First time

[Derrick229]

First time since I have had my Hot Bin, (I bought it just after the Chelsea Flower show in May 2022)

I opened it today, it was just a wet mat in there

I havent added any liquids, I havent even been able to cut my grass much this year, its been to hot and dry, it hasnt grown

I have been adding weeds, leaves, left over of food, a few green bit and pieces

Plenty of shredded card board and paper, all mixed with the green stuff (what little there has been )

It just fell out as a wet lump

I have spread it out to dry out in the hope there is something I can sieve and use

I ended up just dumping it back in the Hot Bin, but with plenty of shredded card board and paper, two bottles of hot water to bring it up to temperature

My Dalek bin has been a lot better, yes a bit wet, but there is compost I can use in there (I added Garotta to my Dalek bin, it helps it rot down)

Well here are a couple of pictures of what I got out of my Hot Bin


Well if anyone can tell me where I went wront, it would be appreciated

[strawberry]

Hello Derrick, the first lot of compost you get out is usually not the best, mine was dense and a bit wet with some anaerobic areas (which smell). I was able to use it as a mulch after storing for a few weeks. The way to correct very wet material is to add more paper and cardboard, especially if food waste is stuff like salad and fruit. Also worth giving contents a good stir before you add new material and then stir the old and new together. You dont mention using bulking agent which is needed to enable airflow and stop stuff matting together. I think a lot of people have had a shortage of green material this year. We don't have a lawn so no grass to add any time of year but I have found that an excellent way to keep the bin hot is to use stale bread/pastries/cakes (I get leftovers from local cafe). Do persevere and have a look at some good Youtube videos by Beanie Composter. Good luck