I have heard of this bin, I think it was marketed as a pet waste digester also.

Just curious, how is it going to get any air without vents?

It won't get air, but I don't know if that will be a draw back at this point without testing it out. Fruit flies are so small they can get in the vents of all my other bins.

It's probably too small, I am thinking, but to get the bigger closed system is so expensive. You can get that from Hayneedle, but $500 for a compost bin is just too much. I can't see spending this much money. This is big enough, the color is wrong and the shape should be round instead of square. One could make one with very fine mesh to block the bugs, but I am not handy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hayneedle bin exclusive

So, I am getting this one now. Woodland direct got the site running again, and I think if I fill it from bottom to top including the underground portion with hot compost it may be just big enough to create heat. I am not sure I will post my finding. My bin is 280 liters. I need to fill it up 1/4 of the way to get heat.

The best way to keep fruit flies, or any other flies, from growing on the material in you composting operation is to cover that material with something dry. Fruit flies, and most others as well, need warmth, air, and moisture for the eggs to grow and hatch. Reduce the moisture, raise the heat level some, and they won't.

It's tough because I don't add water. I sometimes add a bit of water to get the tea leave out of the tea cup some thing like that. I can try to be more careful. Right now the compost is too wet. Also my mulch bags got wet when it rained. I have no garden shed, so I keep them under the deck, but when it rains a lot they get wet. Therefore, I am putting in moisture from coffee ground and bagged browns, so it's kind of hopeless.

It looks like a net pot that you bury in the ground with an upside down plastic trash bin on top. The site claims that it will digest a ton of waste over five years before needing to be emptied...

I am not going to use it like that. It will good that the buried part because my dog likes to try to dig his way under my bins if there is something in there he wants to eat, for example spoiled cheese, or a fish head. I am not going to let it sit there unopened for years or anything weird like that.

It appears to be much larger than I initially thought. Let us know how it works!

From what they told me it could hold on the phone, I did some math and decided it was just about enough to make hot compost, if I use both the bottom and top parts together.

Its designed to dispose of food waste and pet waste in a green way. It is not meant to be used as a "composter" meaning you cant take out what you put in. Its basically a mini landfill that bio degrades into your soil. It says you should not use grass clippings and the like.

Also, you can use a laundry basket, a tomato cage (upside down) and plastic sheeting and a pie tin with a rock on it for a lid(or something better, use your imagination). You can build the same thing for less than $20. I do not understand why people spend so much money on simple devices. Send me $100 and I will build you one to your exact specifications.

On the website they have the entire instruction manual on PDF. It shows you how to assemble it and basically make it yourself.

http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/greencone/_docs/all-about-your-greencone.pdf

But, the cone is designed to trap heat and keep out animals. If you read the other posts on this thread you would also notice that I am not handy and also that I could have spent $500 dollars for a closed system. So, it will arrive on Thursday, but I probably won't have it set up until the weekend. Don't rush to judgement. If the green cone is turkey, then I will post that here.

Dont worry, Im not judging you:)

It seems that $139 is alot of money regardless of how much you could have spent on another system.

With the above link I posted use that as a reference. Buy a laundry basket and bury it leaving the inside open as in the photos. Buy a large tomato cage and put it on top of the basket. If it is too small buy two and cut them and bend to fit together. Buy glassine or green house plastic and wrap the cone. Seems to be almost like the system. Find a bowl or something similar for a lid. If you want to get detailed buy another tomato cage and wrap it first them fit it on top of the other one to make an area for air flow. If you can assemble the green cone you can build your own. I believe in you!! :)

I have made alot of money in my life and I used to live like I was the only person alive. I consumed until I was sick. One day I woke up and hated myself. Now I live alot slower and use my money for good. It makes me angry that companies sell products for such a large mark up. Its not you that I was judging more along the line of me being angry at companies selling plastic barrels that cost $10, labeling them "compost bins" and knocking the price up to over $100.

Either way I think your a cool person :)

I know what you mean, I went on a rants about tumblers. They cost twice as much as bins and they don't drain and they sell those are no work systems. My husband is supportive my composing and gardening. I am going to try to put in hard wire cloth first in the hole, then the basket and then the top. I will take photos and post progress notes. The cone part can be not be duplicated because it is heavy duty plastic for more sun rays for heating, in theory. But, it should be black not green for even more heat.

Yeah I was thinking black would have been better also:)

I remember about 6 years ago I had an old 1988 accord. I went to the shop to have them fix a small leak behind the distributor. They wanted $200! I went home and bought a book and found out all the car needed was a .15 cent rubber grommit and 3 bolts to remove the distributor. I told myself I would never let anyone work on my cars again. Now to this day, with many cuts and bruises and sweat and tears later I have a large tool collection and well running cars...lol Same thing about gardening. I keep telling myself, "You can do it" and if I fail, I try again. It makes me mad to see such expensive items that are nothing but plastic!

