There’s a lot of ‘expert’ advice around on ways to produce the perfect compost.
“Really” says Amy Davidson, a self-confessed science geek. “That just makes hard work of it.”
She just has fun and gets on with it making adjustments as she goes.
A primer on backyard composting
“Why good compost is an essential ingredient in your garden and tips on composting in your backyard.”
http://www.riverheadlocal.com/home-a-garden/6010-a-primer-on-backyard-composting
Worm Factory DS3GT Indoor Worm Composter
We all know that worms work wonders for the garden and we’re quite happy for them to be there and stay there. Who’d have thought that one day we’d be bringing worms INTO the house?
That’s what you’ll be doing with the Worm Factory composter and these amazing little creatures provide a very efficient means of turning kitchen scraps, paper and organic waste into delicious compost and ‘tea’ liquid that your plants will thank you for.
The process of using worms to produce compost is one used very widely and is called vermiculture.
The Worm Factory consists of a base stand and a series of three stacking trays. The worms start off in the bottom tray and, as they exhaust the food supply there, then move on up to waste placed on the next level. Each level they vacate is left rich with nutritious cast compost which is ready to add to the garden. Additionally, as the waste decomposes, natural moisture filters down through the compost and gathers in the collection tray as a liquid fertilizer which can be drained off through the spigot.
If you’re having thoughts about composting and wanting to find a useful purpose for your kitchen waste, have a look at this compact composter, see how easy it is to use and how it can help with your recycling.
Let’s check out the features.
Assembly
Very basic assemby with simple-to-follow instructions.
Size and Capacity.
The unit measures just 16 inches square so it’s compact enough to fit into smaller homes and apartments, in a kitchen, garage or porch.
Each tray when full weighs 12.5 pounds making them easy to move around.
The vertical stacking tray design enables the Worm Factory to contain the largest amount of compost in a small footprint and the unit can be further expanded to 7 trays.
Ease of Use
The whole vermicompost system is an incredibly easy process. After all, you’re providing the conditions – it’s the worms that do the work!
Having established where you’re going to locate your Worm Factory, just set up bedding for them and add the organic waste and a handful of worms. It’ll likely take a short while for them to acclimatize and then they’ll get munching and multiplying.
Add your kitchen scraps and paper and occasionally monitor progress to ensure that the contents are moist but not becoming too wet. If that appears to be happening then adding a little dry matter will balance it out. The included booklet gives tips on how to best manage the ‘Factory’ year round.
Effectiveness
Worms are one of nature’s most efficient methods of recycling waste back to the earth and vermicompost has long been regarded as the most nutritious compost.
Once the process has been started you’ll be able to harvest year-round nutrient-rich garden and container compost and the secondary organic liquid fertilizer from the spigot tap.
Even though waste is being broken down in the Worm Factory DS3GT Indoor Worm Composter there are no nasty smells of rotting when worms are doing the work because the process isn’t relying on the waste decomposing.
So you can quite happily keep it in the kitchen where it’s convenient for adding scraps.
Cost
This is a perfect answer for those with space constraints and/or on a budget. Its low cost means that virtually anyone who wants to compost has the opportunity to do so.
At a Glance
Assembly: Easy to do with straight forward instructions.
Size and Capacity: Compact and comes with 3 trays but can be expanded to seven if you need.
Ease of Use: Very easy to manage. Once you have the worms and waste in let nature do its work. Just add the kitchen scraps and monitor the conditions. Happy worms equals nutritious compost equals happy plants.
Effectiveness: Very effective results from nature’s experts. Good ventilation, design and operation means no odors.
Cost: Affordable and inexpensive solution for home composting. And it’s a great nature study education for the kids.
You can get it from here with free shipping
Envirocycle Mini Composter
Just because you live in an apartment or city condo doesn’t mean that you are left out of the recycling/composting loop. Urban gardeners and anyone wanting to help the environment can join in the fun and enjoy the benefits of composting with the compact Envirocycle Mini Composter.
This Envirocycle Mini Composter is ideally designed for tucking into a small space on the patio or balcony. Just open the lid and throw in your kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, tea leaves and other organic waste and give the composter a turn 3 times a week to keep it mixed and aerated. In as little as 4-6 weeks it’ll effortlessly turn out enough compost for a small garden’s needs.
The composter is made from recycled plastic and Its tan color will harmonize with its surroundings.
Compact and versatile, the mini-composter produces both organic compost and compost ‘tea’ . It’s a sort of horticultural equivalent of a ‘TeasMade’ !
This ‘tea’ is a very nutritious liquid fertilizer residue that gathers at the bottom of the composter and can be drained off to feed to your houseplants or small garden. The plants will love it – just watch how they respond.
Assembly
There is none. The Envirocycle is delivered to your door in a recycleable carton. Just remove it from the box, place it in position and you’re good to start composting.
Size and Capacity
The mini composter measures 18.5 x 18 inches with an overall height of 20.5 inches. So with that small footprint it will be easy to find a space to accommodate it.
Despite its small size the drum has a capacity of 17 gallons which is ideal for someone who lives alone or maybe a small family unit which produces very little kitchen waste.
Ease of Use
If you live in a confined area or you’re a gardener with limited space you will thoroughly appreciate how convenient this unit is and just how easy it is to produce compost. The drum rotates smoothly on its rollers with minimum effort.
The Envirocycle’s compact size and light weight (just 10 pounds) make it easy to move around should you need to. That would make this a very acceptable gift for seniors and students.
