How to HOT COMPOST in a SMALL BIN using KITCHEN SCRAPS

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Күн бұрын

Hey everybody, today I show you how to hot compost in a small bin using kitchen scraps. It's often stated that you need at least a 3'x3'x3' pile to hot compost, but I prove that this is completely false. I will get this bin up to 140-160°F for at least 1-2 weeks, long enough to kill the seeds and speed decomposition in a easy manner while recycling one to two hundred pounds of kitchen waste into gardener's gold! Lastly I should note you can definitely stir more often to get quicker compost. As often as every 4 says once it heats up.
(PS: You can omit the kitchen scraps, but you would need to add water in their place.)
I garden in Zone 7a, Central NJ.

Пікірлер: 92

@michaelafunbella9668 2 жыл бұрын

Probably the best compost video on the net.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@laceras1611 Жыл бұрын

Just got a city compost bin for $45, thanks to you I checked my municipality and can't wait to get started. Great video !

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Spread the word!

@laceras1611 Жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ will do! 😊

@DonaldFlynn-eh4oc 3 ай бұрын

Where do you get the composig bins@@TheLazyGardenerNJ

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 3 ай бұрын

From the County, they're subsidized

@viviana3666 Жыл бұрын

Best of the best compost videos. Thank you very much!

@ronachadwick7908 Жыл бұрын

Thankyou. I am going to try this in my 400 litre composting bin.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

That's a nice size. Will work even better!

@flibbettyjibbetts6766 2 жыл бұрын

The king is back

@geraldinemryan Жыл бұрын

❤ excellent 😊

@reneebrown2968 2 жыл бұрын

Wow. You use a ton more greens than browns compared to most hot compost.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

Yes for the small bins I think it's necessary. When I do pallet composters I use maybe double the browns but I still go very heavy on the greens.

@jamestyrer6067 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this information

@roywarriner8441 Жыл бұрын

I use a 53 liter rubbermaid tote, kitchen waste and browns, I balance inputs as I add them the bin heats up by the time it is two thirds full. I let it cook and start another bin. Once it finishes cooking, I add it to my worm bin. Best worm food ever.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

That's great. You must be chopping the stuff very fine. And I love having worms finish the compost.

@roywarriner8441 Жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJNot really, I just add lots of browns to begin with and turn it often. I keep the bin covered with landscape fabric so there are no bugs but lots of air and to turn it I just put the lid on and give it a shake. I maintain the same moisture level as I would for bedding.

@joybrown8644 11 ай бұрын

@@roywarriner8441Love the landscape fabric idea!

@joybrown8644 11 ай бұрын

How heavy is the bin to shake? I don’t have a worm bin. Could I just dig up a few worms from the garden and toss them in?

@roywarriner8441 11 ай бұрын

@@joybrown8644 The bin weighs 30 lbs at most, or you can mix it with a small trowel or cultivator. Compost worms are specialists, you won't find them in your garden. You need to buy red wigglers or european nightcrawlers. I started with a pound of worms I picked up from a breeder nearby, breeders will ship by mail this time of year but not in the winter. I usually sift castings every two weeks and get maybe 10 liters or so, then put the same volume of compost back into the worm bin. I don't chop the kitchen waste any smaller than I would to throw it in a bin outside.

@kayfly2186 2 жыл бұрын

Hi there.. useful video. I live in the same zone/location as you and started composting for the first time in Nov/Dec time frame in an open area in my backyard, actually right under a random wild tree. I've just been layering kitchen scraps with dried leaves from the backyard thru the rain and snow. Last week when the weather got warm one day to the high 50s, I noticed a lot of shiny big flies in my compost. Now that it's snowing and rainy again at 30F no more flies, but this gives me an idea that there are going to be a lot of flies when the weather warms up to the 50s in the next couple of months. 1. Was it a bad idea to open compost and to have started this process in Winter? 2. I was under the impression I was going to have compost by Spring this year, but when I lifted the layer of dried up leaves, I still see my veggie scraps deep underneath still look almost the same as when I had left them months ago (some decomposing, but not a lot) 3. Is there anything I can do to make my compost ready by May still using the same open compost method? 4. Even in Summer when the landscapers do the lawn, I don't get grass clippings as their lawn mower just spreads the grass clippings around as they are mowing.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

So if you are cold composting like that there is no bad time to start but it will take a long time to finish, very unlikely by may. If you want to hot compost like in the video, get some buckets and save the scraps until you can get some grass. If you ask your landscapers to collect they probably can. Just don't use chemicals on the grass you use for composting. Does that answer your questions?

@haritinamoldovan8117 Жыл бұрын

Greetings from Romania! What about composting in winter?! No grass, only kitchen scraps, dead leaves and wet brunches. Maybe some cardboard and shredded paper.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Hello 👋. You can definitely compost in the winter It's just probably not going to get hot. You could try throwing a lot of coffee grinds in if you have those, It might warm up.

@thronk7855 Жыл бұрын

Very informative! Do these bins have holes in the bottom? I have seen that that allows worms to enter and breakdown scraps. Or is that a different process entirely from hot compost?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

So the bins are open on the bottom. After the hot compost phase is over the worms 🪱 come in and finish the job!

