Green Cone Compost Digester

I am a total fan of composting. The back-yard compost bin has been a godsend - not only for reduction of the amount of waste sent to the local landfill, but also because it makes gardening that much easier when I can augment my beds and planting with home made mulchy-goodness.  Vegetables are happier with more nutrient in the soil, I send less garbage to the landfill, so I am happier too.

A couple of years ago (maybe more) some friends living over in Comox installed a Green Cone Compost Digester in their back yard,  I didn't pay too much attention to it at the time (I wish I had!) but did note that they had placed it, smartly, in the corner between a couple of raised vegetable beds. I remembered thinking at the time that it was kind of a silly place to put a compost bin since they would eventually have to dig it out... turns out that they don't need to be moved / turned / stirred UNLESS there is a problem with them!

This spring Mum & Dad, and I, got Green Cone Compost Digesters.  The great things about these is that you can actually digest things like cheese that goes too mouldy to eat and other dairy items that may hit the best before date before consumed, meat (and bones!), cooked things like leftovers that go bad... generally you can put almost all of the kitchen waste that CANNOT go into your back yard compost bin - and major bonus - as long as it isn't within 10-15 feet of things you are planting to eventually eat, you can even put in dog bombs!! 

I was worried about the bear issue - you may remember about the bear that pulled down a section of my back fence a couple of years ago? These things are actually sunken into the ground (by almost two feet!) and as a result, there is no smell to them at all.  I am told they are not 100% bear proof, but considering where I have it installed, I should be OK.

Tucked in along a side fence near the Wigelia... 

They come with 4 parts to them (plus screws and connector plates) and the fully assembled unit stands about 4 feet high - bearing in mind that the bottom basket is almost 2 feet deep and is to be sunk into a hole that will have the entire basket and connecting seam underground when installed.  There's a bottom basket -that looks like a round laundry basket) an inner cone, an outer cone and the lid.

These work in conjunction with a regular above ground compost bin (or pile, if you like) where you can compost all of your garden and yard waste.  My regular indoor compost pail will still be emptied into my usual bin, but this one can take things that would normally go into the garbage.  I should note that where I live there is a composting program, but my contributions to it would be negligible and so I don't participate.

With love across the waters....