How easy is the Green Cone System to use?
Very. In your kitchen, fill the Green Cone caddy with all your organic kitchen waste. When convenient, empty the caddy into the Green Cone in your garden.

Where should I put the Green Cone itself?
In a sunny, close-to-hand spot like a flowerbed or vegetable plot. Do not put your Green Cone in a cold, dark, wet place as it will not work properly.

Can I use chemical activators as well?
No. Chemicals can kill or disrupt the bacteria breaking down the food waste. If activator is required only use the natural Green Cone accelerator powder.

Can I use my Green Cone to dispose of animal excrement?
Yes, in moderation. When you come to empty the Cone, take care to wear gloves and make sure you wash your hands.

How much food waste can I put in my Green Cone?
Provided your Green Cone has been correctly installed, three-quarters to one kilogram of food waste can be disposed of in your Green Cone each day. This amount is typical of that produced by a family of four. The precise quantity of waste digested by your Green Cone each day will depend upon the ambient temperature, the population of bacteria and the mix of food waste you produce.  Just like us, the Green Cone responds to a balanced diet of vegetables, fruit, fish and meat!

Can I put garden waste in my Green Cone?
It is better not to. A traditional compost bin or heap is better at handling garden waste such as grass cuttings.

Do I have to turn or mix the contents in my Green Cone?
No, just put all your food waste into the Cone and forget it. Your Green Cone does all the hard work for you.

When and how often should I empty my Green Cone?
In a well operating Green Cone the waste residue will only need to be removed every few years and certainly no more than once a year. It requires emptying when the residue builds-up to about 10 cm (4") below ground level and shows no signs of reducing.

Will my Green Cone work all year round?
Yes. Your Green Cone works 365 days a year. The level of food waste may rise during winter but should drop down when the weather gets warmer. If it slows during very cold periods use the natural Green Cone accelerator powder.

Why is there a bar across the top of the Green Cone?
The bar across the mouth of the Green Cone provides some rigidity in storage and transit. Its original purpose was to prevent small children climbing into the Green Cone. Turning the new catch on the lid now serves the same purpose and the bar may safely be removed using a hacksaw to allow large scraps and carcasses to be put more easily into the Green Cone.

How do I get more accelerator powder?
Additional accelerator powder can be purchased from £3.11 per bag, by contacting Green Cone Ltd using the free phone number 0800 731 2572.  

How do I clean the caddy?
The filter should be removed by snapping off its holder and the caddy hand washed in warm soapy water.

How do I clean the caddy?
The filter should be removed by snapping off its holder and the caddy hand washed in warm soapy water.

Can my Green Cone stop working?
Problems may occur if the advice on locating your Green Cone is not followed, namely:

If these instructions are not followed the digestion process could turn anaerobic (without oxygen) and the food waste will appear wet and slimy. The only solution is to reinstall your Green Cone in accordance with these instructions.

In periods of cold weather the digestion process may slow down due to lack of natural bacteria. This would be evident by the level of waste in the basket not decreasing. Under these circumstances the addition of the natural Green Cone accelerator powder should restore the bacteria population and restart the digestion process.

What about methane?
Food decomposing in the presence of oxygen in your Green Cone produces very little methane.

Will the Green Cone attract flies?
The Green Cone is a sealed unit and when properly installed emits no smells. It does not therefore attract flies. However, the eggs of fruit flies are already in the skins of many fruits and can hatch out in the Green Cone. Similarly, if food or food waste is not kept covered prior to going into the Green Cone, eggs may be laid by a house fly/blue bottle. These would also produce maggots and flies in the Green Cone. Good housekeeping is therefore important. Should flies become a nuisance they can be eradicated by using an air borne fly killer (given the enclosed space inside the Cone a little squirt kills the flies very quickly), which will not kill the bacteria. An organic product called "Flyko - fly and wasp killer" made by Agralan is recommended. This can also be obtained directly from Green Cone Ltd using the freephone number 0800 731 2572. Under no circumstances use liquid fly killer inside the cone.

