 of the black beehive plastic bins. When the first one is full I start the other. I put everything except cooked food and meat in them. They get full of worms and are ready in a year or so. Not 30days like the hot bin.
It's lovely compost and until you told me about the hot bin, I was quite content.

Gave up with ours as rats were living inside it. I must bite the bullet and take it to the tip or what is left of it!

Rats love them. One year I put the broken coir hanging basket in the plastic bin and the rats used it for a nest. Now I’m very careful to put nothing but plant waste in there. I have a small off the ground sealed rotating bin which I keep near the house for kitchen waste.

A friend used to put food waste in hers and I asked her wasn’t it infested with rats. Her answer was that she had a Jack Russell Terrier that quickly killed such things.

Our last compost bin had rats living comfortably in it. They like the warmth apparently. Sorry to say both the bin and the rats had to go.

I get used coffee beans from our local Costa. I'd read somewhere that putting a ring of them around Hosta plants prevents the slugs eating the plants.
It works, this is the first year I have had not holes in my plants it's a great sucess. I also use the used beans around my plants and mix them in the compost bins and around the garden.