[Spr0ut]

Does anyone here use the Lasagne gardening or sheet composting methods and if you do, do you still have a small compost bin or two for when your beds perhaps can't take any more immediate compost materials or is that never a problem.

The reason I ask is I have been bringing in large weekly amounts (about 7 dustbin bags) of hutch scrapings, soiled litter and straw bedding, to six cubic meters of compost bins and turning the compost onto six veg beds; each 1x6 metres. But now the committee feel that is a bit too industrial and have asked me to stop bringing it in as it may be attracting and providing nesting for rats.

I could dispense with the bins altogether and grow 6 x 1m Comfrey to harvest, mow and spread on my 6 beds instead of composting and deal with any spent veggie biomass like spent sweetcorn stalks and finished courgette and squash vines can be bagged, taken home and mowed over to bring back to the beds in a minced form that would be easier to rot down?

Anyone? Any thoughts? 

[Spr0ut]

I guess everyone is a digger here, but thanks for reading.

[mumofstig]

I can't promise an answer, but please give people a chance - it's not instant answers like Gardener's Question time here.

[Goosegirl]

I think it strange that the committee has stopped you from bringing your material to your plot as many people must use straw and similar stuff with no problems, and also wouldn't anyone putting veg peelings etc into their bins potentially have the same problem? If it is composting in your bins and rats could get in, you could put some wire mesh around and/or at the bottom to stop them. I'd have a word with the committee about this; see what others say on here.

[pigguns]

That's huge quantities   

I do both, some weeds/bedding straight on top of heavy clay at home and a bit of fine compost on top, lots of cardboard involved shredded up inbetween and some compost bins for the more chunky stuff. 

The problem with bedding is it often has rabbit/GP food left in it as they are messy little blighters with their food.  Loads of slugs of course so be prepared whatever you plant in that bed. 

[Spr0ut]

The thing is that huge quantity will no longer be coming onto my plot as the committee have ruled against it.

So I am looking at closing down at least three of my six compost bins to free up 3 x 1m ground to grow Comfrey instead. I aim to cut it, take it home and mow over it to bring the mowings back and mulch the beds direct or stuff a Comfrey pipe with it to make Comfrey concentrate - whichever I need the most at the time.

I do the same with stinging nettle beds.

If I ditched all six wooden composters I could free up 6x1 metres to grow Comfrey which would mean about a fifth of my plot (taking into account an existing Comfrey bed) would be for nutrient production to go onto a five year rotation of beds.

[Goosegirl]

As I said before, try going back to the committee with your rat-proof compost bin design. If you have no luck, then have you room at home to make it and bring it to your plot when ready? Other than that, your plan sounds good.

[3759allen]

i would try and find somewhere at home to partially rot it down and bring to the plot as compost. as it rots down very quickly you won't need to leave it for years, mine only takes about 3 months max to get to something that looks like compost.

could you maybe arrange some sort of swap with other plot holders? may be if someone has access to lots of horse manure you could swap bag for bag, or swap fresh rabbit manure for fruit or veg if someones got a glut of something. at least this way everyone may benefit.

for all it's worth i've been using rabbit manure for almost a year now (in similar quantities to you) and i've never had a problem with rats or any other pests really. the worst thing is ants nesting in the heaps and i get a few maggots and then flies in the manure.

[Spr0ut]

A good friend of mine asked me to clear some of his Comfrey, which I was very pleased to do, so I have decided to ditch the rabbit hutch clearings approach, downsize my compost bins from 6 wooden pallet bins to three daleks and use the freed up space to set up a couple of Comfrey cutting beds.

I have no plans to leave the plot for a good few years so I wouldn't be leaving a nightmare for anyone to take over if I left. A veganic no-dig approach.