There is still little  difference between the two bins that are being aerated all the cabbage and beetroot leaves have been broken down and there is little shredded paper left but there are still recognisable slices of beetroot present. The temperatures in all three bins remain ambient at 25⁰C as the sun had warmed the room. The material  in the lower part  of both chambers  is now quite wet and under normal circumstances more browns should be added but I am leaving the top of the chambers to see if that helps it dry.   The worms in chamber 3 are doing well.

The speed at which the aerated materials have broken down in such small bins has surprized me as there has not been any noticeable difference in temperatures.

The shrinkage of the compost in all three  of the mini bins is now clearly visible and decomposition is continuing. There is now a significant difference between the two bins that are being aerated  and bin 1 which has not been turned. The temperatures in all three bins remain ambient.  

Bins 2 and 3 are treated in the same way except that bin three contains a few worms Hopefully it resembles a conventional compost bin where worms have found their way into the compost. It is not being used as a wormery ( we might try that comparison at a later date)

Day 6 of the comparison between composting with and without turning.

The bin on the left (with the label) is layered but has not been turned. The middle bin has been layered and turned-on day 4 and day 6. The bin on the right has been layered and turn in the same way as the middle bin but also contains some worms. The temperatures in all the bins are the same Each bin had the same  content i.e., pre-mixed greens and shredded paper/card to provide the browns. The temperature of all the bins is 20C. There is some condensation on the walls of the bins.

When I have carried out this exercise before using Rotbots  (2. Making Rotbots) without turning the contents the process has been relative slow.  Taking the contents from two of these bins and mixing them  would appear to been speeding the composting process. We will see whether this is indeed the case.

As lockdown is limiting the time that can be spent at the Stokes Wood Allotment Compost Demonstration site, I have decided to run an experiment using my triple chambered See-Through Compost Container.

On this occasion the same organic materials are being used in each bin:

Greens:  beetroot leaves, sliced beetroot, cabbage, and

Browns: shredded paper/card  showing another use for Christmas cards.

A different composting technique is being used in each bin.

• Bin 1  Separate layers of green and brown waste
• Bin 2  Premixed greens and browns waste with aeration every second day from day four
• Bin 3 Premixed greens and browns with added worms

Each bin has a layer of compost in the base as a starter.

 Progress reports and photos will be published regularly. This is your  chance to guess which chamber will compost the more quickly and which will reach the highest temperature.

There are more photos on the Carry on Composting Facebook page

If you have children, they can make their own indoor compost bis using 2 litre plastic bottles. Follow the link for details   http://www.carryoncomposting.com/142941457  Rotbots are session 5.

It is a good way of keeping them occupied during lockdown and includes some “science”.

You can post photos on the Carry-on Composting Facebook page

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