The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: egbert on March 16, 2010, 06:28:25 pm
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Hi
Has anyone tried a Green Johanna hot composter?
http://www.greencone.com/greencone.asp
We got one in later autumn as we tended to have food waste that couldnt go to normal compost / the birds etc to try to be a bit more environmental. It is supposed to be able to cope with bones and dairy. Just wondered if anyone else has one and has any opinions?
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We have one in the garden which gets fed with household waste like vegetable peelings and used teabags. It also gets garden waste like weeds and grass clippings. The contents need stirring at least every 4 months (3 months is better). The mix tends to be quite wet so the cone is best stood on a dry spot in the garden.
The compost needs about 6 months to mature. In Summer, the mix gets warm but I am not sure it is hot enough to sterilise weed seeds etc.
One problem is that the cone or its contents attracts rats. I am not sure if it is the food value of what's inside or the shelter it provides. So it is best stood away from the house and anywhere that potential rat food is stored (sheds etc.) and on a solid concrete base like a large paving slab.
Overall, it is a neat tidy way of making a small quantity of compost but a big wooden bin would heat up better and hold more. So if you have lots of waste to process I would recommend that alternative. The cone here provides enough space for two of us and a modest garden only.
NN