[barney rubble]

I'm growing most things in containers outside. i was going to recycle all the shop bought compost from the containers once the plants have cropped and was planning to put like with like  (brassicas with brassica compost etc.) in big heaps mix in some fertilizer and recycle for next year's crops (yes I'm well and truely hooked and next year is a certainty for the veg ).

Is this what everybody else does - or is this a no no?

Can you get enough nutrients back into the compost by doing this, or does anybody advise differently?

Thanks

[GillyHen]

I did that this year - wasn't as particular as keeping crops = crops, but mixed in a load of fish blood and bonemeal as well as some general fertiliser. Everything seems happy so far..!

[goose]

I dont know if its a no-no, but ive done this too.  i emptied last years compost from all my flower pots and mixed some into the soil on my new allotment and some into my compost bins to help with the 'mix' (too many grass clippings ).

the only thing i dont do is use compost from my blighted tomato crops in these areas but dug it into the woodland bit of my garden to get rid of it.


i suppose time will tell

[barney rubble]

Thanks Gilly & Goose. I know its a long time off yet, but guess you've got to start thinking ahead for continuous growing.

Any other replies advice and suggestions gratefully recieved too so please keep posting! thanks

[Oliver]

We put all our spent potting compost (seed trays, grow bags, flower pots - contents and all if they are not diseased or too woody) on the compost heap. Have done for years (nearly 40) - just mix it in and away you go.
Oliver

[Beejay]

I do it every year, so far no problems! It helps the rest of the heap to compost down!
I add fish, bone meal.

Why waste good muck

[Trillium]

A lot of our members do it both ways, either on the compost heap or mixed in with other nutrients and fresh compost, just not as the sole source. It's whatever you're comfortable with. The spent compost or grow bags are still good organic matter even if they're a bit depleted in nutrients.

[Kristen]

I've tended to put spent [potting] compost on the compost heap, but this year I am growing a lot more container veg (well, some veg in large containers!)

I have 6 tubs of spuds, they are very big containers.  The compost from that will be mixed with a decent amount of sharp sand and be used next year for Carrots, and after that probably get another recycle through the tubs and/or be used to pot on larger items - such as trees that I have grown from seed and now need potting into 10L pots.

The beds used for Potato rotation (in the veg patch) are separate from those used for Carrots, so I don't have to worry about compost that has seen both Carrots and Potatoes - it can go on either bed (i.e. at the end of this season any left over compost can either go where Potatoes were this year, or where Carrots were, and it will be 3 years before it sees either again)

[aelf]

Hiya
My spent compost gets mixed with wild comfrey leaves and nettles (got loads growing under my hedge) and put in my worm bins. Watered well and the worms do the rest! Great for general use next year.

Aelf

[Yorkie]

I bung my used pot compost onto the plot (never occurred to me to put it on the compost heap, will try that too).

However, as others have said, multi-purpose compost only contains enough nutrients for about 6 decent weeks, so will have no real useful nutrient value by the end of the season.  Its value is in the fact that it is organic matter, useful for soil structure, but not as a nutrient.

[BJRD]

I'm using compost I saved from last years containers.  Mixed it with some manure and fertilizer, apart from some I kept separate for the carrots.  Every thing seems to be doing OK so far.

Only problem I've got is I have got a few rogue potato plants popping up.

Ben

[SG6]

I read this as have compost in containers, would like to reuse next year will adding "fertiliser" do the job?

In the original I do not see "adding used compost to a compost heap".

Cannot see a reason why not, with thought, I would use an organic fertiliser like horse manure or pelleted chicken poo. Probably chicken as it is easier, comes in buckets.

If you do create heaps will these be in contact with the ground? Only ask as worms do a great job. If the heaps are in contact with the ground add a few fallen leaves in the autumn as worms drag these down.

[barney rubble]

Thanks to all the latest replies - I haven't got a compost heap, so it would be heaps to mix in fertilizer (like contrete mixes used to be before contrete mixers....).
Doesn't mean to say that other garden trimmings won't be added in (but as I don't want to encourage vermin not sure if its a good idea to add kitchen trimmings et al to open piles of the stuff), but the heaps are likely to be on slabs unless some very big tubs became available in the meantime).
Worms do get into all the containers (somehow), so the heaps wouldn't present any probs to them as its free entry, but I was really thinking of adding the muck (where the crop likes and will thrive on it), or as a last resort the boxes of fertilizer from the garden centre.
Any other suggestions gratefully recieved. thanks

[Christine]

Spent compost is useful on clay to improve soil structure. I'm one for using organic chicken manure as fertiliser.  Has worked so far for me.

[sean moore]

the top half from my plots go in the compost . bottom half gets recycled with fresh compost.
regards
sean