I scrounge green waste from wherever I can, plus I cut 300m² lawns at two places, 20m of privet & 40m of cotoneaster hedge, collect seaweed from the shore, shred 200kg of cardboard & still have barely enough for beds, polytunnel, greenhouse & thirty, 30 litre potato tubs a year (going down to 20 next year, as my brother passed away in January). I'll happily compost blighted potato tops, pernicious weeds, dead rats ("lead poisoning"...), old pairs of jeans & other cotton clothing. I reckon my actual bed area is 75m² so my annual 3cm layer takes 2.5m³ of compost to keep productive. I never rush to spread it, so it's usually 8 months old before it goes in the polytunnel & greenhouse & 6 months old on the beds. Last two years, I've riddled off a couple of hundred litres of my 'spent' potato tub compost (the rest has gone on the polytunnel beds) & used it for sowing seeds & potting on with less weeds & better growth than commercial potting compost!
A fellow waste scavenger nice to hear from you, I am all over the site every day looking for waste, it becomes a mission generally get 2 barrows every day if lucky at the moment lots of windfall apples I mix up with straw, yes I also need at least 2 cubic metres to cover the site and this year growing alot more green manure which helps. Growing more spuds in buckets certain types do better I found plus no wireworm and slug damage which is the killer. Had an amazing crop this year just growing in wood chip with some additions, will put that video out shortly. Take care and cheers.
I really like your idea with bungy cords and the black plastic. I have been looking for a method to keep my bins dry. Ill ve off the the lumber yard in the next few days to see if i can scavenge some of that plastic. Over time I'll convert my bins into hot bins like you've done here. What a brilliant idea.
Thanks mate one thing is where I have the bungy held in place by the screw use something more rounded because the bungy has got frayed with the screw. I'll probably use 2 inch of brush handle and fix with a screw though the middle. Cheers.
@@thevegplot thanks for the tip. How much isolation do you estimate you've used? My pallet bins are standard pallet size, at the moment, I have them covered in black cortex floor insolation which works well but I have to turn the pile for aeration. Any tips would be appreciated
Thank you for this inspiring video. Watching that hottest bin steaming away on such a cold day has prompted me to build my own. I am usually concerned about rodents chewing their way into compost bins, but I guess it's too hot in there for them to bother. Have you had any problems with rats chewing their way into that insulation material?
Hi. I had a fieldmouse which took up residence the year before he was pretty cute so I left him alone but last year a rat did get in my fault really because I put a few barrows of apples in whole when I started the heap which took much longer to compost and I could see it was digging for them as the box had very little heat in it. Lesson learned chop them up so they compost much faster and add then to an active heap. Like you say it's just too hot for anything to dig around inside. 👍
This is a fantastic overview of your hot bins. I'm a beginner having only been given my allotment this weekend and looking to build something similar so i can get some compost production up fast - lots of material to clear from the plot to give me a good start! I have a few questions if you don't mind? 1. How have you fixed the insulation to your pallets or is it just propped up in each bay? 2. Have you considered some drainage pipe with holes drilled in which you could put into the middle of the pile to try and get more air into the middle. If not, why not? 3. Towards the end of the video you show 2 (storage bins?) which are in front of your 3 main composting bins - what is the blue liner you've got in them? Thanks!
Hi Mate, Glad it helped you out you should be able to make some compost ready to use in Jan, The insulation is just resting on the sides and the back one which is a tight fit holds them in place I did use maybe 3 screws with penny washers on the top of the back just to keep it in place, the front panel is fixed to the pallet in the same way with a few screws because i remove the front to empty the bins and the insulation stays in place on it. again the front panel sits between the sides to hold them.. as the bin fills you dont need anything to keep them in place. The air pipes are difficult with a hot bin because you would need to vent the pipes through the lid in order for the air to move through, this would release heat from the bin would also be difficult to locate the pipes through the lid everytime you fill the bin, i did try one pipe in the first bin i made but the heat bent the pipe and i had to remove it. you could probably figure out a way of setting this up but to me its really not worth the hassle because they work really well as they are. The blue liner in the storage bins is roofing membrane used under tiles and slates, quite good because it is waterproof and very strong. Im am about to do an update on the hotbins so stay tuned. Cheers.
