[Madame Cholet]

any tips for composting I should have some grass from the orchard in the summer  and comfrey but now the plot is new and empty. might use some to surpress weeds while i'm digging.

[Yorkie]

You need to do layers to get decent compost.  Too much grass in one go and it'll go slimy.  Too much cardboard and it'll be too dry.

You can put in any uncooked veg waste from the kitchen.  Any green  stuff from the garden.  Shredded newspaper. 

No dairy.  No meat products. 

Cardboard as weed suppressant is a good idea at this time of year.  The compost will only sit there doing very little during the cold months of the year anyway.

[solway cropper]

I use a no dig system and use cardboard as a weed supressant by laying it on bare patches of earth as they come available and then covering with compost.

No dairy.  No meat products

.  

Not on an open heap as it can attract vermin but there are closed composting systems in which you can use it and I regularly do.




Edit to clarify quote

[Madame Cholet]

 i have  compost heap at home peelings weeds ect

enlighten me being vegge

meat waste=bones and fat

what would be dairy waste rind on cheese anything else? [feed to the birds]

'I've marked out my 4' beds dug the twitch from 3 planted onions and artichokes would I cover the empty beds now or wait until I've weeded them?

thanks

[Yorkie]

Dairy is anything milk based.  Cheese is the most obvious, yes.

Do not put anything cooked on the (open) compost heap either.

You really don't want rats ...

[rowlandwells]

i  bought  a couple of recycling bins of the local council i filled both bins with veg waste and cardboard i put my bins on slabs leaving the joints open putting  some small mesh on the bottom of the bin and set the bin in cement on the outside rim in effect sealing the bin

all has rotted down cardboard and all and looks like good compost to use  next season

i was so pleased with the recycling bins i bought 2 more and set them up the same way i found that cardboard seamed to help the breaking down process

[thestens]

Guidance please the shredded newspaper it OK to put the occasional layer in an open compost heap? Do you have to shred the cardboard? I have put down cardboard on some of the paths between beds how long does that take to rot down?

[Yorkie]

Yes I put shredded paper in my compost bins in layers.

I would rip the cardboard up into smaller pieces, don't think it will go through a paper shredder!

Cardboard paths I would expect to be rotting down within the year.

[Madame Cholet]

thanks for all your advice

 just building composters from pallets.

I don't really have cooked waste it gets eaten.

[TerryB]

Line the sides of the pallets with cardboard and it will keep the heat in during winter. Also a coulpe of layers on the top for the same reason.

[bigben]

Guidance please the shredded newspaper it OK to put the occasional layer in an open compost heap? Do you have to shred the cardboard? I have put down cardboard on some of the paths between beds how long does that take to rot down?

You could simply lay out some cardboard in rough strips and run the mower over it when you cut the grass. Obviously this only works if your mower collects stuff otherwise you will get bits of shredded cardboard all over your lawn.

[Madame Cholet]

no lawn or mower