@Gedeonholly Жыл бұрын

Would you mind sharing which county you're in? I find it amazing that these bins are subsidized and would like to propose that in my area. Having a precedent is always helpful as a reference! Thanks for the great video!

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Monmouth county, NJ

@Gedeonholly Жыл бұрын

Thanks very much!

@daianhennington9865 Жыл бұрын

Question. In California drought country with few lawns so no grass clippings, evergreens and few deciduous tree leaves what would you use in these hot composers?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Number one you can use shredded cardboard and paper as a carbon. For nitrogen I would suggest weeds, kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. If you have a garden, all kinds of garden waste especially like tomatoes peppers and other things that go bad or are not harvestable also make great nitrogens. For more carbons if you have flowers or a garden you can dry out the stalks and run over them with a lawn mower and you can get quite a bit of carbons that way. Chopped Pine straw can work in a pinch too When your hot composting you're not worried about disease plants and things like that or seeds because you're just going to knock all that out when it heats up

@daianhennington9865 Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@hyacinthABC Жыл бұрын

Pretzels and snack crackers? They must have additives as a processed food. I've always read not to use processed food in kitchen scraps.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

While I agree that over processed food is not ideal in composting, small amounts are not an issue. I really like to keep as much as I can out of the trash stream.

@amarketing8749 Жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ I was thinking the heavy salt content would be the problem, but if it works... it works. Great video.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@agdayem 8 ай бұрын

What ratio of leaves to grass clippings do you use? (Volume). That’s some nice looking compost bravo 👏

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 8 ай бұрын

Good question. So the ratio is not fixed and hard to determine because the type and condition of the leaves is variable and its very hard to compare that to say shredded grass which can be wetter or drier. But my best generality is somewhere between 20%-25% leaves by volume or 4:1 to 3:1.

@agdayem 8 ай бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ Makes sense. If using 25% leaves and 75% grass clippings, that gives a CN ratio of about 30:1 which is ideal. Thanks for clarifying and good job 👏

@VickiStoner Жыл бұрын

Do you collect the food waste into the blue lidded buckets all at once (like collect from a restaurant for example) or is it a gradual accumulation which sits ‘festering’ till you are ready to make your compost cake?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Haha lol. It festers as I fill them gradually. Tho I prefer the term "precomposting". I have a smaller bucket in the kitchen which I empty daily. The family generates all the kitchen waste but it adds up fast.

@joybrown8644 11 ай бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJSo, you empty the smaller kitchen bin into the larger buckets continually until ready? Where do you keep the larger buckets? Garage?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 11 ай бұрын

Oh no I would not put them in a garage. I leave them behind my shed and the roof overhang protects them a little from the rain.

@MuddyBootsOutdoors 2 жыл бұрын

If this same layering was done but I created a pit in the ground and concreted the pit, do you think it would work or does it have to be above ground to create the heat?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure it would work. I don't even think you would need to concrete the pit. The ground would problem insulate it. But you should have a cover and make sure you don't put it where water collects.

@joybrown8644 11 ай бұрын

I am concerned that if I’d put mine on the ground that trees and other plants’ roots nearby would invade it and cause a problem.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 11 ай бұрын

Definitely can happen if it's too close but that's really if you're cold composting and/or leaving the stuff in the composter undisturbed for seasons. Doesn't really happen in composters that get stirred and emptied a lot.

@bassmaster393 2 жыл бұрын

If I’ve already filled my bin and waited to see results for a good while(with little success), can I dump and still reuse the material in my bin or do you think it’s not going to react properly

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

If I understand your question properly, you want to reset your bin using the old and new material? It's hard to say without knowing what's in your bin. Did it heat up at all? If it's carbon heavy adding a lot of new greens like grass and kitchen waste will work. If not and you add it in thin layers using my formula again it should work but only if it's a small portion of your new bin. Otherwise I need more info.

@bassmaster393 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ yes, I want to reset my bin with old and new material, it has warmed up a little at some points I believe it is carbon heavy, will definitely try your process So far your video seems to be the most helpful I’ve come across, thanks for getting back with me on my question

@bassmaster393 2 жыл бұрын

Update: I tried your method in smaller scale it seems to be working great. Thanks again

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help!

@bassmaster393 4 ай бұрын

How long do you store your food scraps in the buckets before putting them in the compost I save up through the winter for use in the spring and was wondering if that’s okay

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 4 ай бұрын

They can stay in buckets for months for sure. It's just "pre composting". I do the same thru the winter and I usually have 15-18 buckets when spring comes. Good luck!

@snipeweedan Жыл бұрын

Could you use tree bark in the process?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

You could but I wouldn't use a lot and it will take a very long time to break down unless you shred it very fine.