Does the Green Cone attract vermin?
If correctly installed, your Green Cone will not attract vermin. By ensuring that the top of the black basket and the bottom lip of the green outer cone are below ground level any smells will be filtered out by the surrounding soil. It is also important not to spill food near the Green Cone.

If you suffer from rats in your garden, you could be unlucky with a rat run crossing the Green Cone. If you think there is a chance of this happening you should obtain a special "wire wrap" from Green Cone Ltd.

Why should you compost organic waste from the home?
A large proportion of garden waste and food scraps collected by local authorities in the UK end up being disposed of in landfill. If you compost you could be helping to reduce the amount of waste buried. Allowing it to break down in a composter is more beneficial to the environment. Landfill can produce far more greenhouse gas when breaking down organic matter than a home composter and you also end up with a usable material to put back in your garden.

Why choose the Green Johanna?
The Green Johanna is a superior composter designed so that the contents are well ventilated, given free drainage and kept in a protected environment during the break down process. Its special conical shape helps prevent waste sticking to the inside leaving space for the air to move around. As long as you follow the simple instructions, you should find the Green Johanna easy to use.

What is the Green Johanna made of?
It is made of a durable plastic that resists attack from the elements including extremes of temperature and is expected to last for around 10 years or more. It comes with a 5-year warranty. Although each unit is checked before despatch, please contact us if you find there is a fault or parts are missing upon delivery and we will be pleased to assist you.

How do you start?
Since good air circulation is important to ensure efficient operation of your Green Johanna you will need to place inside at the base, branches and twigs in a layer that should be about 20 centimetres (8 inches) deep. After that you add your garden and kitchen waste.

Can I place the Green Johanna in direct sunlight?
No as the contents should not be allowed to get too hot since this can kill off the beneficial microbes breaking down the contents.

How much waste can it take?
It is designed for a household with up to five people together with the compostable waste produced from an average garden. However since this is extremely variable, if you believe you are filling it too quickly it would be recommended to have a second Green Johanna. Remember a garden produces less waste in winter. Some of the material in summer can be kept to layer in with food waste during winter.

What are the dimensions of the Green Johanna?
It is 90cm (36 inches) across at the base, the lid is 52cm (21 inches) wide and its overall height is 95cm (38 inches). It weighs 10 kilos.

Why are there holes in the base?
This allows naturally occurring insects and worms to gain access to aid the breakdown process. It also lets excess moisture out into the ground.

Where should you locate a Green Johanna?
Aim to have the Green Johanna as close to the kitchen as possible as you may want to put food waste in up to 4 times a week. The composter should stand on soil or grass, so that the worms can get in through the holes in the base. A good place is among trees, which give shade. They will also offer a certain amount of protection from the cold in winter.

Why are the contents in the composter warm during the process?
When the micro-organisms are actively breaking down waste, energy is released. How warm the compost gets depends on what you have put in together with levels of oxygen and moisture. The micro-organisms work at between 2 and75 degrees. Different micro-organisms work at different temperatures. The optimum working temperature in the compost bin will be around 45-65 degrees plus.

Do I have to add any chemicals to get started?
No absolutely not! In fact chemicals may upset the natural balance of the system so best avoided.

Can I put kitchen waste directly in the compost without the branches and twigs first?
No, as a good flow of air at the base is essential for efficient operation of the Green Johanna.

Can I put kitchen waste directly in the compost without the branches and twigs first?
No, as a good flow of air at the base is essential for efficient operation of the Green Johanna.

Can I mix garden waste and kitchen waste?
Yes. It is recommended that you put one part garden waste and two parts kitchen waste in to help balance the carbon and nitrogen levels which will make better compost more quickly.

How much of my kitchen waste can I put in my compost?
The Green Johanna will take around 120 kilos per person a year.

Can I still use the composter if I only have kitchen waste?
Yes, if you add layers of sawdust (carbon to balance the nitrogen in the food waste).

What can I put in my composter?

From the kitchen: Fruit, vegetables, dairy products, fish, shellfish, meat, bones, coffee grounds with filter, teabags, eggshells, bread, sauce, soup, egg cartons and so on.
From the garden: Grass, leaves, twigs and branches.