Sooner or later you should try to build something yourself and if you fail, keep trying! I failed many times but I try again. The only problem is the pain in my knees and hands from arthritis. And Im only 33 years old :(

Keep us posted on how the cone turns out! Im sure you can make it work for what you need and dont be afraid do experiment! Good luck

Depending on circumstances such as what a person does for a living, how busy they are, aesthetics, preference, etc., it is often well worth it to pay for goods/services rather than attempting to DIY.

Here is a link that might be useful: # 6

Did you know most of the mark up for compost bins is the shipping costs? Shipping is free, but they add that to cost of the bin. I like a one piece construction bin. The earth machine version that had a segmented bin, resulted in the segments coming apart due to the pressure and heat of the compost. I would rather pay more money for a solid one piece bin, then one that has to be put together, because if it a solid bin, it won't come apart. Sure I spent a lot of money over the years on plastic bins, but I also got a lot of entertainment, enjoyment and compost from them. I like plastic bins of a one piece construction. My Eco bins cost around 200 dollars each, my earth machine were 120 each and the Rubbermaid bins where about 95 dollars each. The rubber maids did not fit together after time and weathering wrapped the pieces. So far I like each new incarnation of a plastic bin more than the one before it, but I still will use the eco bins. This is just a side line to my over all composting scheme. You should look at my album of compost and bins. You can see each bin, I am talking about. Also the plastic in a compost bin is much tougher then what you find in a Rubbermaid tote that may cost 20 dollars at Wal-Mart. But, I think one can make one with a plastic trash bin. Drill out of the bottom and there you have it. But, then I would have the look of a trash bin in my garden, and I don't have a hidden area for my composting. I incorporate my bins with the rest of the garden. If you put the bin near a tree that is lagging, the tree will get a boost from sucking up the runoff from the bin. The bin being wider at the base is less likely to tip over then a trash can that is all the same size from top to bottom. I looked also at the prices a 55 gallon plastic trash bin is running about 70 dollars at the cheapest price. Then cutting out the bottom might be a bit of work. If compost bins were really popular and they carried them in the stores, that would take about half of the price off of them.

I have a lot of pain in my knees and my shoulder also, but I am older then you. That is the thing about composting you really have to pace yourself and try to do everything in one day. But, someday I will be too old for composting I guess, even with pacing. I don't know what the future is. I just know that doing something in moderation is a good activity to persevering ones ability to continue to do things. I knew this lady who was getting osteoporosis but she was not that old. So, I suggested yoga to her but what she said shocked me. She said, if I get down on the matt then I won't be able to get back up. As children we can all get down on the matt, but as we become adults we do things like that less and less until one day we can't do them anymore. So, I do some yoga everyday or every other day.

Here is a link that might be useful: photos of my past and present compost bins

Art 1. Thanks for the link but I have known about them for years. Also I sold the '88 about 7 years back...lol

I didnt say anything about people not being able to do one thing or another. Everyone is busy at one point in their lives or another. I am a busy person. If we can find time to garden than we can find the time to DIY. I have found that EXCUSES are the main reason why people dont DIY. I used to say the same things. Im too busy, I dont know how, I have other things to do...etc. Thank one day I said " Ill find the time, ILL learn how, I can do this if I try."

I have no problem with people making or NOT making things for themselves. But Im not going to pay a %500 markup for a plastic tub. If you want to, go ahead.

Tropical.

I know a gal who got a trash bin from her local trash people and she cut a square out of the bottom of it and used a bunji cord to hold the square in place. She would add stuff tho the top and remove from the bottom. It was an ugly trash can though but the good thing about it was it had wheels!

I understand about wanting a nice compost bin to make the garden look nice. I was thinking about using the same "trash can" method but maybe painting it to resemble a nice flower garden.hehehe

The green cone was very difficult to set up. The top latch does not work, but the top stays on thanks to a sort of button. The hole was hard to dig. The top part and bottom part won't stay together. The screws don't hold top and bottom together at at all. It may take some kind of longer screws to make it stay. I hope it does not tip over. It is mostly full with mushy stuff from my bins. I put mostly larger bark pieces in the lower part with some mixed greens plant trimmings. The cone part has bark and mostly food stuff plus Kelloggs amend. I took the temp and it was 100 degrees inside. This is with me not having to go to Starbucks to get coffee every other day and mix it all the time to try and balance the browns and greens to get heat. It get heat like a freebie from the sun. The plan is to move the foods to the bigger bins after they are more broken down so fruit flies won't want them. The plastic parts are ok, but the hardware is not very good. It does need some design improvements but over all I would give it a thumbs up. It should be twice as big as it is. It is really tiny it would be good for a tiny garden, and it does not smell, but I did not put any pet poop in there either.

