Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: Christine on September 07, 2008, 09:35
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I haven't caught up with the compost making for the plot and am avoiding manure till the chemical problems clear (http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/257/aminopyralid-herbicide-residue-in-manure-killing-crops/) - years hence I suspect for either making enough compost for the clay plot and being sure that manure is safe.
So I went for a hunt to see if there was a good, cheap supplier of compost to help me out.
I found that the most competitive price was the company that takes in the garden waste for the council and uses commercial equipment to compost it. I've a very good quote delivered that beats any of the garden centres or on-line offers. My family found the phone number when walking Hadrian's Wall but I have no doubt that the council would have provided it.
So it's worth seeing what is on offer locally if you have a council which collects green waste. It may be a good bargain.
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I wouldn't touch my Council's compost with a barge pole. I know what I put in it - all the stuff I wouldn't put on my compost heap. All the mares tail and couch go to the green collection site and they say they turn it into compost in six weeks. Surely that's not long enough to get rid of the nasties.
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Ours reckon it takes them 12 weeks to guarantee it's turned so they are working on timescales I understand. Most of the world around here doesn't know what a compost heap is so it's virtually everything that goes in the bin. Those who run compost heaps don't use their bins.
You don't know what goes into any commercial compost from the garden centre either so it's swings and roundabouts. I've had odd items such as plastic bottle lids and other plastic come out of bags with well known names on them over the years so the stuff from the council can't be any worse and it's certainly cheaper.
I'd rather make my own too but some of us don't have the space or the "stuff" to make enough so have to buy in. It's just a suggestion for if you needs must buy in. In an ideal world manure would not be contaminated and you could make your own compost from known sources. I wish the world was ideal. :(
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Theoretically, any commercial compost, be it council or non, should be OK to use as commercial composting methods are very different to home composting. Commercial composting tends to have closely monitored heaps which means that the optimum composting conditions can be held within the heap pretty much from the word go, therefore the waste gets composted a lot faster than at home.
Naturally, it depends on the way the waste is composted as to how quickly it decomposes - using something like an in-vessel composter will yield compost a lot more quickly than perhaps a static pile.
Composting should kill off all the weeds and things, even japanese knotweed, thanks to the high temperatures within the pile. As for foreign materials in the compost, I can't comment because I've always been lucky enough to have decent compost (*touch wood*!) regardless of the brand.
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Regarding the council compost I tried to get some out of our council's composters. apparently they dont yet match the European regulations and so are unable to supply it yet. they are working to getting approved.
It seems to me that if they have strict rules then they should supply a good product. On the other hand I worry about all the things that go in the bins which have had weed killers and other chemicals on them.
As I say I havent had any. I think I would have some and see what it is like in a test before spreading it everywhere. Others use it, even get it free!
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I've heard good words of our local council place from customers. It's certainly not expensive. At least it won't be using that scare commodity peat and it won't have chemicals added by the manufacturer to make your plants grow better like some do.
There's no simple answer to buying in compost is there?
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Ahh missed the free compost give away!! http://www.sefton.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=8547 (http://www.sefton.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=8547) nevermind will look into this for filling up the raised beds!
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I wouldn't touch my Council's compost with a barge pole. I know what I put in it - all the stuff I wouldn't put on my compost heap. All the mares tail and couch go to the green collection site and they say they turn it into compost in six weeks. Surely that's not long enough to get rid of the nasties.
i know what goes into my brown bin for council compost too.but i have my own gardening business,and il just say in the summer i have too much compostable decent stuff that i cant get rid of,my compost bins and brown bins are overflowing,some just needs shredding a bit but i have to pay to get rid of it,maybe your local gardener may have same problem as me. free compost surely they would be glad to drop it all off .free wood too [twigs ect]
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I'm finding it difficult to make enough compost for both my garden and my allotment - is there anything else I can compost that I've not already thought of - assuming I'm doing all the usual things - what about the less obvious things ?
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Finding it difficult :? Surely not. You can't be trying hard enough. You must do better :!: :lol:
woolly jumpers
hoover bag fluff
cardboard, newspaper, ripped up or crumpled up
I assume all your kitchen coffee grounds and tea bags are going in there, egg shells etc, fruit cores, nana skins.
