Composting

[Dutchy]

Hm I always thought you should never get cooked food in the compostbin

[totp]

I don't think there is anything wrong with putting cooked food in a compost bin. Wouldn't've thought it makes it any more/less attractive to wildlife.

[Jasmine]

Our local 'tip' is selling a big green cone called a Green Johanna which can take raw and cooked food - is that the same thing Andy? I didn't see the price. My neighbour has one but it had a lot of flies round it during the very hot weather.

[Ladygardener]

Just about every article I've ever seen about composting advises not to put cooked food into them as it does attract rodents.

[Chuckles]

Checked my 3 dalek compost bins today and they are all coming on very nicely. Even the bags that I fill once the bins are full have started to rot down well. How's everyone else doing with thiers

[Spruance]

Our dalek bin is mainly designated for kitchen waste as it is nearest the house. I usually get at least two wheelbarrow's full of good quality compost every year. I don't put cooked food in the compost bins as I am sure that this attracts rodents and they are certainly about as one of the local cats left one on the lawn last week.

The main wooden double bin at the bottom of the garden usually produces around four barrow loads per year, but that's purely from garden prunings and grass clippings.

It's actually amazing how efficient a waste disposal system this is but obvious you need the space for the bins, and somewhere to put the compost! i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/wink.gif

[MamIDdau]

The OH is midway through building a compost heap. His own design... we'll see how it pans out!

He didn't like the dalek style ones.

[francegarden]

I bought a couple of compost bins shaped like beehives to have near my front door.
Surprising how many people are caught out. The have not composted down nearly as
quickly as my previous ones, which were directly onto the ground, whereas these stand
on concrete. Also the soil is very sandy (numerous quarries in the area) as it is near a river,
so very few worms.
May move them, but also have a compost heap at the end of the garden which seems to be
breaking down quite well.
A shredder is very useful for all sorts of things - twigs, leaves (dry), woody plants and results
can either be put on compost or directly as a mulch around plants.

[Missredhead]

Mine is doing very well, I have used some of it this year and it is now almost 3/4 full of compost and the top 1/4 is stuff that I have not long added......I never put cooked food in as it is supposed to attract rodents, although I did have mice in mine earlier this year, I only add raw food and garden waste.

[Ladygardener]

I've been composting for years and think it's great not only as a good way of recycling but also it's a great way of using garden waste. I get really good compost about 2 times a year. I've also made my own makeshift one at the allotment.

[MamIDdau]

I ordered a kitchen caddy today. The OH reckons he's gonna finish doing something with the compost thingy and we can start filling it tonight.

I'm not sure he's thought thru the keeping the flies out part but I'm sure something will be worked out.

[Missredhead]

Don't forget a piccy AL

[MamIDdau]

I took a pic of it last night. Half finished.

He's not finishing it tonight, he's started making planters to go on the decking instead lol

[Missredhead]

sounds like a man....

[MamIDdau]

Yup! lol I think it's going to be an old carpet jobby to be honest

[Auricula]

I have 3 open compost bins mad ( by OH) out of old pallets. We never put cooked food in because of rodents. They work very well.

[Dutchy]

I will have a double old pallets one soon. First ones made ready but I still have to get more pallets.
Francegarden your bins probably do less well because of the concrete underneath. They do not work half as well then.
Rodents.... ah yes well on the open one at MssK I now have zillions of damaged plums and fortunately we have hardly any wasps but therefore we do get mice and other four legged nibblers
April it takes a woman to keep a man in his tracks ;D ;D ;D
Point him in the right direction or do you need the planters as much

[MamIDdau]

It's OK, he's got this evening and all weekend ;D They're both his little projects... along with all the other little projects he's got going but they get finished eventually. I think. I hope.

[MamIDdau]

Right, I'm confident I do know the answer but I want to double check...

I know that you're not meant to put meat etc on the compost heap but can you put the "insides" of stuff you've deseeded etc onto it? Like if you deseed melon, butternut squash etc?

[Spruance]

Yes seeds and other veggie innards are perfectly ok AL. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/wink.gif

[MamIDdau]

I thought so, just checking! lol Thanks x

[Barbara]

I emptied the bin yesterday lots of good stuff, I bought a large bag from Wilkies for the ready compost and filled it to the top, I've added leaf mould and sand, I'm going to try to use it for my pots next year. started filling again, this time of year it fills up really quickly with baskets, and pots being emptied of summer bedding plants, and all the plants that get cut down.

[Ladygardener]

Do folk put the used compost from tubs and baskets into the compost bin then?

[MamIDdau]

I would. If there's annuals in there that have died off, there's good root systems in there that's usually used to form soil when it's made "in the wild" so I see no reason as to why it couldn't go in. Unless it's had vine weevil or something other nasty type of thing in it.

[Barbara]

LG, mine gets a good examining , some I tip straight into the compost bin if I can't get the roots out, some I put onto the flower beds, some I mix in with the compost I've made, I use that to pot my daffs and tulip bulbs in, I usually give it a feed of some kind first though, pellets or whatever I have left over from the summer.

[Ladygardener]

I've been putting mine on the borders as a mulch to help keep the soil moist but now that autumn is here it won't be needed. I've thought of bringing it to the allotment to dig into the clay to help with the structure of it, would it be worthwhile I wonder.

[Barbara]

It will help LG, but manure is what you need really, or grit, or small stones, just to get inbetween the lumps and break them up.

[MamIDdau]

I've got plenty of stones if you want them?! ;D

Filled a massive garden bag of them when sieving the soil for the veggie patch.

[Dutchy]

;D
A Rock Garden is about to be born then.
Or one of those slug shaped herb gardens.
You might find better use for them than using for drainage.

My first compost bin is filling up at the new lottie.
Can I bung dead branches in?
I read somewhere that wood rotting down takes nutrients away instead of giving it.

[Barbara]

Too much wooden stuff slows down the composting process Dutchy, so I wouldn't unless your prepared to wait a while for compost.