Is it worth putting your Hotbin under cover of polytunnel, shed or garage for winter? Watch our experiment and you will find out. As always you will get facts, explanation and some laugh.
Hi Beanie, another great video. The effort you put in to these experiments is really appreciated. I don't have space completely undercover but did move the mini bin so it is underneath an overhang of the shed, so does not get rain on it and I think it helped a bit in the Winter to keep temperature up. Your Mum must be pleased with that compost - looks very good. I think the bug you found was a stag beetle larvae, they live underground and feed off old wood, for years before emerging as beetles, so it must have got transferred into the bin somehow. They are endangered in UK so the advice if you dig one up is to re-bury it ideally where you found it or in the ground next to some dead wood. I have found that the hatch on the mini will open up at the sides a bit, when I had mushrooms growing out through the gap I could not tell if they had forced the hatch open or just found the gap! Keep up the good work
Hi Margaret. I do believe after some research that the grub was a may beetle larvae. I do know about stag beetles and that's why when using bulking agent I would never put any large decade wood into the HB. Even I was impressed with the compost so mum was over the moon. Courgette plants are loving it too. It is the great comments that you guys send that is also appreciated as without your effort we would not put the effort in so thank you. Hope the HB is happy.
Brilliant video. Very interesting and something (if I can get the bin through the greenhouse door) I will look to do in the autumn/winter. Happy composting.
Hi Beanie, good to see your back at it, I am keeping my home made one and the one that I bought in the greenhouse, strangely my home made one keeps hotter! and with only being fed once a week, just starting up the other one again, after just emptying it, not quite enough in there yet to start getting hot, only downside is the homemade one has no filter, so smells a bit when it’s cooking, perhaps the smell coming from your hotbin is putting your missus off 😂 keep laughing it’s good for the soul
Hi Barry. Good to hear from you and hope your new invention is coming along and will make the real HB overtake the homemade one. There is one question you may be the man for. Someone asked if the HB in a greenhouse helped to keep the greenhouse frost free. What is your experience of that? It is good to laugh as you say even if it does come at a price from Mrs B. Both HB's doing very well and also doing another experiment in the mini HB. Mrs B has been in the garden today so I am sure there will be no lack of waste waiting for them. Keep up the good work.
Just watched your newest video with interest. My mini has been in the greenhouse since last autumn. I’ve emptied it once in there (so much easier than outside, I can lean it back against the side at an angle so very little compost escapes). I used some of the compost round my strawberries and now have 30 or 40 tomatoes growing with the strawberries-I guess it wasn’t hot enough to kill the seeds, but they germinated well. I’ve thinned them out and put the smaller plants back in the Hotbin to recycle. Regarding leachate, I’ve had none at all since it’s been under cover, so I guess most of what I had previously was rainwater. I did have the same experience as you with the cover partly coming away from the main body, but I thought at the time I had just pressed the compost down so much, the sheer volume had caused the front to separate. The fat white grub is a beetle larva, very common in compost. The beetle has beautiful iridescent green wings, can’t remember what it’s called but I have loads in my conventional compost bin. I put them on the bird table, the birds love them. Keep up the good work, I love your videos.
Thank you for the lovely comment. I did look on the internet regarding the grub and did think it was a may beetle. Strange how you are not getting any leachate. I do think most of the leachate is created from the steam rather than the rain. I also think 2 cam straps would be better on a mini. How is the HB at the moment in the green?
I am using the mini for another experiment at present so it will be interesting to see if I have the same issue again. I do feel two straps would be better as one really is not enough to hold the hatch door on if it is not dead centre.
I'd be interested to know if the hotbin raised the temperature in a greenhouse during winter. I know that the hotbin is really well insulated but I wonder it could keep a greenhouse frost free? It could save a fortune in electricity... Great video thanks so much. My hotbin at the moment is like a black hole. I've been feeding it for months now, it's always in the green, I keep taking the leachate, but it never seems to get much past the hatch. Really looking forward to taking my first compost out of it.
The HB website did say that a HB could keep a greenhouse frost free if it was a light frost. I am guessing it would depend on lots of factors such as size of greenhouse the heat from the HB . The size of the HB. The temperature of the frost etc. Defiantly worth doing even if it only helps a little. Good to hear HB doing exceptionally well. Well done.
