Nutritional value of hotbin compost to traditionalally made compost

[Lesley]

Hi, I am a new user of the hotbin method of composting but have been composting using a traditional wooden bin for many years. I read an article in the Guardian some years ago by Alice Fowler recommending the Hotbin method as being rodent proof. having had a rat problem recently although, I took care to avoid food waste, It is also the warm environment that attracts them, I thought I would try out the Hotbin which has been up and running for just over a month now consuming at a great rate everything I feed it at a temperature of aound 120f. What I am wondering now is the old fashioned method allowed insects and worms to thrive on the perimeter where the Hotbin's temperature is too high for anything to live within it. Does the workings of insects within a bin provide a more 'nutritious' compost than this intense heat method? I expect a sample of each type could be evaluated and has any research been conducted?

[Salexander]

That's a query I have wondered about too and I don't know the answer. I have quite a bit of garden/kitchen waste for my own bin and find I have to empty it every 4-6 weeks. I don't always have an immediate use for the compost so the other day I bought a simple plastic bin composter and the month old compost from the bottom of the hotbin now goes into that. I will leave the compost to mature for a few months and as the bin sits directly on the ground, worms, slugs, woodlice etc. will move into the bin and help with breaking down the compost. If you use your hotbin compost directly in your garden it will attract the aforementioned little animals anyhow, to complete the breakdown process.