COMPOST BIN

Triple-Chambered Earthmaker™ Makes Composting Easy	Convenience and large capacity at a great low price!	A Large Capacity Tumbler That’s Easy to Turn

Decide on a location where your compost bin can do its job, ideally in a protected area out of the wind and direct sunlight and positioned so you don’t offend neighbors.

Not everyone’s yard – or lifestyle – can accommodate an outdoor compost bin. No worries! This self-contained, electric-powered Kitchen Scrap Composter makes it easy to “do the right thing” for the environment right in your mudroom, garage or out on your deck.

A successful compost bin requires a balanced nitrogen and carbon mix, a good supply of air and moisture, small particles, not to be too hot or cold, and a good source of microbes. Organica Compost Activator uses natural microbes to safely and naturally speed decomposition of yard waste. The activator promotes higher temperatures that increase decomposition speed, help reduce odors, deactivate weed seeds and pathogens and help build healthy soil.

Nitrogen rich “Greens” are rapidly decomposing materials such as vegetable and food scraps, green grass clippings, don’t add them in bulk, thin layers only, green leaves, manures, seaweed

Carbon “Browns” are provided by ash, prunings, cardboard and newspaper, pine needles etc. These are slow to decompose materials and should but chopped up into small pieces.

See the page on home composting for a list of items that can be used in your compost bin.

You need to layer the ingredients into the compost bin so you know you have a good mixture to do the job properly.

For example start off with the brown stuff:
Use a 6 inch layer of leaves or shredded stems or twigs (use your own carbon source if you want).
Then sprinkle with water, do this each and every layer. It needs to be moist but not soaking.

Next you need greens:
Add a few inches of grass clippings or food scraps or any nitrogen source. Alternate the layers as you continue to fill the compost bin.

Then sprinkle a shovelful of soil or some activator to add microorganisms to the bin, which will go to work breaking down the ingredients into humus.

Make sure the ingredients are not too compacted as the bacteria need oxygen to break these down into humus.

Turn the mixture over with a fork or an Aerator every few days to speed up the process. You can buy a compost bin with a handle which makes it easy to turn or if you have a more simple compost bin or are using a barrel you can roll it round the garden (make sure the lid is on tight). The inner most part of the compost bin will be the hottest so ensure ingredients on the outside are mixed in well.

The contents of the compost bin can be ready to use in 6-8 weeks if you have the balance of nitrogen and carbon correct and regularly turn the mixture to create heat. Otherwise it can take up to a year for everything to break down.

At then end of the process you should have a rich brown crumbly compost from your bin with a pleasant earthy smell. It can then be dug into the soil in your garden beds.

Using a compost bin with a lid will keep flies and many insects out though harmless insects, attracted by the nutrients, are part of the natural process and go to show that everything is working properly.

If the contents begin to smell it may be that you have added fatty food scraps or that the mixture is too wet. In the latter case try adding some more sawdust, leaves or shredded newspaper.

If ants are a problem it means the material is too dry so add some water.

Mice can be attracted if the wrong food has been added to your compost bin, for example bread or cake.