I don’t have anywhere undercover for mine but I did put some seedlings on top of mine and the heat from the lid and steam out seemed to help germination rates esp when I put a clear plastic box over the top!!
Hi Kate, that seems like a great idea. I hope many will read this you may have started a new way to propagate seeds from now on. I am guessing you would need some holes in the bag so the airflow can continue.
@@BeanieComposter the clear plastic box I have is large enough to sit over the top and because of the shape of the lid there is a little gap in places to let airflow. Just have to watch in strong winds but mines quite sheltered like yours.
I have 2 hotbins plus a mini and its always interesting to see how they compare. When I place the mini in the greenhouse in winter it far out performs the others, my guess is that it is due to a more stable temp air intake at the bottom (ie not -7 deg C at 6 o'clock in the morning) . As far as general compassions go it can be interesting/frustrating as they can be fed the same but one will lose temp for no apparent reason and then sometimes the temp can fly unexpectedly, when i had just the one hotbin i had no reason to know about the peaks and troughs that happen. I'm constantly learning
I could not agree more with this comment and I think many on this channel would agree. I compare it to when you are trying to keep the house warm in winter and you have a gap in a window or door and the central heating just cannot keep that area hot. I do believe the cold air going into the HB does cause them to go cold. Then as you say they can just suddenly take off for no reason. Someone asked if the HB keeps a greenhouse warm. What is your experience with that? Thanks for the comment.
@@BeanieComposter My greenhouse is old and the door seals are perished, so no it doesn't keep the greenhouse warm. It may hold off a late morning frost in March and April but I have no proof or that (purely subjective). As for peaks and troughs I think that is due to actions maybe 8 week previously as to how it has been fed. As lower levels start compacting it restricts air flow (hence cooling) and then as it composts more the wood chip then compacts in and then the process speeds up, I think sometimes you just have to leave it to do its thing. Although it feels like a leap of faith, as it is to deep to alter by stirring. HB composting is far more complex than rocket science.
@@garumpy8717Thank you for the quick response. That is not going to help to conserve heat then. At least it is under cover and you are not standing in the rain when filling it up.
Hi Beanie, I enjoyed your video, it’s been a while. I have had my small hotbin in our 8 x 6 plastic greenhouse for two years now and it has made a difference. My wife was able to over winter her tender plants safely and we started our tomato seedlings in April, it was one of the coldest winters for years but the plants inside survived. I do think it makes a difference to the ambient temperature but not by a lot. For your large bin outside why not wrap it in bubble wrap for winter? I would be interested to see if it helps.
Yes that would be a good experiment for the winter. I think if you can put your HB under cover then it is a great option. As you say it works. Thanks for the comment and the idea for another video.
I finally filled my HotBin up, so I was excited to see what I had made. I was really dissatisfied as barely any of it was fully composted down and it had been in there for 6 months, which was pretty much hit all the time since mid of March till mid May. Also get thousands of seem like little white bugs. Wish I could post a photos to show you haha
Hi Tristan. I've not heard of the weniger HB. It would be good to see the photos. Send to beaniecomposterhb@gmail.com. Yes that is disappointing after all that time. What type of temperatures were you getting.
Great video again, thanks. Two weeks into my Hotbin journey. I'm now hitting 70⁰. Can it get too hot as it's outside the green? I'm keeping a fire extinguisher next to it now.
I am also hitting outside the green on the plus side. Don't worry it will not get too hot just enjoy the heat as it will not last forever. Well done and keep us posted on how it is going. Are you feeding it every other day at the moment?
@@BeanieComposter At least every other day and sometimes sneak in a bit more. Thinking of investing in a shredder as my right seceteur arm is getting overdeveloped.
@scabbyjoe21 yes after the HB the shredder that we got has been one of the best garden investments. Saves so much time and as you say you will end up with RSI in your hand if you are not careful. Keep up the good work.
Hi Beanie, another great video. The effort you put in to these experiments is really appreciated. I don't have space completely undercover but did move the mini bin so it is underneath an overhang of the shed, so does not get rain on it and I think it helped a bit in the Winter to keep temperature up. Your Mum must be pleased with that compost - looks very good.