What are rich in carbon?
Sawdust, twigs, leaves and paper.

What are rich in nitrogen?
Eggs, fish and meat. Newly cut grass also contains a lot of nitrogen.

What kind of paper from the household can be thrown into the compost bin?
Unbleached crepe paper, napkins, coffee filter, torn egg cartons and daily papers.

What should I do if I put a lot of meat in the compost bin?
Put sawdust on the top and close (but not entirely) the ventilation for a few days, so the flies can't get in.

What kind of material should I spread over the kitchen waste?
Sawdust, torn egg cartons, garden waste. (Carbon rich material).

What type of carbon rich material should not be used in the compost?
Ashes and lime.

What can't I put in my composter?
Glass, plastic, rubber, paint, chemicals, fabric and so on.

Can I just throw everything in the compost in no special order?
No, you should put material rich in carbon and material rich in nitrogen in layers.

Should material be broken up before being thrown into the compost?
Ideally you should break up the material into small pieces, making the micro-organisms and worms work more quickly.

If I don't put the material in layers, what happens?
If you mainly throw material rich in nitrogen in the compost, it will get too wet and start to rot and smell. If you then on the other hand throw in too much material rich in carbon the process will go very slowly or stop.

How thick should the layers of material be in my composter?
Not more than 5cm (2 inches).

How much newly cut grass can I put in my composter?
Avoid large amounts of grass as this can prevent oxygen getting through and slow or stop the process.

Can weeds grow in my composter?
No, as they will be killed in the high temperatures generated inside.

What does the compost smell like?

There should be little or no smell coming from a working composter.

Why do some composts smell of ammonia?
If you have too little material rich in carbon you will get a surplus of nitrogen. This nitrogen turns into ammonia and gives off an odour.

What do I do if my compost smells of ammonia?
It is important that air can get in to the compost. Mix the contents properly with the stirring stick provided according to the instructions and add some material rich in carbon.

Is it vital that I mix the contents?
Yes, the micro-organisms need oxygen to be able to work.

How do I use the stirring stick?
The stick is made of wood with two metal wings at one end. The wings will fold when you push the stick into the material and unfold when you pull it up again. Oxygenate the compost with the stick every time you throw something in, blend the new material with the old. Do not use the stirring stick deeper than 10-15cm (4-6 inches), only the top layer should be aerated.

Can I put oak leaves in my compost?
Yes, but they contain a high level of tannic acid and therefore it takes a long time for them to be turned into soil. In order to speed up the process you should first put them in a sealed (vacuum if possible) plastic bag for a month or two.

Can I put moss in my compost?
Only in small amounts.

Can I put citrus peel in my compost?
Yes you can, but ideally break it up a little first and mix in with other food or compost.

Can I put cat and dog litter in my compost?
No, you should avoid this, as it can be toxic. You would not wish to spread this on the garden.

If the process has stopped. What can I do?
Empty the contents out onto the ground. Add some water and mix in some carbon rich material. On the bottom of the composter put down branches and twigs as before. Put the material back in the compost and start over again.

If the contents start to rot (go anaerobic) what can I do?
Add sawdust, torn egg cartons or paper, as they will help to absorb excess moisture.

What do I do if there are a lot of flies in my compost?
Add material rich in carbon, such as sawdust.

What do I do if I have a lot of ants in my compost?
Ants are a sign that the compost is too dry. Add water and stir with your stirring stick.

How long will it take before the contents are "ready"?
For the first batch approximately six months, thereafter every three to four months.

How often should I empty my Green Johanna?
Twice a year, spring and autumn.

Can you use the composter during the wintertime?
Yes, with the Green Johanna you can get a winter jacket that protects against the cold and the wind. It's guaranteed to work down to -25°C. It is recommended that the winter jacket be used when the temperature drops below approximately 5 degrees Celsius.  The jacket can be purchased from Green Cone from £35.00.

For how many years will the winter jacket last?
Just as many years as the Green Johanna.

Can the winter jacket be damaged by rodents or birds?
If you keep the jacket clean from food scraps and so on, animals have no interest in attacking it.

