It is not necessary to have a garden to compost.   In the UK  Bokashi fermentation   and indoor wormeries are frequently used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, outdoor composting but indoor aerobic composting is also  possible.  Although nor commonly used in the UK indoor aerobic composting  appears to be used more frequently  in the US and features regularly on composting pages of social media.    

Materials suitable for indoor aerobic  composting

In theory any organic waste that can be composted outdoors can be composted indoors  e.g. fruit and vegetable peelings,  coffee grounds, tea bags, shredded paper. In practise items that compost slowly are best avoided, due to limited size  of indoor bins  and lower temperatures reached in  smaller bins.   Fruit and vegetables  with a high-water content, e.g. squash, and strongly smelling waste such as onion  are best avoided unless the composter has a filter fitted. As with outdoor composting if the waste material is cut to lengths of about 2”  or less, it will breakdown more quickly. Meat, dairy, or fats are not suitable for composting aerobically in a conventional  indoor or outdoor bin  but can be treated in a Bokashi bin to produce pre-compost.

Shredded paper or cardboard are good carbon rich browns for use in an indoor bin as they are  easy to store and will not smell. More browns should be added every time greens are added.

Frequent aeration is necessary as the containers are not designed to provide a high level of ventilation, mixing  also breaks up potentially anaerobic lumps and helps provide even moisture distribution. As indoor compost containers are relatively small it difficult to use most types of commercial compost aerators,  but  a long-handled  hand fork makes an effective mixing tool.

There is more information at carryoncomposting.com

Badgers can do considerable damage to a garden and lawn gaining access to the garden through gaps the hedge or by digging  under  fences . they are creatures of habit and once a garden is on the route, they will visit it regularly.  They are protected by law in the UK and it is  it illegal to trap, harm or kill a badger, or to interfere with its sett.

Badgers can be attracted to the contents of a compost heap or bin as it provides a good source of food particularly if it contains cooked food, meat or dairy products but the uncooked vegetable and fruit  will also provide a good source of nourishment along with all juicy composting worms.

While it is a good idea not to add meat, fats or dairy products to a bin not designed to compost cooked food waste it is advisable to cover any edible kitchen waste in the compost with dry leaves or soil,  although this is not very effective  at masking the smell.

Badger deterrents

Infrared triggered LED lights can also be effective at least until the badgers get used to them.

 Other suggested deterrents include smelly oils it is said,  and it is believed that they are disliked by badgers.

• Olbas Oil contains eucalyptus oil, menthol, cajuput oil, clove oil, juniper berry oil, wintergreen oil and mint oil.
• Citronella oil
• Scotch bonnet peppers  Chopped and crushed  scattered on the ground
• human (male) urine deters them. The urine can be diluted and  sprayed round the bin or plot every 4 weeks
• A Smelly Washing Line at badger height round the area from which cloths impregnated with the smell oils ae hung is suggested by http://badgerland.co.uk/deter/chemical_deterrent.html
•  Lion manure is also suggested

 Compost heaps

 Once in the garden there is usually nothing to prevent the badgers gaining access w to a compost heap or pile and help themselves to the fruit, vegetables, and worms.  The simple answer is to replace the heap with a bin but if a pile is preferred in order to keep the badgers out it will be necessary to build a fence, at least 120cm high  round the pile with the protected are large enough to allow for turning the heap. The fence needs to be wooden or a heavy wire,  buried at least 60cm deep with an extension of  at least 30cm under the ground to prevent the animals digging into the protected area.  

Compost bins

Compost bins are easier to seal against invading badgers  than open heaps. Surrounding the bin with paving slabs or large stones  can offer a deterrent to a badger gaining access from below

Dalek style plastic bin.   Plastic bases are available for the most frequently  supplied bin available through Council subsidized schemes or thick  wire mesh can be fitted across the base. Those bins designed to take cooked food will include an integral base.

 If the bin is supplied with a  sliding hatch this can be secured shut with a single screw. The  common clip-in hatches can be protected by either weldmesh rigidly fixed in place.  If the lid is easily opened it will need securing. Badgers on my plot have tried to chew the secure lid of a Green Johanna but failed to gain entry 

Tumbler Bins

Tumblers mounted on a frame off the ground should be relatively  safe although the smaller lighter models are best pegged to the ground as they may be knocked over if only partly filled. Metal bins are more resistance to badgers than plastic.

Wooden bins. A Wooden lid offers better protection than a tarpaulin or plastic sheet cover. Mounting the bin on slabs or fitting wire mesh across the base can restrict entry and, depending on the quality of the wood, the sides  may need protecting  with wire mesh  (weld mesh). This should be  sealed round all the edges of it can be mounted on a removable frame to fit the sides of the bin and screwed in place so that it can be removed to provide easy access to the bin.

Animal manures have been composted for use in agriculture since the early days of farming using dung from whatever animals were being farmed.  Manure from a farmyard or animal pens will also include urine, which has a high nitrogen content, and the soiled carbon rich. bedding e.g. straw. Incorporating manure into the soil is an effective  way of replenishing the organic content  and creating humus. Adding manure, or  other humus rich  organic material such as garden compost to the soil increases the biodiversity, and nutrients  trace elements help improve the soil structure.  This is as important as  the provision  of N-P-K to the soil  but is often overlooked.

