Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Offwego on May 10, 2015, 17:29

Title: compost problems
Post by: Offwego on May 10, 2015, 17:29

opened up the door on Dalek 1 today to check how its getting on , only to see hundreds of woodlice inside :ohmy: is this good or bad??

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: BigPaddy on May 10, 2015, 17:30

It is normal. Woodlice help break things down.

Paddy

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: Offwego on May 10, 2015, 17:35

cheers paddy, thanks for the advice-panic over

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: compostqueen on May 11, 2015, 09:14

Good, good, good!  They help turn your rotting matter into lovely crumbly compost. Mice do as well so don't be hasty with them. Mice have done a great job in my daleks. They seem to help the process 10 fold, like lightening.  You know when they've been as the compost is finished and is full of small holes like a Swiss cheese.  :)

I gave my compost a good prod the other day with a long, thin metal pole, a good stir  :) 

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: chrissie B on May 12, 2015, 20:24

Just had a look at mine , ive got 2 the one standing is looking realy good ive reduced the grass which has stooped the sludge , i find the best way is to pull it all out and put the bottom to the top , before with the sludge it blocked the drain holes so i put up on bricks and its working for me at last i just carnt wait to get into it .
chrissie b

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: compostqueen on May 12, 2015, 23:27

I do the grass separate in those builders rubble sacks ☺

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: cadalot on May 13, 2015, 06:44

Alternate Layering of green and brown leaves, paper, old woodchips from the paths, spent last year compost from pots with the odd thin coffee grounds layer washed in, and comfrey with the occasional fresh cadalot fluid to assist the process. I found with daleks that they dry out too quick and you need to dampen down on a regular basis.

All kinds of creatures are busy in the daleks, and over winter I poked holes and filled with coffee grounds and they were full of very active and hyper red wigglers 

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: compostqueen on May 13, 2015, 11:54

The kitchen waste compo dalek is always really quite damp cos of the fruit and tea bags etc so rarely, if ever, dries out.  It "cooks" a lot quicker too. Great stuff! I love it as it's weed free. Yay

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: chrissie B on May 13, 2015, 13:45

We tryed putting the grass in a builders bag but it didnt work well  for us so this year got a brown bin from the council to take the bulk leaving us with a reasonable ammount ro deal with .
chrissie b

Title: Re: compost problems
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 13, 2015, 22:38

I have an agreement with the ants that live in my dalek.  Happy to leave them be (chewing away), and then when I want to empty it, I just take the lid off and the rain tells them it's time for a holiday... :)