@shank3111 Жыл бұрын

Can you give link to buy this bin?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Yes ... But they are too expensive without a subsidy. My county sells them at a discount which is very reasonable. Otherwise maybe a 90 trashcan without a bottom and some vent holes would be cheaper. www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/orbis-npl-300-compost-container-fd0006?cid=Shopping-Google-Product-1918298&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz6ShBhCMARIsAH9A0qVH4uP76GniVp_27CP1UNzcM2uz0Jp4c1CikRbT3ahMBK8Y2a6dgHoaAhdpEALw_wcB

@ashwienajodhia9179 Жыл бұрын

Hey sir how to you protect your compost against ants and rats please make a video on this im waiting for your reply

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

I can try. But let me say here...ants at least in my zone are not an issue in the compost. That is ants in the compost do not cause harm. As for rats you need to make sure the kitchen waste is buried in the leaves and grass and when it heats up and breaks down the rats are not interested. Cold composting kitchen waste is different.

@joybrown8644 11 ай бұрын

How much compost should I mix into my vegetable garden in the Spring? Two inches worth? For example, a 12x12’? How much compost or how many bins would that take? And would I have to mix in more later in the year?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 8 ай бұрын

Yes I recommend at least 2 inches worth. 12x12 is 144 SQ ft. 1 cubic foot of compost will spread 1in over 12sq ft. So for every 12 sq ft you need 2 cubic feet of compost. Now that means you need 24 cubic feet or close to one cubic yard of compost for a 12x12 area. That small composter in my video is 10.5 cubic feet. So you need two and a half of those full. And I don't add more compost than that unless it gets replanted (and except tomatos where I use more than 2")

@nilolee2426 Жыл бұрын

How long is the process from start to finish? Months?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

That depends on a lot of factors including the time of year and how often you mix it. But 60-75 days is very doable for finished compost.

@agdayem 8 ай бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ I keep coming back to this video as a helpful guide! Regarding the time it takes of 60-75 days (8-12 weeks), is that in the warm summer weather or also in winter? I would assume in cool winter it would take a little longer? Please clarify. Thanks a lot 🤗

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 8 ай бұрын

Yes in the spring/summer it's a quicker process. Finishing can be tricky at low volumes, So if you can make two at once and combine them after about 12 days it will finish quicker and more consistently

@agdayem 8 ай бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ Makes sense to combine them after they shrink down in size to about half 👍 because keeping the pile large will help insulate the heat and thus accelerate the break down process. Thanks again for clarifying !

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 8 ай бұрын

Yup, you got it! Two at once is my default way to go now.

@spydude3730 Жыл бұрын

how many Litres do your compost bins hold

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

They are 10.5 cubic feet which I think is 300 liters.

@spydude3730 Жыл бұрын

Would a compost bin that holds 220L be enough or do I need something bigger also did you mix your compost at all or did you just leave it like that

@wademorris Жыл бұрын

@@spydude3730 great questions. #1 you can hot compost in 220l but the smaller it gets the harder it is to get it to heat up and stay hot. The solution is to make sure you chop everything up if you can. As for stirring once it heats up I will generally stir once every 7 to 10 days but you can stir as often as every 4 and as infrequently as you like depending on how fast you want it to finish.

@spydude3730 Жыл бұрын

@@wademorris Thanks for all the help

@nickthegardener.1120 Жыл бұрын

@@spydude3730 I got my 220 up to 134°f last year.👍🏻🤠

@StephanieFung Жыл бұрын

Which bin is that?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

It's called the "earth machine"

@achuaromalvlog 2 жыл бұрын

You said "people out there says we need 3ft×3ft×3ft sized bins to start composting, and it is all wrong", but what you are using here is a bin of similar size, 3ft diameter and 3ft tall, it is not a small bin as you mentioned in the title.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

3'x3'x3' is 27 cubic feet or a cubic yard. This small bin is on 10.5 cubic feet so it is quite a bit smaller and often not recommended for hot composting. That part is untrue as you can hot compost in volumes that small.

@achuaromalvlog 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ , i guess the 3ft dimension is basically to ensure proper mixing of brown and green, right?

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

The amount of material that goes into a 3x3x3 composter will cause it to stay hot much longer. That's about the main difference (as well as the amount of finished compost produced).

@achuaromalvlog 2 жыл бұрын

Most of the compost bins available in the market that are cylindrical in shape are approximately the same dimensions, 3ftdia×3ft tall. For me who is living with minimal backyard space that is still a big bin. When I saw the title of the video i thought you were trying composting on something smaller.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ 2 жыл бұрын

3x3x3 (or even 4'x3.5'x3.5') is a typical pallet composter you can see on my other videos. Most cylindrical bins are much smaller than that. The point is most people say you can't hot compost in these smaller bins, but you can.

@witekmichno6974 Жыл бұрын

Great, but grass doesn't grow when you have leaves.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Check out my compost area tour. I built a large area to store leaves all year for use whenever I need.

@tdginter Жыл бұрын

I wouldn't call that a small bin.

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

10.5 cubic feet is a small bin. The term is usually contrasted against a pallet composters which are typically at least 3x3x3 and often larger. My pallet composters are more like 45 cubic feet!

@tdginter Жыл бұрын

@@TheLazyGardenerNJ I anticipated you'd demonstrate using a lidded bin. Like a storage tote/bin, which overall would be smaller than the large bins you used. 😉

@TheLazyGardenerNJ Жыл бұрын

Ah. Yeah those can be composted in but it a lot of work. Everything needs to be shredded very fine.