@@thevegplot Thanks, that's a great overview. I was thinking the pipe wouldn't poke out but be there purely to try and circulate what's inside the bin. I hadn't considered if it would survive the heat though so that's a good point!
Really informative thanks! I want to make one in the corner of my garden and make it well insulated. Trying to think of ways of making it look nice at the same since it's in the garden rather than the allotment.
Great video Loz, I have had my first lot of compost out of my home made hot bin recently after about only 11 weeks and now it's going crazy again with new fresh greens being plentiful. Much faster than the cold bin. Your working on a much bigger scale than me though! I have had to net my raised beds because birds were having a go at the plants then there are the snails... I have sofar picked up over 100 of them and rehomed them elsewhere. Not sure what to do about them!? Sandy
Thanks Sandy, yes i too have had to net everything over with the many beaks and feet on here there was two pea plants poking out of the net last night they were gone this morning 😁The slugs can be a nightmare but keep on top of the collecting and you will see the population decline massively. I have been on top of it since march, I have planks of wood laid on the beds slugs love hiding underneath them which makes it easy to collect them in the morning, beer or yeast traps work really well too. I think generally keep the site as tidy as you can and give them no place to hide and lay eggs. Cheers.
Thank you, very informative. I have plastic composting bins but of course not insulated they never get up to temperature. So will look to build my own, insulated composting bins. Thing is I have a small garden to will never get up to the size of bins you have on your plot. Hoping that I can scale down the compost bin size and that it will still be able to generate the temperatures necessary as you suggest.
Hi there yes you can scale down a hot bin have a look at Sandy's channel Wiltshire man he recently made his own smaller version in his greenhouse. He's already had bags of compost from it too. Cheers 👍👍
Hi, pardon for asking again. I've just build my pallet compost bin which is lined with Proplex insulation all over ( possibly not as affective as your's ) but I wondered if in time, I insulated it with the thinner Kingspan it would improve the purpose? Did you use Euro pallets for the external frame? Thanks again! 👍🏼😉
Hi there 2 inch thick of insulation is enough but even if its only 1 inch it will still do the job, autumn and winter is probably where thicker insulation works better keeping the colder air out. The pallets were just regular ones with square blocks on the corners Cheers.
@@thevegplot Thank you most kindly. I surrounded mine with Proplex just to see if that might help a little, but you're right. Kingspan would do the job. I'm tired of pulling out tomato sprouts from my compost 😂👍🏼
the panel at the back is held in place by the side ones and they just have around three 2 1/2 screws with washers to hold them in place same with the front. all you need to do is hold them in place when the bin is empty as soon as you start filling they wont move. Cheers.
Thanks Chris, I didnt mate but really simple to build just screw corners of pallets together and line with insulation, they are placed directly on the ground so the worms can move in, a few felt nails to hold the insulation in place. The weight of material inside keeps it in place as it rots down. I make the lids so they slide down inside and can sit on top of the material as it rots so less heat is lost. Cheers.
Great system you've there mate. Are you only really turning the compost as you move them into the next stage? So your first bin could be sitting there for weeks without being turned? I would of thought it would anaerobic and stink if that was the case.
@@eddieable cheers mate. Yes I do exactly that and yes the bin does get towards the anaerobic stage when I turn it it's not a problem though as turning it starts to change that and when I empty it any smell has all but gone. When it goes on the soil it becomes areobic within a day anyway and the soil life takes it in. Cheers.
@@thevegplot ahh huh thanks heaps for the response! I was thinking when its anaerobic for too long you kinda can't fix it and need to turn asap. I've just started my first 1m2 hot compost so I'm on edge haha
@@eddieable nice one, gather as much material as you can to start the filling process if you can manage to fill at least a third full with more green than brown you will get a fast build up of heat then you can top up when you need, grass clippings are great to get the heap started.
