Hester Macdonald is the author of “Gardens Switzerland” published by Bergli Book
My Hotbin arrived in November and I was surprised by just how much there was of it!
We unpacked everything, did the reading and set it up. Everything was very well made with plenty of attention to detail. Set up was easy and the whole package was convenient and well thought out.
We decided to put it outside on a sheltered wall, but as there is really no smell at all, you could put it on a balcony or even by the back door.
We haven’t followed the instructions to the letter so it has only got out of the green zone a couple of times – (ie. really warmed up) but using a mix of garden waste mix, as suggested, made it much hotter. If you should stop the process though beware the Hotbin will naturally cool down. (Note to self, the instructions are there for a reason).
Despite it being winter and very cold outside, it is still working well, probably three times faster than normal composting and the liquid fertiliser generated is superb.
Top tips
- Follow the instructions! It really does work better when you do as they suggest
- Chop up the waste as much as possible before you put it in the Hotbin, it compost much faster.
- Mix up the waste added for best results (garden, food)
- Don’t add any liquid – it’s absolutely not necessary
Hester is the host of DIG IT!, a weekly radio program on World Radio Switzerland, featuring the best gardens, plants, and design Switzerland has to offer.  You can also find Hester on:
