Pretty, practical, homemade or shop bought. Beehive, tumbler or basic plastic compost bin? Choosing what kind of garden composter to use can be a minefield. The size of the bin is very important when garden composting.

First of all, do not stress too much about what kind of garden composter to use. Remember that nature wants all your garden waste to break down into lovely garden compost, and she'll do her utmost to help no matter what kind of compost bin you use.

The first point is to chose a garden compost bin which is the right size for you.

If you produce huge amounts of organic waste you need big garden compost bins. If you only produce small amounts of waste, get a small one. If you choose a size you cannot fill in a short space of time (within six months) you will find the garden compost never actually comes to much. As it breaks down at the bottom of the bin, and you keep adding to the top, the volume of matter reduces. You end up in a cycle of never filling the compost bin and so never actually reaping the reward of lovely free compost.

If you produce large amounts of organic matter to add to your garden compost bins you can get away with very open compost piles such homemade bins made from old pallets or other wood scraps. But, if you only produce small volumes of garden waste, such an exposed pile of compost would never heat up enough to break down thoroughly.

In basic terms, the more garden waste you have for recycling into garden compost, the more basic, open, exposed and big, your compost bins can be. If you are adding lots of stuff regularly, the temperature will stay high, and the bulk will build quickly enough to cope with sun, rain and wind. So for anyone with huge amounts of matter for garden composting would do well with an open compost heap even. If you think about it, those huge Kitchen Gardens and Farmyards where garden composting began, used open heaps. But, open heaps are messy and may attract vermin or pets where they are not wanted. If this is the case for you, think about a quick composting system.

Any large plastic compost bin will make compost quickly, as it keeps everything so warm and moist. You will need several though, as the compost is still likely to take three months or more to be produced. Alternatively you could look at some of the quicker working systems such as the rotating compost bins which are expected to produce good quality compost within weeks rather than months.

Small volumes of garden waste need a little more protection. A small (200 litre) cheap plastic compost bin is the most practical for the small garden. It won't take an age to fill, and it will keep the contents warm and moist enough to break down thoroughly.

For more information on garden composters and choosing the right garden compost bin visit the Garden Composter site.

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