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I'm wondering about the best method of making compost. I could make a standard, cubical compost bin out of old wood, but back in the early 80s, during my first bout of inter3est in veg. growing (which didn't last long), I read in a book about compost pits, where you dig a circular pit in the ground about 3' in diameter, and pile up the removed earth around the edge to make walls and thus increase the depth. It'd presumably be great for insulation, and would encourage the heap to heat up, but aeration and drainage might be problematical. I think it was originally designed for the tropics. Would it work in this country, if it had a decent covering to keep at least some of the rain out, and was turned regularly for aeration? Has anyone tried anything like it?
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it would probably work fine, but would be a nightmare doing all that digging, it would need to be about 3 foot deep too, and then you'd have to get the stuff out when it was ready. maybe i'm just lazy -
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I suppose access to the compost would also be difficult. Still, I may try it, since a cylinder is a more efficient shape for heat-retention than a cube. The digging'll be good exercise! I've got lots of old bricks, so could increase the height of the walls with them, which'd save some digging at least.Comment
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let us know how you get on, if it was me i'd end up with a very fertile 3 foot patch lol ........ though i guess you could move it every year, and eventually you would have 3 foot of fab soil everywhere
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Well, I've dug it. It was 2 hours of hard work, but that's not too bad. I dug it circular, 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet below ground level. I put three layers of old bricks around the rim and heaped up the soil removed behind them, bringing the total depth from rim to bottom to 3 feet. A square cylinder - i.e. one as long (or in this case deep) as it's wide - is the second most efficient shape for heat retention (after a sphere, which would hardly be feasible), and the insulation will obviously be fantastic, so it should heat up well, although aeration might be a problem. i dare say it'll be possible to aerate it by shaking it up a bit from above with a fork. Anyway, the experiment is worth making: even if it doesn't work well, at least I'll know it doesn't. I've made a roof out of two pieces of old MDF, approx. 2'x4', overlapping in the middle, with a square of old carpet on top. The MDF has been outdoors for years and is concequently somewhat warped, a fact a put to advantage by laying it down convex side upwards, so the rain will run off.Comment
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If you were to stick pipes into the middle of the heap would this help air flow?Comment
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Would flooding not be a problem?
StevenComment
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If you Google 'Compost pit', it comes up with a lot of info on the subject.I you'st to have a handle on the world .. but it BROKE!!Comment
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If a hedgehog were to wander in, could it get out or would it be trapped?Comment
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if you were to call it a Bean Trench instead of a Compost Pit, you'd be on the right lines.
Not too deep (about a spit or two)
Not too wide (the ground will sink as the compost rots down - you don't want to be falling in it).
No need to ever dig it out, the compost just absorbs into the soilAll gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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