[tomato-joy]

Afternoon,

I have just taken over an allotment, and was planning on getting one of those plastic compost bins from the council. However, having talked to the site manager, he has recommended that I don't bother as they are often very dry. He suggestes a wooden bin with some old carpet on the top of it.

All experiences and advice gratefully received.

thanks.

[muntjac]

go with the old hands on the plot vicki , experiance will out .and save you loads money  

[tomato-joy]

thanks, I think you are right. I'm lucky enough to have a small compost heap left over from the last person to use the allotment, which I hope will last a couple of beds at least.

Where do people get their wood ond so on to make raised beds? My allotment is a little neglected and I've noticed that lots of the others are in quite a smart state of repair, and I rather fancied marking out my beds.

[muntjac]

ok well thats a subject all on its own , scrounging in skips etc . firstly i suggest you check out any builders you know who will give you used pallets . as you travel the streets etc look for building works and ask for bits of wood from the waste. a prety smile werks wonders    you can buy it from reclamation yards but i am not into that soem others will offer advice as well in the hope you find what you need  

[milkman]

You'll be amazed at what you can come across wood-wise doing the rounds of bins in business parks and industrial estates on a quiet Sunday morning...

[wellingtons]

... to the allotment sites in my town through contacts with Citilink and other courier companies ... they're only too glad to get rid of them.  Although I noticed today that they are giving them away at the local Squire's garden centre too.

They make cheap easy to use compost bins, I just wired mine together and they've been in place for about 18 months.

[noshed]

I've just marked out my beds with pegs and string. And two paths are made of weed-control membrane. Apart from that I haven't bothered and it looks OK. More fixed beds than raised beds.

[Gwiz]

old pallets, four nailed or wired together...just the job.
ive now got this mental image of muntjac giving a builder type chap a pretty smile when begging pallets, and i cant get it out of my head.
i wonder if he flashes him a "bit o leg" as well?

[muntjac]

get outa here :oops:  but i do get dinner invites .. must be my long hair n boyish looks  

incidently i did get a dinner invite . from a german shepherd who fancied my leg lol

[Eristic]

For making the best compost with the minimum of hastle use the builders giant sandbags. Lot less work than pallets and much lighter to carry. For method have a look at this link:

 Moriati's composting method

[Flower]

"Just wet it,
dear Vicky ,dear Vicky , dear Vicky .
Just wet it"
 You could do no better than to add a bucket of piddle. Keep it covered but not with carpet. Carpets have toxic  substances especially the rubber backed and even the expensive wool types. This builds up in soil and is banned on our allotments.Fibre turns up in soil (and plants) for  years to come.

[tomato-joy]

I've been advised to add a few layers of old compost to get the new one going.

what is your advice on this, oh great sages of the forum?

[Gwiz]

cant hurt to mix a bit in can it?
i put allsorts into my compost heap, old growbag contents included.

[milkman]

not at all necessary papworth, but if you are starting your bin for the very first time and want to make friends with fellow plot holders there's no harm in asking them for a bucket's worth from their bin to mix in with yours (maybe in exchange for some future veg) - make sure it smells nice and sweet though without swarms of flies rising from it!

[shaun]

".Fibre turns up in soil (and plants) for  years to come.

and gets around your tines on your rotavator :evil:

its suprising how much vegitation you need to get a few barrow loads of compost i throw a few shovels of cow muck in mine now and then.