Composting

How to choose a composter?

If you are not familiar with composting; the first question usually is about the composter itself. There are a lot of different models on the market and the average consumer hesitates when choosing. We at Pikkuvihreä would like to stress that the composter is not as important as believed generally. You can buy the most expensive warm compost on the market and fail or – on the other hand – you can just as well succeed with a DIY composter.

The things you should pay attention to are mainly the size and the need for thermal insulation. If you only compost during summertime, for example at a summer cottage, a non-insulated, max 200 liter compost bin is usually enough. If you aim to compost all year round, it is better to choose a bigger one, from 300 liter onwards and an insulated compost.

With kitchen waste, it is also important that the composter is rodent proof. Special requirements apply also to toilet waste composters: they have to be closed systems so that the effluent can not leak out to the nature. A good example of a such composter is Green Toilet Waste composter.

How to get the compost to work?

The internet is full of composting guides and instructions. This may falsely give the impression that composting would be difficult – it is not! Actually, very detailed instructions may lead you wrong because composting is a natural process, which is dependent on the local conditions and use.

However, there are a few basic rules to follow:

• The #1 enemy of all composting is excess water. So, use enough dry material!
• The second threat is heat and drought – especially at summer. keep the compost moist enough. The best would be to pee to the compost, because urine is a compost booster in itself – but water will do as well!
• Lack of oxygen is also a common problem. If the compost mass is too dense or the bin too closed, the microbes can not get enough air to operate. So, remember to aerate the compost every now and then with a mixer or a digging fork.

As a summary we can say that the outcome of composting depends on the user just as much as on the equipment. Your compost will need care! As a reward you will get nutritious mulch to be used in the garden. It is worth trying!

Read a related blog post:

Composter’s Yearly Calendar: An Eco-Friendly Journey Throughout the Year