Harvesting Compost with HOTBIN

Ready to remove your HOTBIN compost? Here are a few tips on how to remove the compost from the HOTBIN.

Looking face on at the material behind the hatch:  

1. Remove the middle area (the core) of the compost first leaving the sides and back supporting the material above.
2. Drag the material from the back to the front bringing the sides forward with it one side at a time.
   Please note, HOTBIN compost is naturally stickier than regular compost due to the high humic content (but not extremely wet or foul-smelling), this sticky nature is useful when removing your compost as it’s more supportive than drier and crumblier compost. 
3. If you are able to successfully remove the compost that is ready... leave a small amount of ready to harvest compost just below the material which is still decomposing. This should prevent the unready material from dropping down into the cavity too early.
4. It is possible that you may rake out some material which still needs further composting. If this happens, pop it back into the top of the unit to continue breaking down.

You can also watch our tried and tested method video Harvesting with HOTBIN

Which Tools to Use?

We recommend using the rake to remove the compost, please - however tempted - do not use a garden fork or other sharp tool to remove the compost. Although the walls of the HOTBIN are strong, using sharp tools can potentially damage the walls of the HOTBIN and cause piercing (often by too much enthusiasm) which may affect the ongoing performance of the unit.