Getting the Dalek moving

[shine388]

Hi everyone, as a fairly small (5 ft 2ish) lady I'm struggling to turn the compost in my Dalek..I tried using a fork but can only reach about halfway down.

I'm thinking that sticking a metal pole in and wiggling it would give it a bit of movement but I'm wondering if there are other ways of jiggling things up to stimulate decomposition a bit more..?

The shape of it doesn't help much either but it's better than nothing

Any help gratefully received

[Bren In Pots]

Shine it would be easier to move the bin, the easiest way is to leaver it all around the base using a spade that sort of frees so its easier to lift. Then move it to a new place and put everything back in. Hope that makes sense.

[Bill Door]

Well I just take the dalek off the partly decomposted stuff and resite it nearby. I then fork the remains into the dalek and make sure I get some worms in. I then top up the bin with more green and brown stuff. I have never tried to turn the compost in the dalek

I do always dig the new site for the dalek so that it sits below the soil level, I also pile soil around the lower edge to keep any rats away. I haven't seen any rats or activity of rats so assume it is the best thing to do.

Any reasonable compost left at the old site I just leave and dig in as required.

To get the dalek off the heap I just rock it or lift it a bit with a fork under the dalek (watch out that you do not spike the dalek.

Bill

[shine388]

Aha! This is one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' moments, thank you both ☺️

[Potstubsdustbins]

Being idle I have one of these. As you push it into the compost the tines fold flat to the tube, as you pull it back out they fold out to stir things up.

Google compost aerator there are several different types. My 5ft and 1/2 inch SWMBO can use it with ease.

[shine388]

Perfect, thank you..that's going on my Xmas list

[mothhawk]

After skinning my knuckles on the rather hard top edge of my dalek, I stopped trying to stir the contents around. When I have space I empty and turn it, but I have no room to do that in the summer months.

What I do is get a long pointy stick (not VC's), and stab it down into the compost several times to make air holes right through all the layers. That seems to be enough to keep it all decomposing nicely.

[janzbro]

I got a plastic turner with mine long ago, it was like an arrowhead on a long pole with a handle.

At the moment its green slime on the bottom so guess I need to increase the browns but I was putting lots of paper in every time I cut the grass!!!

[Philthy]

I probably got the same 'aerator' as you, janzbro. I find it to be useless; far too short and because the arrowhead is moulded plastic you can't drive it through matted layers of material anyway.
The dalek is a bit of a flawed design. I agree, it's next to impossible to turn the compost with the dalek in situ because of the tapered shape and the height of it. I also find with the one hatch at the bottom that once you have scraped out all the ready compost around the opening, it's difficult to access more as it's generally tightly compressed and tends to stick to the sides.
Much easier to lift the dalek clear, move the contents over to one side, replace the dalek and then fork compost back in with the newest stuff at the bottom. I turn mine once a year.
I guess the two factors in favour of this composter would be that it has a relatively small footprint thanks to it's height, and being black plastic (mine anyway) it heats up quickly.

[shine388]

Thanks all I agree, it definitely has both good and bad points. I'm always impressed with the heat generated in the summer months. Hopefully my other half will build me one of those pallet ones with multiple compartments soon though

[4390evans]

Aw they are a nightmare arnt they! I usually just take it off the heap then give it a good forking over then put it back in the dakek. Im seriously conidering a hot bin for this mainly.