I think the bug you found was a stag beetle larvae, they live underground and feed off old wood, for years before emerging as beetles, so it must have got transferred into the bin somehow. They are endangered in UK so the advice if you dig one up is to re-bury it ideally where you found it or in the ground next to some dead wood.
I have found that the hatch on the mini will open up at the sides a bit, when I had mushrooms growing out through the gap I could not tell if they had forced the hatch open or just found the gap!
Keep up the good work
Hi Margaret. I do believe after some research that the grub was a may beetle larvae. I do know about stag beetles and that's why when using bulking agent I would never put any large decade wood into the HB.
Even I was impressed with the compost so mum was over the moon. Courgette plants are loving it too.
It is the great comments that you guys send that is also appreciated as without your effort we would not put the effort in so thank you. Hope the HB is happy.
Hi Beanie - how long can you keep the leachate before you have to use it?
Brilliant video. Very interesting and something (if I can get the bin through the greenhouse door) I will look to do in the autumn/winter.
Happy composting.
Thank you if you do manage to get it into the greenhouse let us know if you find it works better.
Hi Beanie, good to see your back at it, I am keeping my home made one and the one that I bought in the greenhouse, strangely my home made one keeps hotter! and with only being fed once a week, just starting up the other one again, after just emptying it, not quite enough in there yet to start getting hot, only downside is the homemade one has no filter, so smells a bit when it’s cooking, perhaps the smell coming from your hotbin is putting your missus off 😂 keep laughing it’s good for the soul
Hi Barry. Good to hear from you and hope your new invention is coming along and will make the real HB overtake the homemade one. There is one question you may be the man for. Someone asked if the HB in a greenhouse helped to keep the greenhouse frost free. What is your experience of that? It is good to laugh as you say even if it does come at a price from Mrs B. Both HB's doing very well and also doing another experiment in the mini HB. Mrs B has been in the garden today so I am sure there will be no lack of waste waiting for them. Keep up the good work.
There’s a table fork in there too😂😂
Hi Sandra. Did not see that. Will have to sieve the compost to find that. Am I really that blind.
Just watched your newest video with interest. My mini has been in the greenhouse since last autumn. I’ve emptied it once in there (so much easier than outside, I can lean it back against the side at an angle so very little compost escapes). I used some of the compost round my strawberries and now have 30 or 40 tomatoes growing with the strawberries-I guess it wasn’t hot enough to kill the seeds, but they germinated well. I’ve thinned them out and put the smaller plants back in the Hotbin to recycle. Regarding leachate, I’ve had none at all since it’s been under cover, so I guess most of what I had previously was rainwater.
I did have the same experience as you with the cover partly coming away from the main body, but I thought at the time I had just pressed the compost down so much, the sheer volume had caused the front to separate.
The fat white grub is a beetle larva, very common in compost. The beetle has beautiful iridescent green wings, can’t remember what it’s called but I have loads in my conventional compost bin. I put them on the bird table, the birds love them. Keep up the good work, I love your videos.
Thank you for the lovely comment. I did look on the internet regarding the grub and did think it was a may beetle. Strange how you are not getting any leachate. I do think most of the leachate is created from the steam rather than the rain. I also think 2 cam straps would be better on a mini. How is the HB at the moment in the green?
I recently noticed a gap on my hotbin mini which had worms coming out of. I used another strap so now I have 2 and it seems to have helped.
I am using the mini for another experiment at present so it will be interesting to see if I have the same issue again. I do feel two straps would be better as one really is not enough to hold the hatch door on if it is not dead centre.
Ive forgot what the white bug is, i think its called a grub but they eat plant roots so best feed it to the birds!
Thank you. I think we worked out it was a May beetle larvae. I am sure a bird got a good meal that day.
I'd be interested to know if the hotbin raised the temperature in a greenhouse during winter. I know that the hotbin is really well insulated but I wonder it could keep a greenhouse frost free? It could save a fortune in electricity... Great video thanks so much. My hotbin at the moment is like a black hole. I've been feeding it for months now, it's always in the green, I keep taking the leachate, but it never seems to get much past the hatch. Really looking forward to taking my first compost out of it.
