cardrona Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Might be a bit of a random question but does anyone have a compost bin, worm farm and bokashi bin? I feel like I want all 3 but don't know if I actually need them all. Can anyone with 2 or more of these please explain your setup and cycle to me? Edit: Just found this, its a pretty good run down. You almost do need all 3 for different reasons- "Limitations of each system:Bokashi: good for food/kitchen scraps, doesn't do garden waste(lawn clippings and prunings)Compost Bin: good for garden waste, limited use for food. very good for chookyard rakings.Worm Cafe: good for food/kitchen scraps, doesn't do garden waste(lawn clippings and prunings)" Possibly leaning towards the fact that if I had a worm farm and outdoor compost bin then I probably wouldn't need the Bokashi? Still interested to hear what your setups are.Look up vermicompost and or name it whatever ...you can unite them all... in steps ...compost ....wormbed....vermicompost....bokashi ..Depends really what do you want to be the final product?....worms ...for fishing eg...compost or both ...or an environme t that attracts beneficial insects like black soldier fly ....and birds etc ...you can have open and closed systems ...individually or in a loop . Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardrona Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Have 3 lifes short ...why go for just one ...rotate them Bokashi inside ...when its full add it to the most elder bin ...have 1 bin for green waste...another for aged waste worms and the added bokashi.And then even a 4th as a already finished go to bed for seedling and potting mix /planting mix. Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile appYou can do it all in an area under 6m2 say 2 x 3m Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENQUEEN Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Gday thirstyman,years ago I went down the same path you are talking about, worn farms,compost,ect but over the years I've reverted back to a more simple method of composting, I've pretty much tried them all and observed the ways others have put this into practice to but what I've found is I was spending money on things like the one tonne chemical containers, timber,time and effort and the list goes on,these days I keep things as straight forward and simple as possible and this us what I do,I have two compost areas one that's is new and still breaking down and ones that's a bit more advanced and ready for use,I put my compost piles straight on the ground, everything goes in,vegie scrape's, leaf litter collected from around the yard,small sticks and tree trimmings, chooks shit from the chooks pen,paper and cardboard, the old tea leaves from the tea pot or tea bags,cold ash from the fire place.no meat or bones and I don't put lawn clippings in either,find an area in your yard that's shady and damp and simply start layering all the material's into a big heap on the ground,I water it once a week or when ever it starts to feel a lil bit dry and I cover it with a tarp when I'm not using it,if its raining I uncover it and let the rain give a good soak,also if you have very shady spot in the yard you may not even need a tarp but the tarp works well if you don't basically your try to mimic a rain forest floor, dark and damp, now the reason I like to pile my compost on the ground is because when you are creating this dark/damp area you are also creating the perfect conditions for worms and other critters so they will naturally come to you compost pile straight from the ground,worms like moist soil so as long as you keep it wet they will come,they will deposit worm castings and break down plant matter free of charge with minimal amount of work from you,so apart from watering it I go out about once a month sometimes once a fortnight and give a good turn over and make it all well mixed,I've taken a few pics of my pile for you to see how easy it is,this pile is about 6/7foot long and bout foot and a half high,I just gave it a covering of fire ash yesterday and will turn it in a little latter on to day,as you can see I only needed have a bit of a scratch around the bottom surface to find worms there's hundreds of em in this pile so there a constant supply if fishing bait to when I used to use those big white chemical container's I found it real hard to bend in there to get the compost back out of it again to use in the garden,much easier to shovel the pile up of the ground,anyways that's how I do it but I'm sure others will have there own ways and ideas for you,sorry the pics aren't the best but hopefully you'll get the idea ,cheers GQ Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirstyman88 Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Look up vermicompost and or name it whatever ...you can unite them all... in steps ...compost ....wormbed....vermicompost....bokashi ..Depends really what do you want to be the final product?....worms ...for fishing eg...compost or both ...or an environme t that attracts beneficial insects like black soldier fly ....and birds etc ...you can have open and closed systems ...individually or in a loop . Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile appMain reason would be for the garden (compost, fertilizers), also for environmental reasons. Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirstyman88 Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Cheers for the info GQ!It's hard to work out what to do. I suppose like a lot of other things you just need to work out what works best for the individual. Not sure I have the space for a pile (or 2) like that in my yard but good to know the simple method works. Does it smell and does your dog get to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirstyman88 Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Have 3 lifes short ...why go for just one ...rotate themBokashi inside ...when its full add it to the most elder bin ...have 1 bin for green waste...another for aged waste worms and the added bokashi.And then even a 4th as a already finished go to bed for seedling and potting mix /planting mix. Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile appYou can do it all in an area under 6m2 say 2 x 3m Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile appHow come you suggest a separate bin for green waste? I was sort of thinking I could go Bokashi first as my main food scrap compost and then split the finished product of that between worm farm and outdoor compost bin. Chuck some extra scraps to the worms and outdoor compost bins every now and then and also put green waste in the outdoor compost. That way I would have liquid fertilizer from the bokashi, worm castings and juice from the worm farm and a compost pile to utilize for my dirt mix. Part of the reason for doing this and not just using a big pile or two is that a lot of my yard is paved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREENQUEEN Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 No,no smells thirsty just that beautiful earthy smell that sort of is a bit like when rain comes and hits the dry dirt that sort of smell I find it a pretty pleasing instead if offensive,no need to have a big pile,you can have a pile of any size and still get the same effects,did has a sniff around there but that's about it and a tarp with a couple of bricks or rocks on top of tarp should fix that problem though the birds like to have a scratch through it when I have it uncovered but cause no probs,sometimes instead of turn it over I just let the chooks out of there pen and they do the work for me they are very efficient worker's Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirstyman88 Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 Ok cool, thanks for the info. Yeah I wish I had room for chooks. They seem to come in quite handy, and I love eggs! One day.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardrona Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 How come you suggest a separate bin for green waste? I was sort of thinking I could go Bokashi first as my main food scrap compost and then split the finished product of that between worm farm and outdoor compost bin. Chuck some extra scraps to the worms and outdoor compost bins every now and then and also put green waste in the outdoor compost. That way I would have liquid fertilizer from the bokashi, worm castings and juice from the worm farm and a compost pile to utilize for my dirt mix. Part of the reason for doing this and not just using a big pile or two is that a lot of my yard is paved.Depends on what you call green waste ..sometimes i have ..leftover corn stalks and longer or thicker diameter material ....that i dont chip ...and sometimes find it works a little better having dried out a little.There is really no rights or wrongs Keep it simple.No bones and citrus. .chucking green in is good in certain situations as the heat in the pile can cook certain weed seeds and stop them germinating .But really just do what works for you ...there is no rule book.Rules are meant to be broken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardrona Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 I mainly used the old bath tubs because they .Make good liquid food .And are off the ground to not encourage mice .As with a good vermi or seeded compost come spring you can just topdress 8 inch pots in spring and all the previous years seed will come up already in the mix ...cherry tomatoes, basil etc annuals Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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