Composting Kitchen Waste

[preppingsu]

We have been composting kitchen waste (potato peelings etc) for as long as I can remember and its an important part of the gardening process. It means not having to be reliant on buying bags of compost from homebase etc.

But we still have other kitchen waste that most people throw in the bin or if your council does this, in a food collection bin. This might include scraps off your plate, raw meat, fatty bits etc.

A few years ago we purchased a Bokashi Bin system. This takes all food waste, cooked and raw and using a special bran (with enzymes) means it can be added to your main compost bin/heap and eventually put on your garden. They claim it produces excellent compost with great growing results.

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/ca ... GRGUE5D5C2

Anyway, although an expensive investment at the time, it has been well worth it. This year is the first year that any compost, with this included, will have been put on the garden so will be interesting to see if it makes a difference. I buy a large tub of bran which lasts a year or more.

OK, when tshtf the bran won't be available so something I need to stock up on. Waste from plates, well cook less. True, and its very rare I have to scrap plates but it does sometimes happen. It's better than putting the waste into the bin or into a stinky, mouldy food waste bin from the council.

I just thought I would share this with you in our desire to be more self reliant etc.

[TwoDo]

Never had much luck with composting - could never get it hot enough. However vermiculture works well for me. My compost heaps are rife with those little red worms which eat detritus. I did not put them there - they just came naturally. Those worms can reduce a 1 yard cube of kitchen waste, grass clippings and last years leaves to a height of less than a foot in a month and a half. Whats left is lovely rich dark soil.

I use a three bin system made out of 12 foot B+Q decking boards. It is five 12 foot boards slatted along the back with air gaps between them and there are 3 compartments of 4 foot on a side (also made of of deck board). Just fill up one and then move to the next. About twice a year I shovel them out and shovel them back in as the worms like the air to be in amongst the kitchen scraps. Some parts of the heap have so many worms it looks like spagetti.

[edward.21]

a while ago i got a wormary for not not easily composted things and it works great because it gives off a lovely juice that is a wonderful plant food and if and when you get a healthy enough colony you can take a handful out and put them in your compost.

[stickman45]

I have detailed instructions on making a Wormery buit's in PDF adI can't upload it so message me and I'll email it to you!