By
Victoria Brun
The designer and seller of the Compot and other compost options
(Often, as in this blog, I give a voice in this blog to interns I work with, fellow gardeners, and those who sell tickets to events or products to sustain Earth. I don’t have a financial interest in products or services blogged here but I’m discussing possibly selling this simple product with the author, designer and seller of the Compot, Victoria Brun. As always I welcome any feedback.)
In an era where sustainability is paramount, composting has become a vital tool in reducing waste and nurturing our planet. Among the myriad composting methods available,
• Victoria Brun with the Compot, a composting option of about 5 litres volume
the Eco-Eze Compot Composter shines with its user-friendly design and eco-conscious features.
Whether you're a novice composter or just beginning your journey with Eco-Eze, here's a comprehensive guide to maximizing its potential in seven simple steps.
Step 1: Setup Start by choosing a suitable location for your Eco-Eze Compot Composter. Opt for a spot that's easily accessible for adding kitchen scraps and animal waste. Depending on your preference and seasonal considerations, decide whether to place it in direct sunlight or partial shade. Once you've chosen the perfect spot, dig a hole approximately 30cm deep and 30cm wide.
The Compot is roughly the size of a 5 litre container. It can be used in a small or large garden so the size makes it easy to use in a range of gardens and garden sizes.
The next two photos are placed together so the size of the hole for a Compot can be seen at the same time as the size of the Compot - compare the size of the spade with the size of the Compot that has been put in a hole and is shown in the photo below
Step 1 - dig a hole
- the width of the spade in the photo above is about the same as the width of the Compot put in the hole in the soil in the photo below
Step 2 - Plant the Compot
Step 2: Placement
Lower your Compot into the prepared hole, ensuring it sits level with the ground. Backfill the hole with soil to secure the Compot in place.
The Eco-Eze Compot Composter requires no assembly, making setup a breeze. If placing it near a tree, invert the lid to facilitate hassle-free mowing over the Compot.
Step 3 Put kitchen food waste into the Compot
Step 3: Add Kitchen Waste
Now, it's time to fill your Compot with kitchen waste. You have two options:
A. Worm-Friendly Waste: If you intend to use the composter for worm composting, ensure to only add worm-friendly materials
B. All Kitchen Waste: For comprehensive waste disposal, including meat, dairy, citrus, onions, and even pet waste, you want to attract the Soldier Fly. Ferment the scraps with either wastewater or Bokashi Bran for optimal results.
Step 4 - Screw on the lid, forget
Step 4: Lock on lid and cover
Secure the reversible lid onto the composter and cover it with suitable materials such as grass clippings, leaves, hay, or straw. Avoid covering with soil to allow adequate airflow. Steer clear of sugar cane mulch, as it may attract rodents due to its sweet scent.
Step 5 - Refill as the food waste is composted - plant more Compots around the garden to fertilise more plants
Step 5: Plant a few around the garden
Enhance your garden's sustainability by planting multiple Compots around the area.
Continuously fill them with waste, rotating as needed.
If soil harvest is desired, allow one composter to rest for 4 to 6 weeks for complete decomposition before spreading the nutrient-rich soil in your garden.
Step 6 - watch your garden grow as the compost and the life and nutrients in it go into the adjoining soil
Step 6: Rotate filling Maintain a seamless composting process by rotating filling your Compots. Devise a rotation strategy that works for you ensuring a constant supply of space to dispose of your waste. There's no need to wait for complete decomposition before refilling—keep the cycle going for efficient waste management. Once you have reached the last pot the first pot will be ready to top up.
Step 7 - Harvest wonderful soil for pot plants , garden plants
Step 7: Harvest Soil
Harvest the composted soil from your Compot once it reaches capacity. Soldier Flies continually empty your pots so accumulating soil may take anywhere from 6 months to a year. This means less work for me. Worms want to fill your pots with soil so this method may require regular harvesting of soil. Enjoy the fruits of your composting labour by spreading the nutrient-rich soil throughout your garden or using it in potted plants.
Other uses - a top to grow plants in
Other uses:
And for added gardening excitement, consider integrating a Compottop to grow plants from seeds — an optional extra that brings joy, especially to younger enthusiasts.
Or Integrate your Compot into a Coolseat to grow both worms and Soldier Flies (they create soil faster than worms and eat meat which can kill worms) for the ultimate composting solution - see example in photo below.
In conclusion:
Using the Eco-Eze Compot Composter offers a straightforward and rewarding approach to recycling organic waste, minimizing landfill contribution, and nurturing your garden. By following these seven simple steps, you'll embark on a journey towards a greener, more sustainable future.
The possibilities with your Eco-Eze Compot Composter are endless—it's all up to you!
Vicki Brun
Comment by Vicki with advice about using Compot in sand, clay:
The way to deal with sand is much the same as clay but a little bit trickier.
First you need to dig a slightly bigger hole, 3 inches at least below the pot and around the pot
fill the base of the hole with broken tree branches or cheap potting mix which is good as a filler.
Place the pot on top of the branches then, fill around the pot with the cheap potting mix roughly to 3 inches (or more). This gives the worms a place to live because they can't live in sand.
If some sand goes inside the pot it does not matter. It can be scooped out later.
So now you should have something below the pot and something around the pot.
If you don't have any worms anywhere in your garden (sometimes you can find them in topsoil) then you need to add worms to the potting mix on the outside of the Compot - that is - the part you just filled with cheap potting mix.
At this point you can fill your pot up with worm friendly food only if you want to breed up worms, but fresh waste is likely to attract vermin.
That is why it is better to soak all your waste in waste water to ferment the waste and deter the vermin.
So now you should have a Compot that will take all your kitchen waste and the worms outside your pots will slowly be incorporating the sand into their diet as they move outwards into the sand. It is not a quick fix but it will absolutely improve your sandy soil over time.
Then (what some customers do) is move the pot around the garden every 6 months or so. Or just have more pots scattered around the garden that will slowly improve your whole garden over time.
Also if you do this in a space where you want to plant a tree you will create a fertile environment for a new tree once you dig up your pot and toss all the contents into the hole, then plant your plant.
And I have lots of customers in Perth.
One of my very first customers over there tried the pots and was at first very disappointed. She thought they didn't work. So she got angry and forgot about them only to come back a few weeks later to find beautiful soil. And thus ended up buying more pots. It is a bit trickier for people new to the system to use in sandy soil and clay soil, but not impossible if they follow my directions. And once they see the results they never look back. But you have to convince them that it will make a difference over time. Because they have been told about worms for the past 20 years it is hard for them to understand what the Soldier Fly can do. But trying one usually changes their mind once they get used to how it works. Vicki