Composting

[Chuckles]

gardenhammerette said:

I know it's not the 15th , but I turned this and about 6 other trug fulls out of one of the compost bins and spread all about the border I hacked about decided needed a revamp ;D



No Horse Poo, just kitchen waste, spent compost, grass cuttings and the occasional 'special watering' from the OH

Lovely gubbly stuff GH ;D

[nightowl]

I started my first ever compost bin this summer. It was rotting quite well but seemed to have too much veg waste cos I don't have a lawn for cuttings. It seemed too sloppy and manky so I asked my neighbours to put their grass cuttings in.

I haven't looked in it for quite a few weeks because I haven't been at home much, but went to put some leaves in today, and it appears to have stopped composting.

I stuck my hand in as far as I could reach, and it is stone cold.

It's not supposed to be like that is it???

What have I done wrong?

[Barbara]

can you rip up loads of newspaper
they will dry it out a lot,
if its wet through it wont break down, well that's my knowledge any-way.
also you need some twiggy stuff as well, and have you turned it
sorry if this is'nt much help,

[Ladygardener]

Night Owl, if it's a darlek thingy you could tip it all out, you might find some nice compost you could use at the bottom. Then do as Barbara says and add some torn up newspaper and add it to the remains as you put them back. You may well find this helps it heat up. Bear in mind that it will cool down quite a bit in the winter, you could add garotta which you find in the garden centre to help it heat or nettles. or comfry. good luck, hope this helps.

[Plocket]

My compost never seems to feel warm but it still does what it's supposed to do. If you don't want to tip everything out then you should invest in a compost prodder (hold on I'll try and find a link in a mo) - that way you can put dry stuff in the top and stir the whole lot up. Any paper will do but the smaller it is the better it is so investing in a cheap shredder is also a good idea - we shred anything with our address on and that goes in the compost bin. Kitchen towels can also go in providing you haven't mopped up chemicals or meat juices - anything dry will help. Also, if you aren't making leaf-mould your leaves can go in - they will also be relatively dry.

Oooh here you go - technically my "prodder" is called an aerator: www.ferndale-lodge.co.uk/pd_559155.htm

[jean]

NO when you say it has stopped do you mean that it has shrunk down quite a bit and changed to a dark colour ? This is what is supposed to happen and then after all the heat the worms and other beasties start to break it down even further. You can turn it all out to add some air and give it a good mix which will help too

[Weeterrier]

Nightowl, just imagine you are making a trifle, with lots of different layers with their own textures. If you have put in a good layer of peelings and other wet stuff, put in a layer of shredded paper, or the contents of your vacuum cleaner, or some torn up cardboard. You don't need grass. In fact it is easy to put too much grass in a dalek, so I tend not to put it in very often. It can settle as a slimy mass sometimes if the compost is not being mixed. (I don't mix mine)
I am sure that you must have seen us talking about having a man pee in it to jolly it along? If you have access to animal manure, sheep cow, horse, put that in, and if you are at the seaside, collect a bag of seaweed and bung that in too.
And be patient. My bins take a year to provide good compost. If I mixed it, it would be speedier, but a year suits me.
And don't be tempted to squash everything down into the bin, air is required.
Don't worry, it WILL work.

[nightowl]

No JL, it has not shrunk down and turned dark. It has not shrunk at all for a good while and seems too dry. Yes WT, it is a dalek type. I think I will have to turn it all out (yuk!) and mix it up better.

Must get some horsy pooey straw, that should give it a boost!! Never knew you could put newspaper in them.

Thanks everyone

[Plocket]

Get yourself a rabbit nightowl coz the straw and sawdust is EXCELLENT for making compost ;D

[nightowl]

The cat thinks that's a great idea Plocket!! He's licking his lips already!!! ;D

[Plocket]

Hehehe! Our cat isn't too bothered by the rabbit, but she (the cat) is blind!!!

[Weeterrier]

Nightowl, most paper can be used, including cereal packets, egg boxes ,toilet roll middles, serviettes. Teabags, coffee grounds, pet hairs, your hair. You can really cut down on your rubbish, a good thing if they re going to start charging for each bag of it they have to collect.

[Dr Bill]

Does this help?

www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/compost/

It really is a matter of getting the balance right. My compost used to be a bit wet. Now I balance it up with paper and cardboard. Grass cuttings are OK but need to be mixed in otherwise they tend to form a dense mat.

Actually I find turning the compost quite a pleasant job, but then I'm odd like that!

