Spent compost

No such thing as "spent compost " in our garden.

A good dose of growmore added to it and a bit sand if needed and off it goes again...........repeat...........

 

Put your compost to use on top of your poor soil...see this video.



Steve...

 

I put mine on flower borders and some goes into the compost bins.

 

I put some on the garden beds. Then when I am planting my containers, the bottom third I use spent compost with some Growmore in it or FBB.

 

I often feel that we gardeners tend to go OTT. No disrespects to anyone but. These gardening forum certainly do open ones eyes. There seems to be mania for feeding plants. Now this spent compost. I waste none. Seeds ask for nothing more than something to germinate in, then they are pricked out and planted on. A packet of seed that get wet, if left, the seeds germinate and will grow to the next stage. Larger amounts of used compost, I will leave outside for the elements to invade, and provided I can beat the local cat population to it, bag it up and reuse.

 

Just checking, I thought you shouldn’t re-use compost from growbags that had tomatoes grown in them? I don’t have any garden beds or borders, so everything is in containers of some sort.

Veg in the back garden and flowers in the front garden (all in pots), is it safe then to use old tomato growbags for the flowers but not for next years veg please?

@Mike Allen do you have any tips on keeping the local cat population off the spent compost? We have 20’ fence out front which has bamboo growing all along it (it’s the only thing that survives there) and under these is where I normally empty my containers. Last year new neighbours arrived with two cats that have taken over the space as their personal toilet GRRRR!! I e tried white pepper and cayenne pepper but they still come...daily!

Thanks Tink

 

There are a number of things available. I tried some cat repellant granules once. Cost around £5 a time. No joke. The cats loved them, talk about rolling about.
I admit that at one time. I would have not hesitated in getting rid of pest cats. It's natural for cats to roam, and hunt, but it's time cat owners were made to take responsibility. There is a female cat that is the attraction here. The neighbour downstairs claims the cat is ferral, but she has made a small fortune selling the kittens. Perhaps if and when the cat dies, then the toms will find another garden.

 

Trouble I find with spent compost is that is has mostly lost it texture.
I do think it can be reused but it needs more than just fertiliser to give it some body.

Grow Bag material is pretty poor stuff at the best of times but once used it contains masses of dead roots and the texture has changed.

If you want to re use I'd add some John innes compost to it at about 50:50 just to bring a bit of life back into it.

 

Watered down Jeyes Fluid keeps the dogs off my grass verges and borders it doesn't kill the grass or the flowers. Maybe it will work the same for keeping cats away.

 

Thanks Purple Streaks. Tried it. Amanda has also tried it in her garden. It don't work.
The attraction with my garden is a feline. Poor mite. The local TOMs, from the posh houses treat her as the local good time girl. She no sooner gives birth and she is once again impregnated. The neighbour downstairs denys ownership, but has mad a small fortune out of selling the kits. Amanda has in the past contacted the RSPCA. Yes we will send someone along. Promises promises. This little cat has really made friends with me, due to me perhaps feeding it. Hopefully one day the local Tomcats will lose their lady of the night and my garden will once again be cat free.