Other types of composting

Wormeries

Used for composting small amounts of food waste. Useful where space is at a premium or there is no garden only a small yard or patio. Bins can be homemade or shop bought and the special worms are also sold to go with the bins. Care needs to be taken looking after the worms and not over feeding them.

Digesters

Bins such as the ‘Green Cone’ digest rather than compost your food waste. The base sits in a hole you dig underground, the insulated cone part sits on top and looks similar to a compost bin – though no compost is produced, the food simply rots away with the help of a powder containing bacteria which boosts the decomposition in colder months. The bin is designed to deter rodents so unlike a regular compost bin you can put your cooked food and meat waste in as well.

Fermenters

Bokashi This is effective micro organisms ‘E.M. Bokashi’ (or good bacteria) added to a bran mixture. It acts by fermenting the food waste instead of it rotting and thus attracting vermin. All food waste including meat and cooked food is placed in lidded buckets sprinkled with the bran and left to ferment before adding into your regular compost bin or burying in the ground. The liquid residue from the bucket can be used to clear drains or diluted to fertilise plants. There are a number of companies online providing further information and selling Bokashi products.

Leaf Mould

If you have too many leaves to put in your compost bin, gather them up and moisten with water if they are dry, then place in black bags. Make a few holes in the bag to let air in and place in a secluded part of the garden and forget about it for a year or two. At this stage it can be used as a soil improver or mulch, though the longer you leave it in the bag the better. Two year old or older leaf mould can be mixed in equal parts with sharp sand and garden compost to make a potting mix for plants and seeds.