[bluelou]

I have a full container of compost, which is made up from kitchen waste, garden waste, horse manure and shredded paper. I have left it for over a year now and it does not look like rotted compost and it has lots of woodlice and snugs in it. What should i do with it?

[8doubles]

Put it in a hole or large container and plant runner beans, squash ,courgette or marrow on top.

If it`s really sluggy keep it away from salad crops.

[JohnB47]

Speaking as someone who's yet to start composting (but has read a bit about it) I would say that your 'heap' was too damp, was not a good mixture of ingredients and was not turned over occasionally to aerate it.

All I can suggest is that you start a new heap and occasionaly add a bit from your old heap to it. Have a look at this section for info:

http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden/Composting_Compost/index.php

You can also Google.

I'm sure I'll find it just as tricky when I get started - there's a bit of skill involved I think.

P.S is a snug a nice warm slug? 

[bigben]

Next time you cut the grass, layer up a fresh heap by alternating your old stuff with fresh grass (and chicken poo pellets if your feeling flush). This should kick start the composting process again and improve things.

What are you composting in? My experience has been that my pallet bin on the allotment is very slow compared to the 3 plastic bins I have in my garden. Partly this is because I tend to put big stuff in the pallet bin but a lot of the stuff in the plastic bins has been thru the lawnmower.

As has been suggested you could use some of it in a bean trench if your growing beans this year.

[woodburner]

I've just spread my first really successful compost heap. It was a mix of horse and chicken manure with straw, grass clippings, cardboard and weeds. It wasn't ready last year, so I turned it into a second heap, breaking up lumps and mixing it thoroughly as I went. IIRC it was generally a bit dry, so I watered it a couple of times, fairly soon after, but just left it after that. I put its being slow down to the fact that it was in a dry and shady location, under trees.
I've just turned my second heap, and this time it's a bit on the wet side, (not surprising after last winter!) so I'm just going to leave it, and hope another year will do the same magic as last time.

Yours has got woodlice which suggests that it is on the woody side for ingredients, and also cool, so it might help to mix it with grass clippings or other soft greenstuff, to help get it going again.