FAQ's RSS

Late Summer Early Autumn are great times of the year to find plenty of compost-able material in the garden and get the HOTBIN operating at the higher end of hot composting temperatures. Late Summer Late summer is that last stretch of summer leading toward colder and shorter days. In some regions of the USA, it is still summer, so what materials might you find in your garden to compost during late summer?You can start pruning flowers, mowing your lawn, cutting-back and trimming evergreens, hardy geraniums, shrubs, etc... and adding them to your compost pile. Don’t forget to add the indicated amount...

The answer is YES you can! HOTBIN can compost those ‘unwanted things’ that grow in the ‘wrong places’ in our gardens. Here are some precautions and considerations that you should take in account. If you are following general weed advice and removing them whilst they are young, the weeds will breakdown and make excellent compost quickly. However, if they are not destroyed properly, the weeds can end up being spread over flower and vegetable beds in final compost causing mayhem to your plot. Some experts advise destroying the weeds before adding to compost bins. Specially, if you are cold composting....

With HOTBIN, you do not need to turn or tumble to compost. The main reason for turning compost is usually to provide aeration into the waste, and that is not needed with HOTBIN.That said, let’s start by defining what we mean by turning compost inside a HOTBIN… and why. We are just talking about using a garden fork to mix 2-4 in. of new waste with existing compost. This simple act will get the existing bacteria mixed-in with the new waste to break it down faster. This will also aerate or provide oxygen to the bacteria in the heap and...

Getting your HOTBIN started in autumn and winter. Yes you can... and here is How:You can kick-start your HOTBIN to 140° F (60°c) in the autumn and winter by carefully adding boiling water into the plastic bottle (made of HDPE) provided with the HOTBIN. Please DO NOT attempt to use glass as these can shatter  plastic fizzy drinks bottle made from PET as  they will melt at 212° (100°c), or plastic milk cartons which are thin and will deform with the heat.  How to use the Kick-Start Water Bottle Carefully fill your bottle with hot water. Use gloves to twist on the cap and...

What happens inside the HOTBIN All composting obeys the fundamental laws of nature. It is dominated by bacteria - 'happy' bacteria deliver fast and successful composting. Bacteria are at their happiest when they have: FoodBacteria need waste to eat. No waste = No bacterial activity = No heat produced.Bacteria digests different wastes at different speed. Lots of easy to digest food results in fast quick heat release, slow to digest waste results in slow heat release. WaterBacteria need water to both grow and to help with digestion. If there is too little water the bacteria are unable to grow; if there...