John Adams and Maddy Harland at the Permaculture Magazine review the HOTBIN compost bin. They loved it so much, they decided to add it to their green shopping supplement. Over the years I have tried most ways of making compost but I have never found one that really suited my requirements until Maddy showed ...
Read More »HOTBIN composting makes a difference
Waldringfield Community Composting scheme is successfully diverting food waste from landfill. Last weekend we visited our friends at Waldringfield Community Composting to look at the results of the first 3 months of the HOTBIN use. Everyone was keen to learn how much food waste the 12 households had actually diverted from landfill. The results ...
Read More »How to compost grass lawn mowing
To get fast superb results when composting grass lawn mowings in the HOTBIN: Add 40 parts grass with 20 parts shredded paper and 1 part wood chip (bulking agent) Typically this is a medium sized lawn mower collection box (40 litres) with a full carrier bag of shredded paper (20 ...
Read More »Why choose to HOT compost
HOT COMPOSTING MEANS YOU CAN ACTUALLY COMPOST ALL FOOD WASTE WHICH IS MUCH HARDER TO ACHIEVE IN COLD COMPOSTING BINS. Now we really do understand £185.00 is a lot for a household to pay for a HOTBIN. However when you look at the big picture there is certainly more than £185.00 worth ...
Read More »How to start your HOTBIN in winter
PLUS HOW TO KEEP THE HOTBIN HOT IN WINTER From scientific angle, it is not that much harder to start the HOTBIN in winter than it is in summer. From a practical standpoint it is harder because; 1) there is less garden waste around to create the minimum 40 cm base ...
Read More »Can I compost Horsetail (Mare’s Tail or Equisetum Arvense)?
YES YOU CAN COMPOST IT. BUT!! Problems will arise if the heap does not get above 40C – the seeds will survive cold composting and you will spread the seeds when the compost is used. A hot compost heap (40-60C) will kill the seeds. However as this is such an ...
Read More »Compost – What Should it Look Like? Looks can be deceptive!
Compost from you compost heap, compost bin and indeed your HOTBIN composter can vary an awful lot. With many HOTBIN® composters coming up to their first autumn, there will be a lot of hot compost being taken out and used in the garden. We thought it would be good idea ...
Read More »Worms and HOTBIN composting
A QUESTION WE OFTEN GET ASKED IS; DO I NEED TO KEEP MY WORMERY NOW I HAVE A HOTBIN? The simple answer is no and the key benefit is that the HOTBIN can compost both food waste and garden waste. Therefore you can save space, reduce costs and still keep ...
Read More »How do I prevent maggots and flies getting into the HotBin?
The quick answer is “Get your waste hot (>40C) as quickly as possible” Flies and maggots in the HotBin are a real rarity. They can occur and it tends to be when the HotBin is in the ‘set up’ phase before the temperature has risen above 40C. Below we explain ...
Read More »Can I add Autumn LEAVES to compost in my HOTBIN
LEAVES CAN GO IN THE HOTBIN AND THEY MAKE GREAT HUMUS. If you have a lot of leaves (>10 litres, a bucket load), you need to tweak the recipe to ensure they HOT compost. If you only add thick layers of leaves into the HOTBIN, it is unlikely they will ...
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