'HOTBIN' composter recommendations?

Hi all

I have just started using one of these: http://www.hotbincomposting.com/

I started it using the topmost, unrotted section of my existing cool compost heap. I hadn't realised how many worms were in there! - they all crawled up to the lid to escape the mounting temperature, it was like some awful refugee situation. Well I rescued nearly all of them, which is just as well as the temperature really shot up. It has gone up and down a bit but is mostly over 40C (just googled that, it's 104 F in American!). I started it in mid-August so the time is soon coming for me to excavate the first batch...

Does anyone have one? Likey or no likey?

Thanks

Rosalind

Hi Rosalind
I like it, but I'm biased as I also invented it!

I hope you saved the worms. Once the base layer has formed, you can use the bottom half of your HotBin as wormery (it is cooler and you will find the worms say in the lower half) and the top half as a fast hot composter.

If you are just about to take out your first layer of compost, you might be interested in this post: http://www.hotbincomposting.com/boards/t/798/how-does-hotbin-compost-look-feel.aspx

kind regards
Tony C / HotBin

Hi Tony, that's great! I was wondering if you sell them in the US.

I did rescue my worms but threw them back in the normal compost. Very interesting that it's essentially a two-tier system, worm-wise. It was just appalling when I lifted up the lid to a great cloud of steam and a load of woeful, waving worms - It was very hot weather just then and the bin had shot up to about 60C almost straight away.

I will have a look at your link when I'm ready to take out the first layer - I'm very interested to see what gives.

I have invited Jane Griffiths, head of waste recycling (or something) from Garden Organic to come and talk to our village garden society, so I hope you might get a few more sales out of that as I know she likes them! I know there's one other hotbin in the village so I hope we'll get a discussion going.

Cheers!

Rosalind

We really want to get them on sale in USA, but we have to find a distributor/licencee first as it will only work if we ship over full container load and move on to manufacturer in USA.
If you know any likely candidates let me know!

Well this might be the place to put out a call!

I do know a gardener/fruit specialist in NY State who might have some ideas. He lives in a place called Cold Springs, which sounds incredibly cold from his description, so I would have thought a nice hot compost bin would be lovely for him! I see on your site that they get hot even in the snow!

I might email him a link to this thread and see if he knows anyone who runs this kind of business. He is English but married a New Yorker some years ago and has been an expat ever since.

Cheers

Rosalind

Tony Callaghan wrote:We really want to get them on sale in USA, but we have to find a distributor/licencee first as it will only work if we ship over full container load and move on to manufacturer in USA.
If you know any likely candidates let me know!

Tony you might want to give Frank a call. He is our midwest (KC) distributor of azomite and natural fertrell products. He has the farm/warehouse space and is really into a lot of things discussed on this site.

http://troquefarms.net/

Hi Tony

My friend Charlie in Cold Springs is interested too - I'll get him to contact you via your website.

And looking at Tim's post - well, I said this might be a good place to find people!

Cheers

Rosalind

Rosalind Riley wrote:Hi all

I have just started using one of these: http://www.hotbincomposting.com/

Rosalind

Sadly the link didn't work for me - access was denied???

Alison Freeth-Thomas wrote:
Sadly the link didn't work for me - access was denied???

Fine for me, maybe try again?