According to the Rodale Guide to Composting  (1979) manure was considered to be the most important single  ingredient in the compost heap,  and few heaps did not include at least a layer of manure. The use of manure has fallen out of fashion in home composting possibly as result of concerns relating to pathogens but also as the emphasis of domestic composting has moved from converting  garden waste, from a large garden or allotment, producing a soil enhancer  to composting household,  kitchen and waste from much smaller gardens garden for environmental reasons such as reducing waste sent to landfill or reducing greenhouse  gases.

A new page has been added to www.carryoncomposting.com (http://www.carryoncomposting.com/443725801)  looking at the different animal manures that can be used and how they can be incorporated to make the composting hotter and quicker.

The pre-compost produced by treating food waste by Bokashi  can be buried in a hole (“post hole” composting), but I feel that it is best to use the Trench composting method where a 30cm (1ft) deep trench is dug to bury the Bokashi product (preferably  with the addition of uncooked kitchen waste) this can be filled and left over winter to make a bean trench so than the plan the location of your trench  now . Alternatively, you can create a trench or post holes and use the ground after 2-3 weeks. 

The pre-compost will be acidic, probably pH 3.5 - 4 so if being added to a trench or post hole it will need to be left buried for two or three weeks for the pH to adjust to that of the soil before coming into contact with plant roots. So, delay planting or bury the Bokashi at a depth which the roots will not reach it for some time. If it is being added to an over wintering compost trench that is being used in the coming spring there is no problem,

There should not be any problem in sowing seeds on ground where Bokashi has been buried provided  the seed roots  will not reach the Bokashi for at least a couple of weeks.

 If burying Bokashi on its own rather than mixed with uncooked vegetable waste in a trench  the pre-compost will take on the appearance of soil after  two to six weeks depending on the temperature.  Mixing the Pre-compost with the soil will speed the process. As in the case of conventional cold composting little or nothing will happen at winter temperatures.  More information on burying the pre-compost and trench and post hole composting is available at http://www.carryoncomposting.com/416920212 and http://www.carryoncomposting.com/443725787

 Bokashi converts cooked food waste into a form which can be added to the compost bin or buried in the garden without attracting vermin

As a composter I add the pre-compost produced by the Bokashi bin to my compost bins. This achieves the original objective of converting cooked food waste into a form that can be used as a soil improver at home in a without attracting vermin. I prefer this to burying the pre-compost directly in the soil as I use my Bokashi at home and having limited space do not have room for a trench and I lose track of the location of  the places where I have buried material when post hole composting  However, many will prefer to add the pre-compost directly to the soil making it available to the growing plants sooner, avoids double handing the material  and reduces the risk of the addition of small amounts of greenhouses gases to the atmosphere if the aerobic composting bin has anaerobic areas.

On completion of the formation process the appearance of the food waste will have changed very little in appearance but do not worry the organisms in the Bokashi bran will have done their work  enabling micro-organisms in the compost bin or soil to break the product down quickly without attracting the attention of rats or other vermin.

Adding Bokashi pre-compost to the compost bin or wormery.

 When adding the Bokashi pre-compost to an aerobic composting bin  or wormery  will mean that the anaerobes responsible for fermenting the waste will be replaced by aerobic microbes

Adding to  a compost bin

Most people who have a conventional compost bin will add the  pre-compost to the working compost bin. If a plastic coned shaped bin is being used to cold compost the normal household and garden waste some will just aerate the material in the bin  using a compost aerator or spade and empty the  Bokashi into the bin. It is then mixed with a couple of spades of fresh soil the upper layers of the bin are  turned so that the pre-compost is both well mixed the existing ingredients and buried. Some just tip the pre-compost into the bin and continue to add normal greens and browns with the minimum of mixing (I have not tried this). If using a New Zealand bin where the contents are not turned,  I mix  the pre-compost with soil before adding it as a layer to the bin. If hot composting where contents are being turned for the first month the pre-compost can be added as a separate layer followed by a soil layer and then alternative layers of greens and browns.

Wormeries

Bokashi pre-compost can be added to a wormery allowing meat and other items that are unsuitable for vermicomposting without pre-treated to be processed.  Bokashi fermentation is an acidic process and while it can provide an effective means of completing the processing of kitchen waste  the   addition of  acidic bokashi pre-compost to a worm bin must be done with care  as worms prefer a neutral pH  and the bokashi material will normally have a pH of 3-4.

The bokashi pre-compost  should be introduced  to the wormery in relatively small amounts  over several days together with additional Browns. This  allows the worms to adjust to the new material,  once they do so they will process it more quickly down material that has not be pre-treated in the Bokashi bin. It is likely that if Bokashi material is added regularly it will increase the acidity of the  worm bin so the pH should be monitored,  and additional lime added. The worm bin should be carefully monitored  over the period the Bokashi pre-compost is being added. Initially only add a small amount of pre-compost to the bin increasing the dose as the worms adjust to the more acidic pH. Add shredded paper or other source of carbon when adding the pre-compost to maintain the C:N ratio and check the pH adding lime if the bedding becomes acidic.

In the next post I will look at burying the pre-compost directly in the soil using a trench or post hole. Details are available at  http://www.carryoncomposting.com/416920212