@@thevegplot great tips, and I did exactly that. I was able to get a shit ton of coffee grounds and chaff. Apart from that, I collected heaps of autumn leaves, cut the grass, dumped the existing compost I had (tumbler with food waste), and finished with taking the neighbors waste (weeds, leaves). I just turned it yesterday as it was starting to smell, now it's cooking up again and slowly smelling like coffee/sweet again haha. I've just got a compost ring I bought that works really well, but your system is so damn fine. Like a bloody sauna in there
Hi Ive just found this and your other longer vid on hot composting...great. Is the bottom just straight obto the ground or have you made a base too? I want to do this but want to get it right. Compost is becoming so expensive. Thanks for great vids.
Hi Pat, Glad you enjoyed the vids. you could start laying the material straight onto the ground but I found it is much easier to have a base in for when it comes to emptying the bin, you can simply lay a piece of thick plastic on level ground under the bin or on some plywood etc. Forgot to metion that the fronts of the bins can be unscrewed for when its time to empty or turn the contents out. without that it is really difficult trying to dig out the lower layers, I will show that process when it comes time to turn the bin in a few weeks. Cheers.
Great video! Thanks for all those information. I'm building a hot compost myself at the moment. Still not sure if i should add ventilation holes at the bottom or the side panels. What do you think? Does it need ventilation or will it be a risk to loose some of the heat? Thanks in advance. :-)
Thanks mate you could add vent holes but the way hotbins work is by trapping in the heat and moisture so they compost in an anerobic method driving up the heat and composting much faster. Cheers
When you said you were having difficulties finding green waste and you were out "hunting and gathering" to source it an image jumped into my head of you in a black mask pushing a stealth wheelbarrow around the streets grabbing up lawn clippings, pruning leavings and, for some reason, cabbage leaves as you went.😂😂
I scrounge green waste from wherever I can, plus I cut 300m² lawns at two places, 20m of privet & 40m of cotoneaster hedge, collect seaweed from the shore, shred 200kg of cardboard & still have barely enough for beds, polytunnel, greenhouse & thirty, 30 litre potato tubs a year (going down to 20 next year, as my brother passed away in January). I'll happily compost blighted potato tops, pernicious weeds, dead rats ("lead poisoning"...), old pairs of jeans & other cotton clothing.
I reckon my actual bed area is 75m² so my annual 3cm layer takes 2.5m³ of compost to keep productive.
I never rush to spread it, so it's usually 8 months old before it goes in the polytunnel & greenhouse & 6 months old on the beds. Last two years, I've riddled off a couple of hundred litres of my 'spent' potato tub compost (the rest has gone on the polytunnel beds) & used it for sowing seeds & potting on with less weeds & better growth than commercial potting compost!
A fellow waste scavenger nice to hear from you, I am all over the site every day looking for waste, it becomes a mission generally get 2 barrows every day if lucky at the moment lots of windfall apples I mix up with straw, yes I also need at least 2 cubic metres to cover the site and this year growing alot more green manure which helps. Growing more spuds in buckets certain types do better I found plus no wireworm and slug damage which is the killer. Had an amazing crop this year just growing in wood chip with some additions, will put that video out shortly. Take care and cheers.
I really like your idea with bungy cords and the black plastic. I have been looking for a method to keep my bins dry. Ill ve off the the lumber yard in the next few days to see if i can scavenge some of that plastic. Over time I'll convert my bins into hot bins like you've done here. What a brilliant idea.
Thanks mate one thing is where I have the bungy held in place by the screw use something more rounded because the bungy has got frayed with the screw. I'll probably use 2 inch of brush handle and fix with a screw though the middle. Cheers.
@@thevegplot thanks for the tip. How much isolation do you estimate you've used? My pallet bins are standard pallet size, at the moment, I have them covered in black cortex floor insolation which works well but I have to turn the pile for aeration. Any tips would be appreciated
Thank you for this inspiring video. Watching that hottest bin steaming away on such a cold day has prompted me to build my own. I am usually concerned about rodents chewing their way into compost bins, but I guess it's too hot in there for them to bother. Have you had any problems with rats chewing their way into that insulation material?
