[suziequeue]

Does anybody have any experience of food waste composters? I don't want to put any food waste on the compost heap as the dogs and the rats all just get it.


I have got one of those end over end tumbler composters but I find it difficult to tumble once it's heavy.


I was looking at the Mantis Compostumbler which may be a solution but if it's anything like the little Mantis tiller I bought - it'll not really stand up to the job.


Anybody any experience with this?

[devonlady]

What about a wormery?

[devonlady]

But don't buy the hideously expensive worms! Find a source of well rotted horse manure and there will be plenty of the little red worms in that.

[cloddopper]

See  what plastic " Dalek " type composting bins your local authority sell /supply .


All seven of my "Daleks " stand on a six inch thick smooth level concrete platform/ pad . The rats & mice cannot get in underneath , the access hole in the bottom has been closed up and I've used stainless steel nuts, bolts & washers to bolt the access cover in place so nothing not even our stupid mutt can get access to the contents.

 Some of the newer supplied bins do not apparently have the low access cover which is a big bonus ,for all you need to do to get to the contents is to take the lid off,  gently rock the body of the Dalek in several different directions and then lift the body off the pile of composted matter.

 All of our compostable waste goes in the bins as well as all garden waste and some extra straw to give the decaying mass a greater quantity of " browns ".

 Re the Mantis  composters.. on the USA site I use ( mantis is an american company ) they have discussed no end of rotatable composters .. almost all suffer from the heavy when loaded syndrome .
 The big double compartment one is not so bad for if you think about it you will only be turning one full side over at a time and the weight will be reducing as you fill up the other side.
 They all do suffer from rainwater ingress and too much condensate not being vented off . the solution is a four legged roofed cover that you can stand upright under  rather than a tarp wrapped over them which makes them sweat even more.

 There is a massive ground level composter that can be hand rotyated or turned by a geared handle these have  a condensate drain off tap ..the condensate runs into the hollow base  so you can use it for liquid feeds.
 they free in the USA's & Canada's minus 24 oC winters.
 Taking the finished product out  is difficult as it is not only close to being at ground level but the contents will still have lots if un composted material in it unless of course you end up buying two  so you can finish one barrel off as you fill the other .

I am trying to get Alison to see the advantages of the dula drum one on the Mantis site for the spinal op will only stop me getting worse for a few years it won't make me a strong youth again ever.
I see the advantages as mainly being able to put in a little material each day and take a little finished compost out each day. Rather than teh present situation of me having to spend one or two days  moving a finished Dalek of comp0ost and being out of commission for another four days .

 I will be making my own heavy duty welded & galvanized steel frame and perhaps end up putting on a 12 volt geared down motorised drive using old bicycle chain and such gears that gives about 3 or 4 RPM.

[suziequeue]

Thankyou. All good advice. Thankyou. I will have a further think about it.