Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: NASH on September 30, 2009, 21:14

Title: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: NASH on September 30, 2009, 21:14
I was thinking i could compost the top of couch but not the root, would i be right ? Are there any others to watch out for, what about nettles ?
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: tode on September 30, 2009, 21:19
In theory, a well-heated heap will kill all seeds and roots, but I've found that it's best to be a bit selective (not having a "perfect" heap).
I burn anything that is obviously seeding, and any roots of nasties like couch, ground elder and bindweed. Then the ashes go on the compost.
Good luck.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: NASH on September 30, 2009, 21:22
Thanks for your help, I am taking a petrol generator I have and a shredder down to chop up the stalks of my Sweetcorn so I am wondering what else to put through it.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: tode on September 30, 2009, 21:25
That's one piece of equipment I could do with  :D

Your heap will certainly heat up better if you can shred all the woody stuff.
I seem to remember that it's not good to put a lot of evergreens like leylandii in, but I can't remember why.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: viettaclark on September 30, 2009, 23:02
Fir is very acidic but if you balance with some lime wouldn't it be ok? I was told not to compost moss but I'm risking it because the chooks scarify the grass and their poo is mixed in with the moss scrachings. I would think the poo would create a high enough temperature to kill off moss spores!
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: Brambles on September 30, 2009, 23:07
I too try to burn roots and seeds of the perenial weeds just in case my compost heap does not get hot enough to destroy them, my ash too goes on the compost.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: NASH on September 30, 2009, 23:26
Not allowed fires on my plot :(
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: tode on September 30, 2009, 23:29
What do you do with all the nasty bits, then ?
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: viettaclark on October 01, 2009, 00:02
Has anyone found that tomato seeds can survive ANYTHING? Even with a steaming compost heap you can be sure there'll be rogue tomato plants springing up after you dig it in!!! :D
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: Trillium on October 01, 2009, 04:16
Best way to handle pernicious roots and seeds such as dandelions, couch, bindweed, etc is to put them in a barrel of water and weighted down to let them liquefy into a very rich fertilizer. Its in one of Bob Flowerdew's books and works a treat although it stinks something awful around the barrel.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: NASH on October 01, 2009, 23:28
What do you do with all the nasty bits, then ?

I put them in my skip in work.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: tode on October 02, 2009, 08:30
If we couldn't have a fire from time to time, we'd be in real trouble.  That's a bit of a bind,
NASH.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: gypsy on October 02, 2009, 11:19
There are too many fires and wood burning stoves on our allotments, sometimes I have to go home as the smoke from stuff with paint on it really hurts my throat and chest. I feel sorry for the people who live near by, if they put their washing out to dry it will smell like a kipperI and they can not have much pleasure sitting in a smoky garden. I bag up any weeds, take them home and bin them. CC
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: grumpydad on October 02, 2009, 17:22
all our non compostables, come home and go for the council recycling, wood gets cut up and used as kindling at home, all the rest goes into builders ton sand bags, which are used as compost bins, 4 stakes in the corners to support them, cut them open when they are full, they were going to be skipped anyway as they are non returnable, so they get 1 extra life

martyn
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: Brambles on October 02, 2009, 23:01
yes viettaclark...  I have had about 10lbs of excellent (unknown make) tomatoes that self seeded and were allowed to fruit, could only have come from my compost or a friendly bird flying overhead.  There were some obviously gardeners delight and some really large ones... all very tasty :D
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: JayG on October 04, 2009, 11:11
I agree with Tode that most domestic compost heaps/bins which are added to bit by bit do not heat up enough to kill weed seeds, and even a hot heap is unlikely to kill tomato (and squash) seeds which would seem to be virtually bomb-proof!

I have 3 daleks and a council green bin:

1) All perennial or nasty roots or very woody waste goes in the council bin for them to compost.

2) 1 dalek is near the kitchen for kitchen veg waste/paper/cardboard - this makes the "cleanest" and also the quickest compost.

3) daleks 2 and 3 live up the garden and I try to put anything that has or may have seeded into one of them, the rest of the stuff in the other. When using the compost I try to make sure the "seedy" stuff is buried (e.g bean trench) to reduce the chance of an unexpected crop of weeds.

OK, not a perfect solution by any means but sometimes you just have to do what you can to help tip the odds a bit more in your favour.
Title: Re: What weeds or weed roots dont you compost ?
Post by: Christine on October 04, 2009, 16:10
The dock and the dandelion roots have been the problem on my plot to date but now that I run an incinerator they are not a problem. Burn and throw on compost heap.

I've given the incinerator it's first run out today - four hours burning rotten timber that has been on site for the last three years and I've not had time to deal with it. When I can get the man with the saw otherwise known as the son-in-law to destruct the remaining planks down to a small size I can incinerate them and that's job done.