This mini composter produces two types of compost. One is the rich, loamy substance from the drum and the second is the liquid ‘compost tea’. This drains down into the unique base reservoir unit which can hold .25 gallons. Simply use the included plug to drain off the fertilizer liquid when required.
Effectiveness
The overall effectiveness of this composter is very impressive considering its diminutive size. You won’t be producing the volumes of organic compost as you would with a larger unit but this model is intended for properties with smaller gardens and containers.
Where some larger composters can be weighty to turn, this little wizard almost spins on its rollers rather than rotates.
The 2 in 1 feature of compost and compost ‘tea’ performs quite quickly all year round.
Ventilation openings speed the biological breakdown of the contents which ensures that there will be no unwelcome odors wafting in or around your living space.
Cost
You could probably find a composter for less money but this little wizard has been well designed and thought through by a environmentally -aware company that gives a five year guarantee.
The Envirocycle Mini Composter is certainly a good buy and has satisfied many users.
At a Glance
Assembly: None. Comes ready to go.
Size and Capacity: Perfect for restricted living spaces. Its 17 gallon capacity is ideal for small gardens and its compact size means that many people accommodate two so while one is working the other can be in preparation.
Ease of Use: It couldn’t be easier to use. Simply add the scraps, spin on its base three times a week, harvest the compost and ‘tea’ and watch the plants grow!
Effectiveness: This unit mimics the effectiveness of composters many times larger.
Cost: For a compact composter that does exactly what’s required with little effort the Envirocycle Mini Composter can’t be beat.
Here’s taste of how people feel quite affectionately about their Envirocycle composter
Soilsaver Classic Composter
Maybe you’re wanting to get up and running with producing compost or perhaps you already have open wooden or chicken-wire frame compost piles in your garden and want to get them prettied up.
Either way a perfect answer could be this Soilsaver Classic Composter.
It’s compact in size and it can turn out beautiful, nutrient-rich humus in as little as six to eight weeks after adding the first waste material. Being in the recycling business, Soilsaver follows its own ethos and produces this composter from 100% recycled waste.
It’s a robust, heavy-duty construction and the dark colored material absorbs the sun’s heat which helps speed-up the bacterial composting process.
The compost is totally enclosed in this container and there are two sliding doors at the base to give you access to the beautiful compost when it’s ready. The lid can be locked as a deterrent to hungry little ‘critters’ who might be attracted to whatever you’re throwing in. (Poor little souls).
If you’re a seasoned gardener or new to composting this classic model is sturdy, simple-to-use, affordable and effective.
Assembly
Basic assembly is quite simple even for the non-technical – just a case of a dozen plastic (non-rusting) nuts and bolts and you’re given the tool to do it. The box includes easy-to-follow instructions.
Size and Capacity
The Soilsaver Container measures 28 inches square with a height of 32 inches.
That size makes it suitable for most sizes of garden or it can fit into a corner of a patio space.
It’ll hold up to 11.4 cubic feet of organic waste and kitchen scraps. That equates to about 30% of an average home’s recycling waste. That’s impressive!
Ease of Use
Well it’s a s simple as adding your organic waste really and that’s it.
The dark colored container construction absorbs heat which accelerates the bacterial action.
Ideally the compost pile should be turned over to aid the temperature and composting process. One easy way to do that is to lift the container off, place it close by in a new location and then refill the bin from the pile. Placing the bin on level ground will ensure the composter lid will close properly and lock firmly.
Even though the unit works well with heat and compost maintenance, some users of the Soilsaver Classic claim equally good results just by adding waste cold and leaving it to work its magic.
The composter pack includes a guide entitled ‘A Sense of Humus’ which gives an insight into how waste is broken down and how it’s going to bring benefits to your garden.
Effectiveness
In return for your modest efforts you’ll be digging out beautiful, rich, dark humus in about 6 to 7 weeks of setting up this composter. Itc performs equally well in all climates and its locking lid will keep away any visiting beasties.
At 30 pounds, the Soilsaver Classic is heavier than most others but that’s part of its robust construction. It’s better for containing the heat too which hastens the breakdown of the organic content. The airflow is sufficient but not as good maybe as the Lifetime 80 Gallon Composter which comes with a much higher price ticket.
Throw in grass clippings, newspaper, leaves, garden waste, cardboard, a bit of horse manure and kitchen scraps to produce a good mixture of carbon and nitrogen. Users comment how surprised and satisfied they are with how they can just add waste to this composter and get rich compost without turning or attending to it in any way.
The airflow and fast composting action ensure that there is no odor from the waste.
Cost
The Soilsaver Classic is the least expensive composter in its class. Construction is solid and its performance is extremely efficient making composting hassle-free. If you’re new to composting or you have a limited budget or space then this is the ideal composter for you.
There are many reports of people still successfully running these composters after 10 years. The manufacturer is confident enough to offer a 25 year guarantee which is way longer than most others.
At a Glance
Assembly: purchasers comment on just how easy it is to assemble and the easy instructions in the booklet.
Capacity: It’s a compact unit but still has the ability to turn out 11.4 cubic feet of compost. It’ll take a large chunk of your household waste.
Ease of use: Many users claim that it’s ease of use inspired them to buy additional ones to recycle more waste for their gardens.
Effectiveness: This unit is very effective at producing a rich humus for your garden in a short period of time with no trace of odors. Some might have a preference for the features of a tumbler such as the Lifetime 80 Gallon Compost Tumbler. But for the simplicity and price this unit does its job very effectively.
Price: Great value for money. The Soilsaver Classic Composter will do wonders for your flowers and vegetables.