I Im not mistaken, the heat in a compost pile is a sign that the organisms are doing their job. The heat has almost nothing to do with the process. It is really a bi product of the workings of the organisms that are mulching away. So heat from the sun wold really mean almost nothing other than to keep things from being to wet.

Now in the cone, it is different from composting. It is really an outside trash compactor that is not supposed to be used with grass clippings or yard waste but just scraps of old food and bones and meat and dog poop. So heat from the sun would be beneficial in that process to help break down everything into evaporated moisture. I think...hehehe

Im wondering what your trying to accomplish with this setup that cannot be done with a regular pile or barrel??

Blazeaglory, the point was to have a closed bin that would avoid fruit flies without paying $500 dollars. Also it is round which is better then square and not completely closed as it drains to into the ground. That is a good plus.

The other point was to not be so dependent on the whim of Starbucks having coffee ground for me. I can't get heat at all without the coffee grounds. Lately I have had a bad run of trying get the grounds. But, now I don't really have to get them as this bin is making heat without coffee grounds. I don't have waste time driving over to Starbucks when I don't have any reason to go to Starbucks. Gas is very expensive.

Heat is very positive as it speeds up the compost and makes better compost. Cold composting takes a long time. If you cold compost you need more bins because you have to store that stuff for six months instead of using it right away and clearing out the bin space and moving on and making more compost. The more compost you make at a faster rate the better the improvement to the soil. I can now dump food scraps in there and forgot about them without having to bury the food and check the pile to make sure it's hot. Compost is very time consuming if you get into it seriously. Composting is an addiction as one always tries to improve. I do add the bagged browns Kelloggs Amend also when I add the food. If the food just sits in void, it become a sort of slime and fails to turn into good compost. I could put in the food scraps greens and throw in a hand full of browns Amend to balance them. So far it works yesterday, I have to take the temp today as it will be sunny to see how hot I can get it.

The green cone system is not a composting unit. It is advertised and described as a "digester".

Lloyd

Here is a link that might be useful: Frequently Asked Questions

I have two compost bins for yard waste. I wanted something different. I am thinking outside the box. If I listened to everything they said I would poke my compost with a pointed stick (Compost Aerator) and I never would have made any good compost in 20 years.

Ah I see tropical. I like your method of thinking :-) Im the same way. Try try try and try again. What doesnt fail and go with what works.

Hey what do you say to Starbucks when you want to ask them for coffee grounds? I know they have a program so the manager should be aware right? I want to go to my local Starbucks for some grounds but I want to know what to say to avoid confusion.

Keep us updated on your cone!

I found a Starbucks that is nice, but some of them won't save grounds. It is a hassle. If you ask them to save them, you have to go there a certain time sometimes they throw them out. If the shifts change, then they won't know. If I am lucky and I happen by when they have some on hand, I get them, but if not then I don't get any. I would still like to have the grounds also, ideally, as they are free, and I want as much compost as I can get. But, if I could never get them again, this seems to be working. I feel like my life needs to be more meaningful. Wasting time getting grounds, is not worth it to me. So, I don't put as much effort into pursuing Starbucks as I used to.

It was not sunny today, after all, but I can feel little warmth in there if I reach it. So, it is breaking down slowly, but on a sunny day, it really works better. Unfortunately San Francisco has few sunny days and lots of cloudy or foggy days.

Personally, I find listening to others experiences often saves me from making similar mistakes. However, I do tend to discount a few who make claims/statements that are obviously way out in left field and try things myself as well.

Lloyd

I did not think it was going to heat up very much today. It's cloudy, but when I left the compost thermometer in for five minutes and came back it got to 98. So either the clouds are letting some sun in and heating it to 98, or I am hot composting in this cone.

The Bosmere 103 Gallon Deluxe Hot Compost Bin

I have now decided this bin would have been better. Since I can't get the screws to stay in the bottom of the green cone. It can be knocked over by animals unless it it so full that the compost weights it down. It is too hard to mix the compost because the entry port is so narrow.

This other bin does not dig into the ground, but would be better over all, since the benefit of this one going into the ground is off set since the cone can easily fall off. It cost a little more, but is probably worth the cost. It is not double walled and is kind of ugly looking like a closed mine portal. But would be easy to mix with a big entry port.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bosmere 103 Gallon Deluxe Hot Compost Bin