Composting info please

Thank you, will do. Unfortunately blackfly are migrating onto runner beans now. There is just 1 little ladybird doing her very best but fighting a losing battle...

 

Hi FC. I'm in a similar situation to you, where the council charge for garden waste bins to be emptied. Thankfully, I have had no garden waste at all, other than woody roots (which are few and far between) and a few tonnes of grass tufts when I first moved in. To get no waste, I've got a bit of a system going:

- Green matter (grass clippings, leaves and foliage) goes in the compost heap. It's really nice soil. The trick seems to be turning it and keeping it airy. That way you get no smells at all. It's about 75% green matter and 25% brown matter (through cardboard, paper and ash). The brown matter helps form air pockets. I've found that closed compost heaps "cook" the compost. The heat really helps with speeding up the decomposition but if it's not turned, it will decompose anaerobically which is when the smells start.

- Food goes in the wormery. It's a plastic wormery which fully contains the food so that rats and pests aren't attracted. Cooked food is also fine, so long as there's ZERO oils in it. No nuts, meats, fish, etc. Any oils in it and you run the risk of turning the compost into a block of clay-like substance.

- Weeds go on a tray in the greenhouse until they are bone dry. Then they are put in a sealed tub filled with water until they rot. Then they go in the compost heap. The combination of drought and drowning seems to kill anything. On the other hand, you can dry them and then burn them instead.

- Woody material gets burnt and then the ashes get dug into the soil. Small branches with leaves can be left in a bag until the leaves fall off. They can be used to make leafmould and the branches can be burnt.

I just wish I had a better way of getting rid of firethorn clippings. At the minute, I burn it and get prickly ash.

Rad91

 

Good to know how much ash do you think can be added to compost without messing up the texture? rough ratios

 

No issues with the nettles A weed is a plant that's not wanted. If you want the nettles there, they're plants, not weeds

If it wasn't for the stingy leaves, I'd plant a bunch of nettles in my border. Their leaves look nice

 

It only takes a very small patch - barely any space at all, really.

 

Well well well! I think I know what I'm going to buy! good shout!

A very small patch in my garden is quite a big portion unfortunately. I'm looking at about 100 square yards... ish? And about a third of that is grass That been said, I'm a fan of the "overgrown borders" style that excuse comes in handy for all sorts of gardening eventualities!

 

I guess that far corner of the garden could become a compost heap. At the moment it serves no purpose other than a place to dump things. We wouldn't need the council waste bin. They don't collect it half the time anyway. All our personal papers get shredded or burned. Our food waste goes in the household rubbish bin. Composting might not be a bad idea. Defo something to think about.

G.

 

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone had made their own wormery and can suggest any particular diy build method /plans ?

Just looking for something to eat up the raw kitchen peelings etc as I cannot put them in the main compost heap as it seems to have started to attract the rats.
Seem to have evicted the current residents by watering the heaps with the hose and plunging a long crow bar down though it many times.
Have used a couple of pre baited traps but never been triggered ?

 

Useful link here

 

Another great link from Mr. Project Diaries ....he's worth subscribing too

 

Does that you mean you have to save up all your waste in carrier bags until you have enough to fill the bin?

G.