Built this yesterday in about an hour. All free materials except the screws. Going to use it specifically for leaf mold.
Here's what I have left for leaf mold at the moment. I believe it's about a cubic yard. I collected the leaves and added Lactobacillus while filling the bins. I did leave them whole until the following spring of the first year. I then shredded all of my bins and added IMO5. They have since been switched from a wire fence bin to the GEOBIN for storage until I need it. I believe this GEOBIN helps retain moisture better than the wire fencing, yet still provides good air circulation.
I used the last of my leaf mold 2 weeks ago to make a final compost pile. I’m ready to start collecting and shredding. My goal is to have enough leaf mold for mixing soil once a year (15 gallons is plenty), and have the rest available to just shovel into grass clippings to make compost. You can build a pile pretty damn fast when the browns are shredded and decomposing! I also want to say that making mini piles this summer worked awesome. Starting a little on the side of “green rich”, and following the Berkeley turning schedule worked every time for me. I transplanted Ornamental potted plants in to 18 day old compost countless times, and the plants loved it! Cheers Os
I fractured my tibia on August 1rst. Just started walking without a cane about 4 days ago. So I turned my neglected compost piles today. The tall wire fence bin had it's first turning today and the other GEOBIN is on it's 4th or 5th. I keep adding lots of comfrey and a little horsetail each time to the GEOBIN.
Can we just turn the Giobin over from around the current pile to start a new one or is that easier said than done?
I just unclip mine and move it right next to the established pile. Then work from the outside of the old pile placing it inside the center of the new GEOBINS placement. My piles stand up by themselves when I remove and reposition the bin.
@TimJ , that green stuff that you id’d for me a while back is breaking down to look good. I only have a 7 gallon bucket of it going for a test run but have a bunch more growing out there. This will probably fill flower pot when it’s done, if that.
I just started compost in a 25 gallon plastic rotating bin, but it won’t “start”. I primed it with green grass clippings, wheat straw, a couple of cups of compost from my huge compost pile and small amounts of wilted lettuce, water Mellon rind and sweet corn shucks. It’s “one drop when squeezed” moist. It just won’t start. I even inoculated with bottled, diluted microbes. Turning every 3-4 days. What am I doing wrong? Wish would have rinsed it out before I started….. what to do?
It might be not enough nitrogen/green matter. Or it's to dry. Microbes need water to become most active. When first starting a pile I soak it until water comes out the bottom. Then water as needed while flipping. HTH
A big wad of finely chopped fresh cut greens in the middle will get the ball rolling. Something like fresh cut grass works really well. Cheers Os
My lawn grass isn’t so green right now…. Fresh organic spinach or lettuce?Would cannabis leaves count as fresh cut greens?
Fresh green anything! And yes cannabis leaves work great. The green cannabis leaves already contain all the right nutrients in the proper ratios to boot! Cheers Os
Ive been laying the green n browns in a line and I straddle myself over pile and pitch fork it, seems easier than turning in a bin.
My wonderful neighbors texted me to let me know they had some leaves for me. Turned out to be a 16x20’ tarp loaded 2’ deep, and 16x12’ tarp loaded 2’ deep. We dragged the tarps over to my compost corner and I went at it with the Flowtron. Fall bounty, shredded leaves by Organic sinse posted Oct 3, 2021 at 8:28 PM When all was said and done, I ended up with 64 cu ft of shredded leaves. This is the first time ever, I have dealt with dry leaves. The flowtron made 64 cu ft of shredded leaves in just 40 minutes. With wet matted leaves, I suspect it would have taken me 2-3 hours. I have been freaking out worrying that I wasn’t going to have leaves for next summer. I’ve been crazy busy with fall things, since it snowed 11 days ago. I feel like two tarps of good dry leaves is the best present I ever have gotten. Now I’m set to make compost mini piles every time the same neighbors mow the lawn, all next summer. Plenty to make leaf mold too!!!! Cheers Os