All your spent garden flowers and summer bedding, grass cuttings,
If you can't make enough then you could get your neighbours and friends collecting for you :D
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my compost bins are overflowing,its addictive .toilet roll tubes[unless im using them to plant seeds] eggshells look on recycle now website dog cat hair human hair there is alsorts,ask friends and family if they can save their veg stuff ect,even if you get them a cheap caddy, teabags dead house plants grow more veggies,keep chickens rabbits or quail . hamster bedding.pester everybody,tell them its their enviromental duty to recycle it all.
:lol:
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I'm desparate for another bin for home and have been trying to get one off Freecycle for yonks but keep getting pipped at the post. Our subsidised ones are now £20 :evil:
Mind you I'm turning some of the cooked stuff from the bottom of the bin this weekend which will free up some more space :D
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I'm desparate for another bin for home and have been trying to get one off Freecycle for yonks but keep getting pipped at the post. Our subsidised ones are now £20 :evil:
Mind you I'm turning some of the cooked stuff from the bottom of the bin this weekend which will free up some more space :D
look on recycle now website ,they subsidise bins with local councils and do them really cheap ours are sumetimes 10 or chop the bottom off a wheelie bin [ha ha ] :twisted:
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yes, as I said, subsidised cost us £20 :( The subsidy level depends on individual councils
The council now runs a green bin scheme and so is now discouraging home composting so has removed the subsidy on the bins, thus we have to pay £20 for a 660 litre bin instead of the £8 we had been paying :(
If I can get one off Freecycle I'll be chuffed :D
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look on recycle now website and see what they are offering type in your postcode and they let you know how much one is with different gov subsidies :) worth a look if nothing else
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yes, as I said, subsidised cost us £20 :( The subsidy level depends on individual councils
The council now runs a green bin scheme and so is now discouraging home composting so has removed the subsidy on the bins, thus we have to pay £20 for a 660 litre bin instead of the £8 we had been paying :(
If I can get one off Freecycle I'll be chuffed :D
Isn't the green bin only for garden waste though? It is in our area. So much more can go into a compost bin. blooming councils :evil:
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Different councils use different colours for bins - our composting bins are brown and our general rubbish bins are green - obviously councils just suit themselves.
I believe that councils give their garden waste collections to commercial companies to process. These companies will then want to sell the result so want everyone to hand in their rubbish. We can't have us individuals going into competition with commercial compost making companies can we? :roll:
Of course the councils will state that home composting encourage rats and vermin. :roll:
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I'm finding it difficult to make enough compost for both my garden and my allotment - is there anything else I can compost that I've not already thought of - assuming I'm doing all the usual things - what about the less obvious things ?
Green manure is the way forward 8) it's a lot lighter than a ton of horse poo and cheapish too. Just dig in a few weeks before you need the ground.
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yes, as I said, subsidised cost us £20 :( The subsidy level depends on individual councils
The council now runs a green bin scheme and so is now discouraging home composting so has removed the subsidy on the bins, thus we have to pay £20 for a 660 litre bin instead of the £8 we had been paying :(
If I can get one off Freecycle I'll be chuffed :D
Yep, for the larger Compost Converter (Con 330) its £20 now, I remember paying £12 a year or so ago, however, I've just looked the price up on recycle now under my dads postcode and its £18. I know its only £2 but I go to see him anyway, and it'll make me feel less guilty about using the car, and it'll fit in the car I hope.
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I'm checking out my niece's postcodes and if their bins are cheaper than mine I'll be paying them all a visit :D
I love the phacelia, so do bees :D Fancy trying the winter tares too
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£12 for the 330l at my mates in London
This is gonna end up being a competition for the best subsidising councils!
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I reckon Surrey was giving em away free at one time. Pity my rellies all live up north. Lincs is even dearer than here so trying Barnsley and parts of Notts. Good game, good game :D
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In North tyneside last month the council were giving them away for free to over 60s, so i filled out a letter 'on behalf of the mother in law' and got one within 2 weeks.
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our oldies got free water butts too :D