compost bin | Crazy About Compost

Envirocycle Composter Review

I've had the Envirocycle for nearly a decade now, and my opinion of it has changed quite a few times over the years. It's not the cheapest way to get the job done, but it does have its benefits: +Neat, tidy and secure+Works great as a worm bin+Turning it once a week with each food scrap deposit is a plus Some cons: -The latch is plastic and warps over time, allowing the lid to pop open mid-tumble -There's no real need for the leachate collecting base. This stuff is not compost tea by any stretch. -Cost If you think a $200 compost tumbler is too expensive, I agree. You can get similar or better results using a compost bin that's a cubic yard in size and a fraction of the…

Should you bother to compost in winter? (article)

By Beth Botts [ https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/home/ct-home-0131-garden-morton-20190124-story.html ] With snow on the sidewalk and ice on the porch steps, a reasonable person might ask: Do I really have to take the potato peelings out to the compost bin? They wouldn’t break down until spring anyway, would they? In fact, there’s probably action in your compost pile even in winter, according to Meghan Midgley, soil scientist at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. The bacteria, fungi, pill bugs, nematodes, earthworms and other forms of life that digest dead plants to produce compost may have slowed down, but they didn’t leave for Florida. “All the organisms in your compost pile evolved in the soil,” Midgley said. “They’ve survived in the soil through the winter for millions of years.” The outer, most exposed layers of your…

Help my compost pile! (Quick fix)

Yikes! I found a compost bin with uncovered materials. I guess if you don't have neighbors nearby, there's nothing wrong with feeding the local critters... however, we can really put the pile to work by simply piling on the browns to balance the contents and insulate it. Luckily there's no shortage of cover materials... right next to the bin! Better yet, they're all damp. Five minutes later: Much better! Mission accomplished.