Doh! Help please:)

[Susie Snowdrop]

Hi All,

I've just acquired my first compost bin <shamefulsmiley>!!

I have loads of waste plant material from floristry so, apart from veggie peelings, what else can or can't I put in? Am I supposed to turn it and if so how often?

Yours humbly

SS x

P.S. I know this subject has been touched on before and sorry if it's a bit boring

[Deleted]

Anything vegetable in origin can go in, as well as stuff like eggshells, newspaper etc. Not meat. You can just throw the stuff in, and the worms and bugs will do their stuff, but breaking it up does help somewhat, although the only factor affected is time ...

Good luck

[Cheerypeabrain]

I put in shredded paper, broken up egg boxes, tea bags, and a bit of straw along with the chopped up plant material. Like Derek says it's pretty much anything of plant origin (not cooked). Has yours got a lid?, if not a bit of carpet stops it getting too wet in winter. I am certainly not an expert...but after 12 months of bumbling about I ended up with lovely compost. For ages nothing seemed to be happening...then SHAZAM all of a sudden there it was!
I hope that you and your compost bin have a long, happy and productive future together ;D

[lottielady]

Make sure that the bottom is on soil too Susie, if you can add some grass cuttings to it as you go as it helps to heat it up - and mix it as often as you can - I find it's easier to mix it each time you add something. Oh and get OH to have a pee in it every now and again - if he is not too shy that is

LLX

[Chuckles]

I have an old bucket with a lid that I fill with bits and bobs for the compost bin, it's outside the back door so as to remind me to put stuff in it. It becomes second nature after a while. Within a couple of days it's full, it's amazing what you can put in if you think about it......I compost all the stuff already mentioned plus kitchen roll, kitchen & toilet roll holders, cereal boxes, contents of the ashtray the list is endless really.

happy composting

[paul r82]

Shred your bank statments etc. safer than putting them in the bin and makes great compost.

[Susie Snowdrop]

Thanks a million everybody......................here goes ;D

S x

[Deleted]

The more you turn it the better it composts down - I know from bitter experience. We got too many grass cuttings on ours at one stage last year and so to stop it going slimy I turned it practically every day for about 10 days, and not only did it compost down more quickly, it was lovely stuff in the end.

Isn't it odd that producing nice compost and leaf mould is one of the things that really lifts the spirit!

[Plocket]

Good luck with it Susie - I don't think I can add much except that I try and turn my compost about once a week.

[Susie Snowdrop]

Thanks again . Just one thing though.......why does OH have to pee in it and should it be when there's a full moon

S x

[sweetleaf]

A mans wee is a great compost activator, it starts up, and encourages the process once begun...plus they dont seem to mind outdoor "activities" usually, so why not ?

[Deleted]

Is it true you should'nt put potato peelings in your compost bin,my sister seems to think, its
fe-male pee thats works best., does it matter, its probably to with hormones,=========??

[Deleted]

Worms don't like too much potato and sometimes potato peelings can sprout (free potatoes ) but all mine goes in the bin at home and it is a struggle getting the stuff in the bin is so full of worms.

PS - I turn mine about once a year and it seems to do alright. I do pee in it (via a watering can) though. I also keep a small field vole in one of mine. S/he loves it and it has become a bit of a pet

[Deleted]

tomstattyead said:

Is it true you should'nt put potato peelings in your compost bin ...

I think I recall there being some concern that peelings from commercially grown potatoes could have high levels of chemicals from the stuff used in fertilisers etc, particularly abroad, where there may be less controls and information on what is used and controlled. For this reason, I don't use peelings from a local chip shop, even although it is just down the road from me.

[Plocket]

I wouldn't get OH to pee in it every night Susie - I think about once a week will be adequate!!! ;D

[Deleted]

I don't put potato peelings in my compost bin as they do seem to sprout quite easily. I think I may have read somwhere that Rhubarb also isn't good added to the compost - but I'm not sure why (Derek any ideas?)

I only turn mine about once a year - twice if it's lucky. I get some good stuff out of it ;D Are there any benefits to turning it weekly as Plocket does?

[sleepysunday]

The organisms that work to create our compost have some basic requirement :

• Some moisture
  
• Air
  
• Nitrogen
  
• warmth
  

What you need to do is provide all of these to encourage the organisms to thive and multiple.