Hi. I had a fieldmouse which took up residence the year before he was pretty cute so I left him alone but last year a rat did get in my fault really because I put a few barrows of apples in whole when I started the heap which took much longer to compost and I could see it was digging for them as the box had very little heat in it. Lesson learned chop them up so they compost much faster and add then to an active heap. Like you say it's just too hot for anything to dig around inside. 👍
@@LozHarrop - Thanks, Loz. That's useful to know. I'll make sure the pile gets good and hot before adding anything that would attract rodents.
This is a fantastic overview of your hot bins. I'm a beginner having only been given my allotment this weekend and looking to build something similar so i can get some compost production up fast - lots of material to clear from the plot to give me a good start! I have a few questions if you don't mind?
1. How have you fixed the insulation to your pallets or is it just propped up in each bay?
2. Have you considered some drainage pipe with holes drilled in which you could put into the middle of the pile to try and get more air into the middle. If not, why not?
3. Towards the end of the video you show 2 (storage bins?) which are in front of your 3 main composting bins - what is the blue liner you've got in them?
Thanks!
Hi Mate, Glad it helped you out you should be able to make some compost ready to use in Jan, The insulation is just resting on the sides and the back one which is a tight fit holds them in place I did use maybe 3 screws with penny washers on the top of the back just to keep it in place, the front panel is fixed to the pallet in the same way with a few screws because i remove the front to empty the bins and the insulation stays in place on it. again the front panel sits between the sides to hold them.. as the bin fills you dont need anything to keep them in place. The air pipes are difficult with a hot bin because you would need to vent the pipes through the lid in order for the air to move through, this would release heat from the bin would also be difficult to locate the pipes through the lid everytime you fill the bin, i did try one pipe in the first bin i made but the heat bent the pipe and i had to remove it. you could probably figure out a way of setting this up but to me its really not worth the hassle because they work really well as they are. The blue liner in the storage bins is roofing membrane used under tiles and slates, quite good because it is waterproof and very strong. Im am about to do an update on the hotbins so stay tuned. Cheers.
@@thevegplot Thanks, that's a great overview. I was thinking the pipe wouldn't poke out but be there purely to try and circulate what's inside the bin. I hadn't considered if it would survive the heat though so that's a good point!
Great info my guy
@@arakanelite thank you 👍
Really informative thanks! I want to make one in the corner of my garden and make it well insulated. Trying to think of ways of making it look nice at the same since it's in the garden rather than the allotment.
Glad it was helpful guess you could clad it in some decorative boarding to make it look neater. 👍
Great video Loz, I have had my first lot of compost out of my home made hot bin recently after about only 11 weeks and now it's going crazy again with new fresh greens being plentiful. Much faster than the cold bin. Your working on a much bigger scale than me though!
I have had to net my raised beds because birds were having a go at the plants then there are the snails... I have sofar picked up over 100 of them and rehomed them elsewhere. Not sure what to do about them!?
Sandy
Thanks Sandy, yes i too have had to net everything over with the many beaks and feet on here there was two pea plants poking out of the net last night they were gone this morning 😁The slugs can be a nightmare but keep on top of the collecting and you will see the population decline massively. I have been on top of it since march, I have planks of wood laid on the beds slugs love hiding underneath them which makes it easy to collect them in the morning, beer or yeast traps work really well too. I think generally keep the site as tidy as you can and give them no place to hide and lay eggs. Cheers.
Thank you, very informative. I have plastic composting bins but of course not insulated they never get up to temperature. So will look to build my own, insulated composting bins. Thing is I have a small garden to will never get up to the size of bins you have on your plot. Hoping that I can scale down the compost bin size and that it will still be able to generate the temperatures necessary as you suggest.
Hi there yes you can scale down a hot bin have a look at Sandy's channel Wiltshire man he recently made his own smaller version in his greenhouse. He's already had bags of compost from it too. Cheers 👍👍
@@thevegplot Many thanks, will do. Cheers.
Hi, pardon for asking again. I've just build my pallet compost bin which is lined with Proplex insulation all over ( possibly not as affective as your's ) but I wondered if in time, I insulated it with the thinner Kingspan it would improve the purpose?
