Compost bin

polly tunnel · « **on:** July 12, 2007, 10:08 »

Good morning from (at last) sunny Suffolk.
I have a home made open slatted compost 'bin' which I have been using since February this year but it is looking more like a stinging nettle bin at the moment, I would like to get it looking more like other peoples compost bins ie: full of useful stuff! can anyone help with the best way to tackle this as I am unsure what I can and can't use on compost? I have potatoes sprouting in there too. Also it doesn't seem to rot down as quickly as other peoples seem to, or am I just impatient. Please don't tell me to pee on it, that is just not an option.

wellingtons · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2007, 10:45 »

... and put em on the compost bins. That'll help!!

Seriously you can pretty much compost anything, but if you compost perennial weeds you do need to generate quite a bit of heat in the compost to break it down, and give it about a year if not 18 months.

An old bit of carpet on the top might help with the heat and breaking stuff down quicker, and keep the stinging nettles at bay.

I've always got spuds growing out of my compost, but the only way not to get that it not to put any bit of the potato plant, including peel!, on the compost heap!

Don't worry ... a pristine compost heap is usually the sign of someone who hasn't got a big enough plot to tend ...

crowndale · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2007, 13:37 »

I have two (soon to be three) compat piles on the go. The first one seems to be rotted down by is just so wet it looks like mud not compost, it has been covered by carpet and plastic to keep the weather out but not weather proof enough it seems. the second pile is open at the moment and full of general stuff but like polly is also full of spuds! (won't make that mistake again!). am hoping to transfer the first lot of 'compost' to a plastci tub to dry out and then cover bin two and start a new load in bin 1 again. But if all I produce is the muck I currently have I do wonder if the effort is worth it?!

Oscar Too · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2007, 14:31 »

It's also worth hacking anything up that you put in there. If you have a garden shredder, great. If not, just get in with your spade and chop things up madly (mind your toes!). This helps speed up the composting process and reduces the likelihood of things growing.

And peeing really works.

yewtreemob · « **Reply #4 on:** July 12, 2007, 14:31 »

polly it took me years to get the hang of compost making and it still catches me out every year at some point because what worked in dry old 2006 wont work in 2007.

First rule is to turn the compost every month (ok promise yourself every month but do it every 8 -10 weeks). Normally when turning I add a green layer - grass cuttings every 8" to restart the heating process. If you've got nettles (or anything) growing in the heap then you havent been turning it and it aint hot enough. I say NORMALLY add green layer but I might not this month cos my heaps look very wet so I will probably judge that they need dry stuff (straw or similar) every 8" when I turn them to dry them out. That much water content will heat up anyway (in my experience) when I dry it out and I add only a very small amount of grass clippings.

Hope that helps

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Compost bin

polly tunnel

Compost bin

wellingtons

Pull up the stinging nettles and spuds ...

crowndale

Compost bin

Oscar Too

Compost bin

yewtreemob

Compost bin

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