If you bin is too dry they won't multiply

If there isn't enough nitrogen to feed on they won't multply

If it's too cold they won't multiply

And if there is no air for them to breathe they won't multiply

Get it right and they gallop away, and generate their own heat in the process.

But the compost needs turning occasionally to get the air in.

The process is called aerobic digestion (decomposition with air).

Without the air you can end up with a wet, slimey, smelly mass. This has still rotted down, but the process is different and not desirable. This is called anaerobic digestion (decomposition without air).

Turning your compost 2 to 3 times a year if fine. Turn it every month and the organisms will probably grow quicker - but it also may have the detrimental effect of cooling you compost envionment down, so turning is not all good - but if well put together it will soon warm up again.

Hope this helps.

[sweetleaf]

There are toxins in rhubarb leaves which make it inedible, but the old fashioned view that it shouldnt be composted is untrue, there is a recipe somewhere for making insecticide with the leaves but I havent tried it.
I have always composted the leaves and have come to no harm, the compost hasnt hurt the plants either, ;D ;D

[Deleted]

The toxin in rhubarb leaves is oxalic acid, this is a very nasty material for us to ingest, although the quantitys we get in the stalks is acceptable (this is what gives rhubarb its characteristic tang). There are many other parts of plants which are not beneficial to us, but they are ok when rotted down to make compost. Eg I also compost privet leaves, but generally put these separate as they take longer to break down.

The rhubarb leaves can be used to make a natural 'insecticide' which is good against greenfly, and I use it for blackfly on broad beans.

When harvesting rhubarb, drop several leaves into a bucket of water and leave for a couple of weeks to stew. You will recognise when the brew is ready because it stinks awful ! I then strain it through a bit of rag into a small sprayer, to which I add a couple of DROPS of washing up liquid - this acts as a surfactant, so when I spray, the liquid stays on the plant (and blackfly or other insects). I keep the tiniest bottle of washing up liquid in my shed purely for this purpose. It doesnt get rid of the blackfly totally, but it certainly keeps the numbers well down, so they don't present a problem.

[Deleted]

Derek

Rhubarb leaves will - from now on - be added to the compost!! Think I might give the insectiside a miss tho'!!

Thanks

[Deleted]

Rhubarb leaves also act as a herbivore repellent. I put them in with my pea seeds to keep mice out and have also used them effectively to keep a rat out my compost bin by stuffing the holes with them. Rhubarb leaves also work without the full brew method if you are in a bit of a hurry and can be steeped in water overnight - use this undiluted though as it is weaker and consequently, not as effective as the stinky brewed one - they do smell nicer that way though ;D

Other good insecticides are brewed ivy and steeped pyrethrum.

[Chuckles]

Isn't Rhubarb amazing stuff, seems to have loads of uses

[sweetleaf]

If I was to move one of my clumps of rhubarb, would now be a good time?...I want to put a squash bed there.

[sleepysunday]

Isn't Rhubarb amazing stuff, seems to have loads of uses

You sound like that walking bloke from the Fast Show.

"Aren't holes amazing?" etc

[sweetleaf]

sweetleaf said:

If I was to move one of my clumps of rhubarb, would now be a good time?...I want to put a squash bed there.

Anybody know?

[Deleted]

Easter time (March/April) is the usual time to divide. That way they get away to a good start. However, for similar reasons to you I moved (and divided) mine in November last year and still got a reasonable crop from the Mother plant.

[sweetleaf]

Thanks CC Just what I wanted to hear!

[Deleted]

A few months ago I undertook extensive research (well I looked on the 2nd page of Google's results before I got bored) into Oxalic acid, which is present in rhubarb. The conclusion I drew was it ain't gonna kill yer at any time of the year. I still by instinct draw the line on 1 July though.

I also have been in extensive research (by this I mean I've actually spoken to real living organic farmers and the bleepin' Soil Association) of leguminous crops, especially the planting of field beans on organic farms and their effects of fixing nitrogen in the soil. Everyone I have spoken to in the farming world says they are at best a neutral, rather than beneficial fixing crop and used to feed cattle. Makes me wonder why my legume roots are still in the soil.

The real nitrogen fix is red clover or similar for 2 years.

[Deleted]

Does what you put in your compost, affect the alkaline/ acid, content of your soil??
J

[sleepysunday]

Not really Tom. Not until you start using the compost.