Help Over run with ants

This is the first time I have tried composting.
I started the first pile in a council dome in late August last year.
Although it hasn't produced anything like compost it is fast going somewhere.
I keep adding and it keeps going .:hehe:
It is at the moment 3/4 full
In there.
Weeds
Lots of shredded bushes from last Autumn.
A little grass cutting from last year.
Kitchen waste = tea bags, veg , fruit etc
I also started to add some compost maker about 2 weeks ago.
I also add water.

Today I looked in and it is over run with ants.
Is this a good or bad sign ?
What if anything should I do ?

 

Not sure about the ants Lyn but I don't think you should be adding weeds

 

Can't put the weeding in. :dh:
I put all the weeds in everytime no wonder it's not working . :hehe: :o

 

I think its just that if they are not properly dead when you use the compost they will spread everywhere.

I once had a go at composting and I used it before it was ready. A few weeks later I had some cracking tatty plants growing which I hadn't intentionally planted.

 

The problem with putting weed in your compost bin is that perennial weeds unless your compost heap/bin gets very hot will survive the composting process, which when you put your compost on your beds it will bring with it seeds/sections of nasty weeds, and they could start to grow again.

I would imagine that weeding your beds is hard enough without actually encouraging more weeds! I have in the past had a small bonfire, with the weeds and some harder/thicker bits of cuttings from the garden, and I have mixed the ash in with the compost when I have come to spread on the beds.

I now use the council garden waste recycle bin for my weeds, and their heaps will get hot enough to stop them from growing again!

Hope this Helps!

 

I don't think there will be any danger of that , the time this compost is taking I would of thought the weeds would be long dead.
But I will start to leave them out to die from now on before I add them.
If thats the right thing to do.
Or I'll put them in the brown bin.

You said you once had a go.
Do you still do it.
I'm not sure about doing anymore if this lot doesn't hurry up and produce something it will be a waste of time and then i have to get rid of all the rubbish in the dome.
I'm giving it untill the end of this year and then it's curtains for the composter , i give up. :dh:

 

I've had a bin load on the go now since last summer. When I looked the other day the top stuff was still very much identifiable, but then I did start it a bit late last year and unless it is a large heap, it won't generate enough heat to sustain the bacteria that does the work through winter. I'm going to let it continue indefinitely, purely because its not in the way and I don't fancy moving it while it is still lumpy

 

Lyn, don't give up, I have two bins on the go and find that they take about a year to create a good compost. I fill one up to the top then leave it for about a year then use it, meanwhile I fill the other one up, then leave that etc. etc.

If that makes any sense but I never personally put weeds in.

 

Do you have lots of worms on the bin? if you do then it's working

 

I haven't seen worms, there are loads of crawly thing in there , bugs beetles and ants no way am I going to look for worms.s00k
It did feel hot when i lifted the lid today.

 

Composting is good if done correctly, in order to be done correctly you need a volume that will create enough heat to destroy weeds and most seeds in order to do this you need at least 1cu meter in volume and it needs to be made in one go and not fed in dribs and drabs,the best way to do this is to store it in bags until you have enough stuff to build the heap in one go,once this amount is put together it will rapidly start to decompose and produce heat all that needs to be done is for the heap to be turned occasionally (compost tumblers take the hard work out of this) so the cooler outside has a chance to compost in the middle ,at the temperature achieved worms will not move in until the heap as cooled down.The problem with these modern plastic compost bins they don't achieve the heat and don't therefore break the material down properly and you end up spreading weeds all over your garden they usually end up as a semi wormery and the worms end up doing most of the work.

 

that is very interesting walnut, as I do have thousands of worms and I have a got plastic bins so maybe mine is more of a wormery?!

And I do add to the bin daily but I am getting some decent compost.

Maybe I should try it the way you suggest, also what do you suggest using instead of the plastic bins?

Thanks

 

Idealy you need 3 bins side by side 1mtr cubed this can be achieved by using pallets the best ones are chep pallets(this type of pallet is returnable but i'm sure you could possibly get some second hand ones)they are strong and have just the right spaces between the boards,fasten them together to make 3 open fronted bays,2 wooden runers each side of the bay and slot boards in as you build up the heaps (dismantle a pallet and use these boards)The 3 bins are used in rotation one with usable compost ,one (cooking) and one being filled,or if you only have room for one bin fill it in one go and wait until compost is ready which is once the heap as coolled and the worms have visited.Wormeries make excellent compost and don't rely on heat so you can add to it on a daily basis I think for the majority of gardeners with limited room it is the best way to go.