Small compost containers

[MuranoFarms]

My compost pile is frozen on top. lol If I poke hard with the pitchfork and get through the frozen stuff it's doing ok underneath, warmer then the air at least. I don't want to add on top of ice and snow though, it's just going to freeze solid and not start working till thaw. So I was considering using small lidded buckets. Between the kitchen scraps, egg shells and brooder litter....I have all the main ingredients. I have a few of those kitty litter buckets with the lids. Do you think these will work for mini-compost bins? I think I'll need 1 every 2 weeks. That way they can start working now instead of waiting till it thaws out to start. Or will they be too small?


Thanks!

 

[lesa]

Are you planning on having the containers outside? If so, I think it will still be too cold... I just keep adding to my pile and when spring comes it does its thing.

 

[vfem]

Maybe cover them with black tarp to help heat up the small buckets, and keep shaking and moving them around?

Other wise the cold will just get them too.

I do my composting in a old black truck tool box that is double sided. I close it up in the winter to keep it warmer.

 

[lighthawk]

My compost bin has 4 seperate "chambers" to turn the pile into. When the freeze comes I start a new pile and then in the spring I will turn the old pile over on top of the new stuff.
Don't want to keep it in the house lid or no. By the time you open it to put it on the pile in the spring you will need to wear a gas mask and you will never get the smell out of that bucket. Peewww.

 

[Collector]

I just keep throwing mine on top of the frozen pile also. It may work if you cover it with black plastic like some one above said . it may thaw it out and get it cooking again.

 

[lesa]

Oxygen a very important ingredient to composting- not much in a closed bucket....

 

[Llama Gardener]

I have llamas and I have a compost pile outside their fence and I find that if you just keep piling stuff on top, as that starts to compost it melts the frozen part and just keeps on working together... But that's just my experiance and your additions might not be as much as the poop/bedding from 10 llamas daily is.... If it is just kichen scraps..... But I don't think the buckets will work, but you could try vermicomposting (sp?) I haven't tried this yet but have been thinking about asking my mom about it...

Anywho I am rabbleing and will stop now...

 

[thistlebloom]

Wow LLama, you must have fantastic soil! I have found llama and alpaca manure to be the best by far.

As of now I only have chicken doodie, but in the past we've had
rabbit, chicken, sheep, goat, horse and swine.
And I know my, uh,...poo....

 

[Llama Gardener]

I think what really has helped my soil is that we made 16 raised beds (4 ft x16 ft) and then we put cardboard, then newspaper and then (the fun part) we filled the beds half full with llama beans (poop) as it isn't hot poop (like chicken poop is hot), then finnished filling it with soil. But look around for camelid (llama and alpaca) farms as 95% of them will let you have what you will scoop for free! Less poop for them to deal with... So just look....

 

[thistlebloom]

I do get as much as I can load from some friendly farmers down the road. There's another ranch around that charges $55 a truck load. I didn't get any last summer as I was frantically busy with my business, home and trying to maintain my own gardens and property. Just didn't have the time to go over and load up.
This year I intend to make time. Sleep is over rated anyway!