How is the winter jacket assembled?
Full instructions come with the winter jacket and it is very simple to put together. It is important that you add the winter jacket with the Green Johanna standing on its base. If you do not, you may find it prevents the lid closing.

Can I leave the winter jacket on during the summer?
No, you should remove it when the temperature will no longer fall below 10 degrees Celsius. If you leave it on, the Green Johanna may overheat and stop working correctly.

What do I do if the contents in the Green Johanna have frozen?
Pour warm water over the contents (around 37 degrees Celsius) together with some further kitchen or garden waste to reintroduce microbes. If you know that the compost was too wet when it froze, try without water, using only the organic matter. An alternative method to do this without getting the compost to wet is to place a plastic drink bottle containing boiled water into the compost. Please take care when handling hot water.

WHICH WORMS ARE FOR YOU?

There are thousands of species of earthworms worldwide, all of which feed on some form of organic matter but their preferences and habitats differ.

Worms can be divided into two broad categories depending on those preferences:

Composters - There are only a few species of these, mainly ‘Tigers’ and ‘Reds’ and 'Dendras'. They live and breed happily in an organic rich environment like the wormery, or a heavily mulched garden where moisture and food is maintained.

Earthworkers - These are the many others which prefer to live in a less controlled environment. They will not thrive in food wastes but prefer soil and humus as their basic diet. They often appear much larger than the composters but this is usually because they are older.

Composters also get bigger with age, particularly if worm fattener is fed.  It is important to make sure you use only composters in your wormery since earthworkers will not do well. Conversely you shouldn’t add composters to your soil as they are not likely to survive when the soil dries. The exception to this is a heavily mulched garden as described above.

The compost worms will produce worm manure called castings which can be used in your garden as a soil improver. Its many uses ranging from seed raising and potting mix additives to a top dress fertilizer.

The womery consists of four trays. The bottom tray is a Collector Tray which has a solid base and tap. Liquid drains through the upper trays into the Collector Tray where it can be tapped and used as a liquid fertilizer. The worms are started off in the first Working Tray by means of the Bedding Block provided with your kit. They then simply ‘eat their way up’, wriggling into the Working Tray above where they can detect the food scraps which you have placed there. By the time the top Working Tray is full most worms have left the original Working Tray where they began which had the bedding block. You can now take out this tray, remove the castings and then return it to the top again. Thus the cycle is never ending, and you will always have a convenient, natural and efficient way to dispose of your food waste, while at the same time ensuring a constant supply of your very own top quality fertilizer.

Note: When purchasing your worms, be sure that you get a minimum of 1000 worms. Less than this will cause very slow operation of the system. Additional worms will increase its initial effectiveness. You can expect that in a few years your initial population would breed up to about 15,000 to 20,000! Beyond this they will slow their breeding down.

It may take a minimum of 12 months for a full system to reach maturity.

A. When you receive your wormery you will be supplied with a voucher to send off for your worms. They are also available from www.wrigglywrigglers.co.uk

A. This depends on how many worms you have. Worms can eat up to half their own body weight every day and can double their population every few months. If you start with 1 pound/450 grams of mature worms they will consume up to half a pound /225 grams of food waste per day. After a few months you should have double your worm population and you can feed them more. The baby worms, however, won’t eat much and will take about 3 months to mature. As you become familiar with them you will learn their rate of food consumption.

A. Worms will feed at a faster rate once they have adapted to any new food source. Worms will also eat more if food waste is mashed, blended or processed. Controlling temperature to around 24OC (70OF) will improve the overall performance of your system. Worms will leave very acidic food such as onions and orange peels until after they have eaten their preferred foods. A handful of lime mix (or crushed oyster shells or ashes from a fire) every few weeks will help to balance the effect of acidic foods. The regular addition of worm treats or worm fattener will encourage stronger, fatter worms. Since they consume up to half their own body weight each day, the fatter they are the more wastes they will eat.

A. Be careful what you feed your worms particularly if you are unaware of its source. Manures, for example, from horses, cattle or dogs often has vermicides still active in it that were designed to kill parasitic worms in the animal. They can kill all your worms in one day. If you use animal manures make sure you know when worming is conducted and avoid using the manure for a few weeks.

