Latest attempt to create good compost

I have 330 litre Blackwall "plastic" bins, bought from the council, lidded, never drilled holes in either walls or lid. I got lucky first year and was delighted with a perfectly acceptable crumbly result, but I seemed to have a lot more total volume input then, particularly spent annuals and kitchen peelings.. As we've got older our mobility's reduced, and the three bins are reduced to 1/2. Two years ago the result was too wet to use; last spring much better but still a bit too wet.

Last year was diffficult with no heavy work possible. I'd resited the one bin in use, still set on soil, but hoping to have prevented previous bindweed from attacking from beneath. It seems to have worked; still bit wetter and glueier than I'd like, but it's had very little "brown" stuff.

In the past I've put in shredded paper - not loads, also shredded newspaper (probably 10 years ago), only to find after a year that it hardly composted at all, so dropped that idea. Our household gets loads of deliveries, so no shortage of cardboard - from C5 and upwards cardboard envelopes, Amazon-type, to proper boxes of all sizes. While laid-up I've had the time to break up hundreds of boxes into smaller say 1 - 2" "squares", as everything I read on here says cardboard is good for composting - taking off tape and labelling. I've kept envelopes aside till now to check that cardboard envelopes can be used as well as the boxes; similarly egg-boxes (de-labelled), and textured trays(often dark/grey) supermarket fruit ones.

Last year most of the stuff going into the bin would have been kitchen peelings, tipped out of the so-called compostable bags which must take years to rot as my experience had been a mess of partially shredded green plasticky stuff which I had to pick out where I could. I've cut down on leaves from spent bulbs and other plants as the mix was too green to start with. I'd much rather I didn't soak the cardboard, and intended now to simply throw it in dry, given the wetness of the rest?

I have some partially rotted leaf mould and several bags of leaves which I can break down under the lawn mower now it's fixed, and I can walk again.

We live on the edge of the local municipal golf club so I can think again of topping up with as much leaf mould as I can carry.

Am I on the right lines do you think? Any suggestions welcomed.

Thanks

 

Sounds like a good plan to me.

We just shred and throw paper/eggboxes etc straight into the compost, never soak it beforehand. Most of the green going into our bins over winter is just kitchen peelings, then from Spring onwards garden green waste and grass cuttings. We put quite a fair amount of shredded paper in but I haven’t got a sense of proportions of green to brown.

We also put some of our leaves in, like you are planning mow them first to break them down.

UCL did a big survey and experiment in compostable plastics and the overall conclusion was that they do not compost down in your everyday garden compost bins/heaps no matter how efficient your system is.

 

When in a previous life and faced with ceaseless cardboard (retail source faced with extortionate trade waste charges !),I found the best way was to soak on edge before tearing in to strips/squares (because it made it easier ) Then form layers of green/brown material and cover so as to regulate water addition. This made good compost in only weeks ( and raised broods of grass snakes elsewhere mentioned--eek !)

 

I have a Blackwall Bin, kitchen waste, cardboard and paper go in along
with grass cuttings, I might give it stir, not often though.
I can use it straight from the bin or sift it for small seeds, mixed with
Coir and Perlite.

 

Good info here. Sounds promising @DaveMK.

I must/need to improve my composting this year. I put kitchen scraps, a bit of grass, torn cardboard and leafy but not weedy garden stuff. It takes a while, but the compost is pretty good. What I need to do this year is compost more garden waste rather than putting it in council bin, as that only goes every 3 weeks. I think I will have to be quite organised and make an effort to cut or shred more of the woody prunings and glossier leaves. I have two big darlek bins and a rough compost pile (woody bits, glossy leaves, other leaves, apples).

Q. Are the compost bins better in the sun? Mine are hidden away so very shaded. I wondered if the sun’s heat would speed up decomposition.