Did you use Euro pallets for the external frame? Thanks again! 👍🏼😉
Hi there 2 inch thick of insulation is enough but even if its only 1 inch it will still do the job, autumn and winter is probably where thicker insulation works better keeping the colder air out. The pallets were just regular ones with square blocks on the corners Cheers.
@@thevegplot Thank you most kindly. I surrounded mine with Proplex just to see if that might help a little, but you're right. Kingspan would do the job. I'm tired of pulling out tomato sprouts from my compost 😂👍🏼
I'm sure a stupid question but how did you attach the foam boards? as 50mm thick boards would need a huge screw/nail would it not?
the panel at the back is held in place by the side ones and they just have around three 2 1/2 screws with washers to hold them in place same with the front. all you need to do is hold them in place when the bin is empty as soon as you start filling they wont move. Cheers.
Great video. Have you done a build video of the bays?
Thanks Chris, I didnt mate but really simple to build just screw corners of pallets together and line with insulation, they are placed directly on the ground so the worms can move in, a few felt nails to hold the insulation in place. The weight of material inside keeps it in place as it rots down. I make the lids so they slide down inside and can sit on top of the material as it rots so less heat is lost. Cheers.
Great system you've there mate. Are you only really turning the compost as you move them into the next stage? So your first bin could be sitting there for weeks without being turned? I would of thought it would anaerobic and stink if that was the case.
@@eddieable cheers mate. Yes I do exactly that and yes the bin does get towards the anaerobic stage when I turn it it's not a problem though as turning it starts to change that and when I empty it any smell has all but gone. When it goes on the soil it becomes areobic within a day anyway and the soil life takes it in. Cheers.
@@thevegplot ahh huh thanks heaps for the response! I was thinking when its anaerobic for too long you kinda can't fix it and need to turn asap.
I've just started my first 1m2 hot compost so I'm on edge haha
@@eddieable nice one, gather as much material as you can to start the filling process if you can manage to fill at least a third full with more green than brown you will get a fast build up of heat then you can top up when you need, grass clippings are great to get the heap started.
@@thevegplot great tips, and I did exactly that. I was able to get a shit ton of coffee grounds and chaff. Apart from that, I collected heaps of autumn leaves, cut the grass, dumped the existing compost I had (tumbler with food waste), and finished with taking the neighbors waste (weeds, leaves).
I just turned it yesterday as it was starting to smell, now it's cooking up again and slowly smelling like coffee/sweet again haha.
I've just got a compost ring I bought that works really well, but your system is so damn fine. Like a bloody sauna in there
Hi Ive just found this and your other longer vid on hot composting...great. Is the bottom just straight obto the ground or have you made a base too? I want to do this but want to get it right. Compost is becoming so expensive. Thanks for great vids.
Hi Pat, Glad you enjoyed the vids. you could start laying the material straight onto the ground but I found it is much easier to have a base in for when it comes to emptying the bin, you can simply lay a piece of thick plastic on level ground under the bin or on some plywood etc. Forgot to metion that the fronts of the bins can be unscrewed for when its time to empty or turn the contents out. without that it is really difficult trying to dig out the lower layers, I will show that process when it comes time to turn the bin in a few weeks. Cheers.
Great video! Thanks for all those information. I'm building a hot compost myself at the moment. Still not sure if i should add ventilation holes at the bottom or the side panels. What do you think? Does it need ventilation or will it be a risk to loose some of the heat?
Thanks in advance. :-)
Thanks mate you could add vent holes but the way hotbins work is by trapping in the heat and moisture so they compost in an anerobic method driving up the heat and composting much faster. Cheers
Bravo!
When you said you were having difficulties finding green waste and you were out "hunting and gathering" to source it an image jumped into my head of you in a black mask pushing a stealth wheelbarrow around the streets grabbing up lawn clippings, pruning leavings and, for some reason, cabbage leaves as you went.😂😂
They call me the night gatherer round these parts 😁 full on cammo paint job on the wheelbarrow too 🤣