A. Not usually. It is designed to break down soft organic waste. Slow composting organic wastes such as garden refuse are best dealt with by conventional aerobic composting methods.

Q.6 I've had my Wormery for a month now, but the worms don't seem to be eating?

A. The worms may be eating your bedding material if you have used manure or compost in addition to your Bedding Block. If that is the case the worms will eat through this before eating any introduced food. If just the bedding block is used the worms should readily eat introduced food waste even though they do also like to eat the coir fibre.

A. Watering of the worm farm will enhance the production of liquid fertilizer. Food wastes are about 80% water which is released as the worms break them down. This will tend to stay in the bedding for a long time before eventually draining out. Any dry material such as old manure, newspaper or cardboard should be presoaked before being added. It is important to keep a moisture mat or similar over the freshly added food to encourage the worms to move up to the surface to feed. This will provide a dark damp shelter for them. If you pour a maximum of 2 litres (1/2 gallon) of water over the scraps each week or two and then place the empty bucket under the open tap, you will have a constant supply of liquid fertilizer. The sudden ‘flood’ will not harm the worms.

A. No, you can never have too many worms. They will regulate their population to the confines of available space and the amount of food you give them. Worm concentration should reach capacity (about 15,000 to 20,000 worms) after 2 - 5 years.

A. Only if you have a thick surface layer of mulch in your garden. Compost worms require moist conditions all year round because they don’t tunnel deep like earthworkers to find moisture. If you cannot provide this environment in your garden, don’t introduce compost worms into it.

Q.10 Why aren’t the worms moving up from the lower levels into the top working tray.

A. This situation can arise in two ways. First, you may be adding new food too soon before the worms can eat the previous food. This will result in a lot of uneaten wastes being distributed throughout the system and a general reluctance by the worms to migrate upwards while they can still access material lower in the system. Before adding new trays, stop feeding the worms for at least a week to ensure that all existing food in the lower tray has been eaten. Worms will then move up to eat from the surface as this is their natural behaviour pattern. Secondly, you may not have waited for the level of worm castings to pass the support ribs on the inside of the tray before adding the next tray. This will create a gap preventing the worms from reaching the top trays.

A. Worms will tolerate a wide temperature range from about 50O - 90O F/10O - 30O C. If it gets much hotter than this, make sure the worm farm is in the shady cool position. Take the lid off and hose the whole unit down keeping the bottom drainage tap turned on so it doesn't flood. If it gets much colder and freezes, put your wormery in the warmest possible position, an example being your basement, laundry or shed. If it is on a balcony or out in the yard, cover the unit with a couple of old carpet pads or old blankets to keep some warmth in. Feed them a lot more food wastes which will create some warmth as they decompose.

A. What you are noticing is the worms sensitivity to pressure changes in the weather. They will often go up into the lid even before it rains. In nature this takes them out of the soil to stop them flooding and drowning. Move the wormery out of the rain. Take the worms out of the lid and replace them in the bedding.

A. No, baby earthworms are not white, but clear to opaque, before developing a reddish color. They are just visible at this stage. The ‘white worm’ you are noticing is a type of worm called entrachyadids. They will not hurt compost worms, but they do indicate acidic conditions, which can be overcome by the weekly addition of a handful of lime. By placing a piece of moist bread on your wormery you can lure the white worms to a small area for easy removal. It is important to note that many organisms that may appear in your wormery (such as large populations of minute red mites and large soldier fly larvae) are beneficial to the break down of organic material, so there is no need to remove them.

A. Ants will enter your womery if you have a lot of them in your backyard and particularly if you have let the bedding become too dry or acidic. Add water to raise the moisture level and add a liberal quantity of garden lime to where the ants are gathering. This should discourage them. If they persist remove them physically and smear some vaseline around the legs or place each leg in a container of water to isolate the system.