[nightowl]

Thanks Dr Bill. Hmm, looks like I made a mistake asking for grass cuttings (and yes they are sitting in a big stodgy layer)

Never thought about putting paper in, and never would have thought of HAIR!!!! I thought hair didn't decompose?

Looks like I'm gonna have to tip the darn thing out and mix it all together. BUM!!!!

[Plocket]

Do you have a tumble-dryer Nightowl? The fluff out of that can go in your compost bin ;D

[Weeterrier]

Plocket, that will make me want a tumble drier

Nightowl, hair doesn't decompose, but it adds texture ;D So do nail clippings

[Shrubrose]

And whatever comes out of your vacuum cleaner bag!

[Plocket]

Eugh! Nail clippings? OMG!!!

I hadn't thought of the vacuum cleaner bag but will add that to my list. Not that there's room in my bin at the moment!!!

[oldmoleskins]

NightOwl, the hottest compost I ever saw was made by someone with access to fresh pony manure... forgetting the usual quest for 'well-rotted', if you do remake your bin and you want to hot it up, try incorporating some of that, if you can get your hands/shovel/fork on some, in thin layers, among the other stuff...

OM.

[Barbara]

i put a layer of horse poo ;D on top of my compost one year, and the worms must have dragged it down so fast i thought some one had pinched it ;D

[Weeterrier]

Greedy devils ;D

[Chuckles]

barbara said:

i put a layer of horse poo ;D on top of my compost one year, and the worms must have dragged it down so fast i thought some one had pinched it ;D

My laptop nearly fell of my lap when I read that

[oldmoleskins]

This is sort of Compost Bin Question 2 - hope you don't mind NightO...

I've an accumulated bucket of apple jelly 'makings' - just cooking apples, cider vinegar and water, or rather the relatively dry pulp left after straining that lot to get the cooked liquid.

Will the mildly acidic nature of the mix adversely affect compost-making? I'm thinking of the use of vinegar to deter worms in gravel paths...

OM.

[Spruance]

I don't think that will be a problem OM. We put citrus peel on ours although convention has it that you're not supposed to.

Doesn't seem to make any difference to the end product though.

[Weeterrier]

I put the gubbins of my jelly-making into the compost bin. And I think citrus peel would have to be excessive to affect anything.

[Jardack]

apologies for the silly questions, I have looked in my little composting book but am none the wiser so thought I'd ask some experts!

1. I have some plants which are dead now (my HUGE cosmos!) can I compost them or part of them?

2. I have a courgette plant which has finished and a squash plant which has stopped doing anything too, can I compost these?

If not will bag them up and head to the tip...

Thank you

Jardack

[Dr Bill]

jardack said:

1. I have some plants which are dead now (my HUGE cosmos!) can I compost them or part of them?

Yes

2. I have a courgette plant which has finished and a squash plant which has stopped doing anything too, can I compost these?

Yes

[andy]

Yeah...probably best to remove any seed heads from the cosmos just in case they germinate when you spread the stuff on the borders.

[Chuckles]

andy said:

Yeah...probably best to remove any seed heads from the cosmos just in case they germinate when you spread the stuff on the borders.

I thought the heat from the composting process would kill most seeds, OMG I'm going to be taken over by Evening Primrose and Aquiligia next year.

[Weeterrier]

I don't remove the seedheads of anything either, and I don't have any problems...........yet ;D
And Jardack, your question wasn't silly, how do any of us get to know things unless we ask?

Sorry for repeating myself everyone, here are some of the things I compost:-
All my kitchen vegetable/fruit waste.
All my cardboard packaging (glossy is OK, but not with a plastic film), egg boxes, loo rolls, tissues, serviettes
All my junk mail and personal papers, newspaper (All shredded or cut up)
Contents of hoover
All my herbaceous material when I cut it back
Small amounts of grass clippings
leaves
When I can get it........horse, cow sheep deer dung, seaweed
Teabags and coffee grounds

There are probably other things which I have forgotten. The main thing is, that you layer them, like a trifle. All the slimy stuff from the veg, then a layer of papery stuff, more wet stuff, and so on. If something doesn't break down, it can be thrown away later when you are spreading the finished product.
Don't squash the waste in your composter down, air is required. It will soon go down naturally. It is like the tardis, there is always room for more given a little time.
And remember, your husband peeing in it will speed up the process
You don't need to turn the stuff in your composter if you are willing to wait, mine takes a year. Turning will speed up the process.

Good luck Jardack, don't worry, I was afraid to start composting for years, now I realise I was silly. Imagine you are making a cake. If it's dry , you add more milk, if it's wet, you add more flour. Composting works on the same principle, but you don't have the risk of putting on weight with the end result ;D