Composting is a practical way to turn kitchen scraps and garden waste into useful organic material for your soil. Instead of sending suitable food scraps, leaves and lawn clippings to landfill, you can process them at home and return valuable nutrients to your garden.

There is no single composting system that suits every household. A small garden may benefit from an in-ground composter or worm farm, while a productive garden or larger property may require a rotating tumbler or high-capacity outdoor compost bin.

The Farmers Lot offers a range of compost bins and worm farms designed for different spaces, waste volumes and composting methods.

Why Compost?

Composting can help you:

• Reduce the amount of organic waste placed in household rubbish.
• Produce compost for vegetable gardens, flower beds and landscaping.
• Improve soil structure and moisture retention.
• Recycle leaves, grass clippings and suitable kitchen scraps.
• Reduce reliance on purchased soil conditioners.

Start With Kitchen Waste Collection

Cefito 40L Pull-Out Kitchen Bin

The first step in a successful composting routine is making it easy to separate suitable food scraps from general rubbish. The Cefito 40L Pull-Out Kitchen Bin is not itself a composting system, but it can provide a convenient collection and sorting point inside the kitchen.

The bin installs inside a kitchen cabinet and uses a smooth slide-out mechanism for easy access. Keeping the bin concealed helps maintain a tidy kitchen, while its removable bin and open-frame design make cleaning easier.

Advantages:

• Large 40L capacity.
• Concealed inside a kitchen cabinet.
• Smooth slide-out access.
• Removable front basket for bags or other supplies.
• Durable chrome-plated frame.
• Useful as part of a kitchen waste-sorting system.

Best suited to: Households wanting a neat under-cabinet location for separating compostable scraps, recycling and general waste.

Compact Composting Directly in the Garden

Inground Farm Composter

An in-ground composter provides a simple way to process smaller amounts of organic waste close to where the resulting nutrients are needed. It can be installed in a garden bed, raised bed or large planter, allowing decomposition to occur within the soil environment.

The compact PVC construction takes up very little garden space. A secure ventilated lid helps protect the contents while allowing airflow to support decomposition.

Advantages:

• Compact and space-efficient design.
• Suitable for raised beds, garden beds and large planters.
• Durable PVC construction.
• Secure lid with ventilation.
• Places composting activity close to plant roots and garden soil.
• A useful hands-on way to introduce children to composting.

Best suited to: Small gardens, raised beds and gardeners wanting to compost modest amounts of kitchen waste directly within the growing area.

Turn Food Scraps Into Worm Castings

60L Three-Tray Worm Farm Composter

Worm farming uses composting worms to process suitable food scraps into nutrient-rich worm castings. It is an effective option for households that generate regular kitchen scraps but do not have large volumes of garden waste.

This 60L worm farm uses three stacking trays, allowing the worms to move through the system as material is added and processed. The collection base includes a spigot for draining collected liquid.

Advantages:

• Three stacking composting trays.
• 60L overall capacity.
• Collection base with a drainage spigot.
• Ventilation to support the worm environment.
• Hinged lid for convenient filling.
• Compact enough for many courtyards, patios and smaller gardens.
• Produces valuable worm castings for garden use.

Best suited to: Households with regular fruit and vegetable scraps, limited garden space or an interest in producing worm castings.

Place a worm farm in a protected position away from excessive heat and direct afternoon sun. Avoid overfeeding the system, particularly when first establishing the worm population.

Easy Mixing With a Rotating Compost Tumbler

Gardeon 160L Dual-Chamber Rotating Compost Tumbler

A compost tumbler makes it easier to mix and aerate compost without turning a pile manually with a garden fork. Rotating the drum helps distribute moisture, air and organic materials throughout the mixture.

The Gardeon tumbler has two separate chambers. One chamber can be filled with fresh material while compost in the other chamber continues to break down and mature. This provides a more continuous composting cycle than a single-chamber bin.

Advantages:

• Two separate composting chambers.
• 160L combined capacity.
• Full 360-degree rotating design.
• Deep internal fins to help mix materials.
• Ventilation holes to support airflow.
• Sliding doors for convenient access.
• Raised design reduces the need to bend to ground level.
• Durable PP and steel construction for outdoor use.

Best suited to: Suburban gardens and households wanting an enclosed system that is easy to turn and capable of processing compost in separate batches.

Large-Capacity Composting for Bigger Gardens

1000L Outdoor Expandable Compost Bin

Large gardens and properties can generate substantial amounts of leaves, weeds, lawn clippings and plant trimmings. A high-capacity compost bin provides enough room to collect these materials and build a compost pile with sufficient volume.

This expandable outdoor composter offers capacity of up to 1000 litres. Ventilation holes allow air to reach the composting material, while the flexible design can be disassembled and reused in another location.

Advantages:

• Very large capacity of up to 1000L.
• Suitable for leaves, lawn clippings and garden waste.
• Ventilation holes support airflow throughout the material.
• Expandable and reusable design.
• Durable HDPE construction.
• Resistant to corrosion, heat and outdoor conditions.
• Quick and straightforward assembly.

Best suited to: Larger gardens, productive vegetable gardens and properties producing substantial volumes of seasonal garden waste.

Because the enclosure is lightweight, it should be securely positioned after assembly, particularly in exposed or windy locations.

What Can Be Added to Compost?

A healthy compost system generally contains a mixture of moist, nitrogen-rich materials and dry, carbon-rich materials.

Suitable green materials may include:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps.
• Coffee grounds and tea leaves.
• Fresh lawn clippings.
• Soft green garden cuttings.

Suitable brown materials may include:

• Dry leaves.
• Shredded cardboard.
• Small amounts of untreated paper.
• Dry plant stems and small twigs.
• Untreated sawdust or wood shavings in moderate amounts.

Avoid placing plastics, treated timber, pet waste, diseased plants or chemically contaminated materials into ordinary household compost. Meat, dairy products and oily foods can also create odours and attract pests unless you are using a system specifically designed to process them.

Tips for Better Compost

• Balance the ingredients: Mix moist food and garden scraps with dry leaves, cardboard or other brown material.
• Keep it moist: Compost should be damp but not waterlogged.
• Maintain airflow: Turn or mix the material regularly, or use a well-ventilated system.
• Cut up large materials: Smaller pieces generally break down more evenly.
• Cover fresh food scraps: Add a layer of dry material to help reduce odours and insects.
• Choose the right location: Use a level, accessible position suited to the type of composter.

Which Composting System Should You Choose?

• Choose the pull-out kitchen bin for convenient indoor collection and waste separation.
• Choose the in-ground composter for small gardens, raised beds and direct-to-soil composting.
• Choose the worm farm for regular kitchen scraps and production of worm castings.
• Choose the dual-chamber tumbler for easy mixing and continuous batch composting.
• Choose the 1000L expandable bin for large amounts of leaves, lawn clippings and garden waste.

Start Composting at Home

The right composting system depends on your available space, the type of organic waste you produce and how actively you want to manage the process. From compact in-ground composters and worm farms to rotating tumblers and large outdoor enclosures, there is an option for almost every home and garden.

Browse the full range of compost bins and worm farms at The Farmers Lot.