A. No the womery is fly-proof against household flies. Sometimes the very small vinegar fly (often mistaken for the fruit fly) gets in, but these do no harm. However, very large numbers of the vinegar fly may indicate that you are feeding the womrs too much and may be a prelude to problems such as offensive odors. To eradicate vinegar flies, slow your rate of feeding to what the worms will eat on a daily basis and ensure that freshly added wastes are covered by a moist burlap/hessian bag or newspaper.

A. Should you experience any influx of maggots, it will most likely be the soldier fly or vinegar fly larvae. The soldier fly larvae grow up to an inch/2cm big starting out white but soon turning dark grey with distinct ribbing bands. Fishermen say they make great bait. The vinegar fly larvae are small, usually 1/4 inch/6mm or less. Don’t be too alarmed if they appear. They are actually beneficial to the waste breakdown. If you want to remove them though, do so by liberally applying lime, or placing bread soaked in milk on the surface of the compost. Larvae love bread and should infest it. Remove the bread after 2-3 days and dispose of it.

A. The only smell associated with a well maintained worm farm is a pleasant rainforest odor. If your wormery has an offensive smell, it is an indication that anaerobic bacteria have built up in the system in uneaten food wastes. Stop feeding the worms and stir the wastes in the top tray lightly with a garden fork adding garden lime as well. This aerates the organic material and allows worms to move through it more easily. Repeat this aeration procedure regularly to prevent recurrence. Start feeding again when all smells are gone.

A. Leaving an established wormery for 3-4 weeks without constantly adding food is not a problem. Just feed the worms a good quantity of food waste (1/3 of a tray full) before you leave. Make sure that you leave the unit in a cool place under cover and leave the tap open with a container under it. Putting a soaked newspaper on top of your burlap will give added protection against their bedding drying out.

Worm Castings are a useful additive to any garden. You will see exceptional results in the

color, quality and quantity of all your fruit, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants.

Castings are interesting in that they can be used pure as organic fertilizer or as an additive

for your own favorite potting mix.

You cannot harm any of your plants by using worm castings. The pH is neutral (7) and

therefore suitable for most types of plants from azaleas to orchids.

Castings are a great way to incorporate the beneficial effects that earthworms can bring to

your garden in a convenient, cheap and easy manner.

The following methods are typical of the many different ways to use worm castings:

Top Dressing - Simply spread a layer (about 1/2 inch/12mm deep) of worm castings around

your favorite plants. Mulch and water in.

Seed Raising Mixture -

3 parts aged compost or coir fibre to1 part castings.

Potting Mix -

2 parts aged compost, 1 part castings, 1/2 part Vermiculite.

Native trees, fruit trees - Apply around base and water in well. Re-apply when necessary.

Collected liquid fertilizer may be added to your plants directlt from your Can-O-WormsTM or

diluted to 50% without loss of nutrients.

Back To Top

Bokashi composting uses Effective Microorganisms (EM) in Bokashi to ferment organic waste in anaerobic conditions rather than aerobic conditions.

This means that any organic material can be fermented including meat, seafood and citrus.

Fermentation produces no heat therefore all energy is retained. Done in a bucket it requires no turning, produces no leachate and minimal greenhouse gases.

As opposed to conventional composting, fermentation is sweet smelling and does not attract insects, flies or rodents.

Bokashi compost is ready in as little as 1 week after the bucket is full and produces a very high nutrient value end product.

You do have a choice once your first bucket is full ·you can do nothing for a week while Bokashi compost ferments (not good) ·transfer the contents to another container (very messy) ·or have a second bucket!

The longer you leave the contents to ferment the more Bokashi juice produced

A small hand full once a day (about a medicine cup full) if you only put waste in at dinner time or the same amount if a similar amount of waste is put in during the day.

High protein waste such as uncooked meat, prawn heads will also need an extra amount of Bokashi.

A 2-kilo pack of Bokashi is enough for approximately six-bucket loads of waste, this should last at least two months for an average family.

Every three days or so, or more if you are getting a lot of Bokashi drain-off.

This liquid is teeming with microbes and nutrients!

You can dilute it and use this directly on your garden or pot plants:  ·dilute 1:1000 for foliar spray   ·dilute 1:100 for lawns and garden beds   ·or, if you have a septic system, you can add the liquid undiluted to the toilet or septic tank. The microbes will work to make the septic system more efficient.   ·you can simply tip it down the sink – the microbes will go to work on your drains and keep them clean.