 

I think sunshine does help @AuntyRach Our bins here get a good amount of sun and they do seem quicker than when we had them in shade in a previous garden. We have the black darlek type and they get very warm to the touch after a sunny day

 

Sounds good to me. I put cardboard (both boxes and envelopes) in mine as well as shredded paper, particularly in the spring/early summer when there's a lot of greens (grass clippings) and not much browns coming from the garden, and in the winter when most of what's going in is fruit & veg peelings etc from the kitchen.

 

Compost bins do better in full sunshine as you should aim to keep them as warm as possible to help the red worms multiply. They seem to arrive as if by magic, then eat their way through the compost materials and yes, it does help to layer browns (including cardboard/paper) and green stuff. If the heap gets too wet, add more brown stuff, if too dry then add green stuff. Our compost rots down and is usable in about a year.

Leaves are best kept in a separate leaf bin as the decomposition process is different.

If your bin has to be in a shady area, then I found covering it with bubblewrap or an old blanket helps to keep it warmer.

I keep two bins under the kitchen sink, one for vegetable waste/used tissues/ktichen paper/torn upp egg boxes, eggshells etc for our compost bins and the Council collected food waste bin for bones/dairy/citrus fruit.

Hope this helps, good luck with your composting.

 

We put all of our kitchen scraps on the compost except for bones ( which we rarely have anyway). It’s rare there’s anything other than veg/fruit and teabags. But I must admit don’t worry about the odd bit of fish skin or bread crust, we don’t have enough to attract vermin.

I also put any citrus peelings/waste in. There seems to be conflicting advice and in our experience it doesn’t seem to do any harm. The only time was have a significant amount is if I’ve been making marmalade or an orange cake, then I still throw it all in but give it a good stir so it’s not all in one layer.

 

I've always put citrus peel in the compost, and I have a steady supply of it because I eat grapefruit and orange more-or-less every day (I make marmalade with the peel in it so the only waste is the bag of pips, extra pithy bits etc after it's been "cooked" with the peel to get the pectin out)

 

The teabags I use are supposed to be compostable but they don't rot away in my compost bins so I empty the tea out and chuck the bags in the general waste where they'll get sorted at the waste processing facility. Same with the so-called compostable plastic wrappings that magazines etc come in.

My compost corner is on the north side of the garage so the bins aren't in full sun, although they do get late afternoon/evening sun in the summer. It works fine.

 

Sorry not to get back sooner, but I've spent what free time I had making a start with new compost bin, having been sidelined physically since last Autumn. I've read and re-read the helpful comments - thanks to everyone.

I have no choice as to site for my bin(s). it has to go at the back of the house, behind the garage in total shade. I now recognise that's a pity but nothing I can do. I will think about bubble-wrapping it for the colder months; no-one's mentioned ventilation , though I saw in Friday's post on a similar subject that there is a bin pictured with ventilation slits built-in.

I've sited it on earth as I left it in the autumn. I thought I'd read it on here, but maybe on another post to put down sticks as the base, so rightly or wrongly I did that, before starting the mix with the mostly rotted, but still wettish compost from last autumn. If the sticks hamper shovelling out the finished compost I'll learn for next time. ! There were still a few things I wasn't sure of, but above this I put some of the broken-down cardboard, then layers of kitchen peelings and plant clippings alternating with cardboard. I've put two full plastic boxes (those stackable storage boxes) in so far, and including egg boxes, another three left, before I break any more down. It's a difficult guess till I see it work, but as you can imagine the cardboard is really bulky but very light, so I know if it rots down, and blends, I'll get to see how much cardboard should constitute a layer.

I don't know how important it is, but I'm always a little confused, particularly with a plastic bin as opposed to an open construction, to reconcile building layers of green and "brown" waste with the advice/instruction to turn the pile periodically. I've certainly not "turned" very often last year, and layering has been accidental, but perhaps someone can explain if and how you can do both.

