What are the benefits of composting?

I was interested in composting but then I found out that a normal composter takes years to produce enything - rotary ones are much faster but very expensive (>£100 would buy a lot of compost!)

They also take up quite a bit of room (particularly the rotary ones), some - people are not producing good compost and it is difficult to get right and finally it may help spread weeds!

So what are the benefits - should a busy beginner gardener get composting? Do you do it to save a few quid on compost or do you end up with so much stuff you can improve all of the soil in your garden?

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Good question.

I compost because a) it produces a very useful soil conditioner in about 6+ months, b) I don't want my green waste going to produce methane in some landfill, c) my composter acts as a dustbin for all those odd weeds and nipped out shoots that you gather as a refllex action when walking round your garden and d) it takes a fair bit of brown waste in the form of unprinted cardboard.

My only concern about composting is that it may make your garden a "closed system" which could lead to the build up of diseases. Of course, you don't compost visibly diseased plants but what about the ones with incipient disease?

And I suppose if you compost peelings from shop bought fruit and veg, you might get a build up of agricultural chemicals? Dunno - hopefully they would break down in the process.

Go on, get a composter. You know you want to really!

 

Yes it does take time, and I will point out here that I have only been composting for around 4 years so still a relative noobie at it.

BUT..

Your own compost is far better than any shop bought general purpose compost and I noticed a difference in growing rates between the two, the home made variety is far superior giving me nearly twice the growth that shop bought did. You also have the feel good factor of not sending much to the landfill. I dont however compost weeds, I send those away in the green bin for the councill's hot heaps to deal with.

I have just started a hot heap for the first time to see how quickly that can be done and if I can do it at all.

I have in the past collected a large heap from quite small gardens with household waste and cold composted over the winter, this was ready the following July and used as a mulch over all the garden, saving on watering, is then taken into the soil to improve it ready for the following year, and the next heap started..so a continual cycle exists.

Try it out, but give it a couple of years to get things as you want them and you'll be producing your own compost on a regular basis.

Steve...