The amount of liquid that you get will be totally dependent on the type of waste you have put in.

Lots of fruit will produce lots of liquid, but if you have lots of cooked food, vegetables etc, then you'll get less.

The amount of liquid you get is not an indicator of whether the system is working, and you won't get any more (or less) liquid by increasing (or decreasing) the amount of Bokashi you add.

Simply drain the liquid from the bucket, make sure there is a cover of Bokashi on the waste, and that the lid is firmly sealed.

Then forget about it!

While you are gone, the microbes will keep the waste odour free.

The only test on whether the system is working is the absence of the rottin odour.

If there is no such odour, then the fermenting microbes must be doing their job in fermenting the waste.

Normally, waste left in a bucket will go foul within a day or two, and if this is not happening then you are doing everything right.

Check that the lid is being replaced tightly, and that you have covered the surface area of the waste with Bokashi.

Also, make sure the liquid is drained off once or twice a week.

Finally, make sure that the waste has been compacted down with a masher or similar, to ensure there are no air pockets.

If the waste is too smelly, simply empty the waste into your garden, rinse the bucket in water (no detergent) and start again.

The Enviro bokashi bucket will NOT decompose the material while the material is in the bucket - it will only ferment (or pickle) it.

If you can imagine a pickled onion - it will still look like an onion, but because it's pickled, it will have changed its internal structure.

The single criterion to determine if the process is working is the odour - if there's no rotting odour, then the fermentation process is working.

The physical decomposition into humus only occurs once the fermented material goes into the soil. Here, it breaks down very quickly because the material has been pre-conditioned (i.e. fermented) and should turn into humus/soil within a couple of weeks (this varies a bit with soil temperature).

The Komp250 is a popular compost bin with the advantage of several options of opening sections of the sides; either at ground level to access the compost or higher up to add waste material to the bin more easily. It is made of recycled plastic and is fairly heavy. When constructed, it needs to be situated on an even suface of soil for stability.

The best food based ingredients for your compost bin are the raw peelings, cores and scraps from your fruit and vegetables. Tea bags, coffee grounds and crushed eggshells are also valuable to the composting process.

When you are putting these into your compost bin, bear in mind that they are rich in moisture; so add a good supply of BROWNS to ensure a good balance and ensure the process has plenty of air.

Steer clear of any dairy or meat based products; including fish and bones. Similarly, cooked food (including bread) can have quite a strong aroma and may contain either oils or meats.

Generally speaking it is not essential to add anything in particular to the bottom a compost bin. It is important to site your bin on open soil.

The ground elder and bindweed roots will potentially grow into the compost produced inside the bin. If the garden area where you plan to use the compost is not free of these weeds then I wouldn't advise putting the bin in this location.

If you have nowhere else to locate the compost bin, put down a layer of black polythene first. Cover this with a layer of soil and site the compost bin on this.

These insects will enter your compost bin from the soil in your garden; therefore it is recommended that your composting bin is situated on bare soil. This will help all of the beneficial insects and other organisms to move into your compost bin when the conditions are right for them.

A compost heap, or compost bin, is best situated where it will get some sunshine during the day to warm it up and help with the composting process. If you can ensure that a 50:50 mix of GREENS and BROWNS are placed in on the heap, the composting process will work well.

Ideally, the compost bin should not be placed directly underneath a tree as this tends to be a very shaded area where the breakdown of materials will take longer within the bin. If possible, move the compost bin to an area of your garden where there is some sunlight and is away from the wind.

It is unlikely that roots will grow up from the soil and into a compost bin. However if you are concerned, place some mesh around the base, such as chicken wire. This will prevent roots from entering the bin.

It is not recommended, as compostable materials have a high water content and when they break down this water is released. It then, of course, seeps out of the bottom.

If the shed has a concrete floor and something can be placed underneath the bin to soak up this liquid then it may be feasible; although staining will certainly take place. You will need to put some soil in the bin to start it off. This will encourage a population of the various creatures required.