The HB website did say that a HB could keep a greenhouse frost free if it was a light frost. I am guessing it would depend on lots of factors such as size of greenhouse the heat from the HB . The size of the HB. The temperature of the frost etc. Defiantly worth doing even if it only helps a little. Good to hear HB doing exceptionally well. Well done.
I don’t have anywhere undercover for mine but I did put some seedlings on top of mine and the heat from the lid and steam out seemed to help germination rates esp when I put a clear plastic box over the top!!
Hi Kate, that seems like a great idea. I hope many will read this you may have started a new way to propagate seeds from now on. I am guessing you would need some holes in the bag so the airflow can continue.
@@BeanieComposter the clear plastic box I have is large enough to sit over the top and because of the shape of the lid there is a little gap in places to let airflow. Just have to watch in strong winds but mines quite sheltered like yours.
I have 2 hotbins plus a mini and its always interesting to see how they compare. When I place the mini in the greenhouse in winter it far out performs the others, my guess is that it is due to a more stable temp air intake at the bottom (ie not -7 deg C at 6 o'clock in the morning) . As far as general compassions go it can be interesting/frustrating as they can be fed the same but one will lose temp for no apparent reason and then sometimes the temp can fly unexpectedly, when i had just the one hotbin i had no reason to know about the peaks and troughs that happen. I'm constantly learning
I could not agree more with this comment and I think many on this channel would agree. I compare it to when you are trying to keep the house warm in winter and you have a gap in a window or door and the central heating just cannot keep that area hot. I do believe the cold air going into the HB does cause them to go cold. Then as you say they can just suddenly take off for no reason. Someone asked if the HB keeps a greenhouse warm. What is your experience with that? Thanks for the comment.
@@BeanieComposter My greenhouse is old and the door seals are perished, so no it doesn't keep the greenhouse warm. It may hold off a late morning frost in March and April but I have no proof or that (purely subjective). As for peaks and troughs I think that is due to actions maybe 8 week previously as to how it has been fed. As lower levels start compacting it restricts air flow (hence cooling) and then as it composts more the wood chip then compacts in and then the process speeds up, I think sometimes you just have to leave it to do its thing. Although it feels like a leap of faith, as it is to deep to alter by stirring. HB composting is far more complex than rocket science.
@@garumpy8717Thank you for the quick response. That is not going to help to conserve heat then. At least it is under cover and you are not standing in the rain when filling it up.
Hi Beanie, I enjoyed your video, it’s been a while. I have had my small hotbin in our 8 x 6 plastic greenhouse for two years now and it has made a difference. My wife was able to over winter her tender plants safely and we started our tomato seedlings in April, it was one of the coldest winters for years but the plants inside survived. I do think it makes a difference to the ambient temperature but not by a lot. For your large bin outside why not wrap it in bubble wrap for winter? I would be interested to see if it helps.
Yes that would be a good experiment for the winter. I think if you can put your HB under cover then it is a great option. As you say it works. Thanks for the comment and the idea for another video.
I finally filled my HotBin up, so I was excited to see what I had made. I was really dissatisfied as barely any of it was fully composted down and it had been in there for 6 months, which was pretty much hit all the time since mid of March till mid May. Also get thousands of seem like little white bugs. Wish I could post a photos to show you haha
Hi Tristan. I've not heard of the weniger HB. It would be good to see the photos. Send to beaniecomposterhb@gmail.com. Yes that is disappointing after all that time. What type of temperatures were you getting.
Great video again, thanks. Two weeks into my Hotbin journey. I'm now hitting 70⁰. Can it get too hot as it's outside the green? I'm keeping a fire extinguisher next to it now.
I am also hitting outside the green on the plus side. Don't worry it will not get too hot just enjoy the heat as it will not last forever. Well done and keep us posted on how it is going. Are you feeding it every other day at the moment?
@@BeanieComposter At least every other day and sometimes sneak in a bit more. Thinking of investing in a shredder as my right seceteur arm is getting overdeveloped.
@scabbyjoe21 yes after the HB the shredder that we got has been one of the best garden investments. Saves so much time and as you say you will end up with RSI in your hand if you are not careful. Keep up the good work.