I have about 40 litres of partially rotted leaf mould, which have been in perforated bags now for over a year; I know I could use as mulch somewhere, but what would be advice about simply adding it to my compost bin? Similarly I've been building up bags of leaves from last autumn, which I can now break down under my lawn mower now that it's had a good and much-needed service. I understand about the slower rates of decomposition, but the mower helped even before I've had the blades sharpened, and it would be easier if I could add to the browns. I got an even better result with my leaf blower/mulcher, until after a few years the motor packed up. Maybe I could add some grass cuttings then eventually, as all my lawn grass cuttings have gone into the green council waste bin for years now, owing to the imbalance of "greens". Incidentally we're quite lucky when I hear how other councils charge for & restrict bin collection. I know we'll pay for it in tax, but all collections are weekly, all year, with a large enough bin to take the uncompostable kitchen waste, along with any uncompostible garden waste.

I've always tried to achieve a compost which is just lovely crumbly brown stuff, and whenever I've put into my bin clippings of particularly Astilbes and Sedum Autumn Joy, which I have lots of, they haven't rotted down, but I have these clippings from autumn, chopped up as much as I can, and other "brackeny" bits. As I keep reading about putting "woody" stuff in, and compost not having to be simply soil consistency, to help the balance I'd like to give this another go? I trim back my Aubretia every year after flowering, as it seeds itself everywhere, and enough is enough. To a lesser extent creeping Phlox after it's flowered, as it gets unsightly. The former doesn't seem to rot down well at all? Each come back in Spring without fail. Does anyone compost the latter or similar perennial? I'd stress, this is a minor issue. I don't compost any conifer clippings or branches. I've never put weeds into my compost. I love weeding, and my old father-in-law who lived for his garden, showing his dahlias and chrysanthemums, said decades ago that I was too fussy, but I'm just not happy identifying annuals from perennials, and have enough problems with seeds blowing in from the golf course.

We've had hardly any annuals for a year or two only some geraniums which we've treated as annuals, so the finished bin by last autumn was quite low in height, so hardly worth using the Plantgro compost maker which my wife brought in one day - a liquid one which you put into the centre of the pile/bin. Assuming it's still viable, should I use it as soon as I've finished the 1st stage of filling the bin, or hang on for warmer weather?

Finally, at least I do get lots of worms, climbing the walls,so something's working; I put them safely in the garden. Plenty large slugs too, climbing up the sides, but not the leopard slugs some people get; don't get many in the garden fortunately; I tend to take these out and put them in the green bin. I'd thought it was the heat, as with the worms, but reading elsewhere it makes sense that it will be the wetness rather than heat. Thanks again everyone.

 

We don’t worry about creating layers. Kitchen and garden waste goes in when it’s created and the paper is added every so often, again usually when we have some ready to go in. All our garden waste goes in with the exception of woody material. I do put weeds in but am happy to accept that that means my compost may have weed seeds in it. If I was worried about weeds, I’d put the leaves in but not the flower heads. There’s never any evidence of roots in the finished compost so I don’t worry about weed roots going in. We also put all of our grass cuttings in

We regularly put autumn leaves in but shred them with the mower first.

Re the sedum and other perennials, I put most things in unless it’s very dry, hard woody stems such as when I do the Spring tidy up, pruning from shrubs etc. These do seem reluctant to compost down. These I either snap as small as I can and simply leave them on the beds or if larger stems I might throw them at the back of the border to break down naturally (we have quite deep borders and lots of handy shrubs to hide things behind).

I don’t use any compost accelerator so can’t advise except to say that presumably it has a usage guide printed on it.

 

Hi

I have a black darlek bin easily 15 months of filling started to empty today and put in my new raised troughs I got from Harrod horticultural.

I managed to push it over wasn’t that easy but eventually fell over started to dig the compost out and I saw the compost moving , with that a huge rat jumped out and ran towards me lol .. after a couple of high pitched noises from me it diverted slightly and was about 1 foot from my feet

my question, will the compost be ok to use in the raised troughs and yes my hands had a good scrub and used a hand sanitizer I have from covid days ..

Spruce

 

I would be happy to use it @Spruce Once I’d recovered from the shock