[Cake Lady]

Well from what i can gather childrens wee is probably going to be lacking compared with the hearty man water, but i have taken a potty down the lottie so know where to empty it now!

Lol, not sure what the neighbours would think it they see me sat on top of the dalek going for a wee!

Our site is very overlooked and in the middle of the allotments as well - so a similar thought occured to me!!

[compostqueen]

I've just read Skiprat's post. Ta for making me laugh so much I spilled my Pimms 

[RobertSongs]

I always leave a little bit of compost in the bottom when i empty my bins..this seems to help as the compost worms, creepy crawlies and bacteria are already there..when you turn it preferably once a month once the weather warms up you want the stuff from the bottom on the top and vice versa...having a pee on it really does help or see if any one is giving away chicken manure mixed with straw that really gets it going especially if you can get some grass clippings in there at the same time it will warm up a treat..(i had sweet pepper seeds germinating in my dalek last week) Lay a piece of wet corrugated cardboard on top of the pile and then put the lid on..I try to fill one up and then start filling another one..it makes life easier when you come to empty it..coffee grounds are also a good addition they are classed as green stuff, ask at the local coffee shop (starbucks have these pre packed in some areas) or they will usually give you some free of charge it but shouldnt they make up much more than about 15% of the heap though..  oh and get a patch of comfrey going its one of the best additions to the heap.Happy Composting..

[WendysLot]

My compost bin is taking ages to fill up as I don't have grass cuttings to add.

Can I add the soiled contents of my guinea pigs cage?  It has a mixture of sawdust and hay?  If so, I could fill it in no time at all!

[RobertSongs]

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/compost_1.php  Have a look at this site The guinea pig bedding can be added..but the wood element to the bedding will take a bit longer to compost than say just hay or hay and newspaper mix..the guinea pigs poo acts as the green waste (nitrogen) and the bedding itself will act as the brown (carbon)..you want a roughly 50 50 mix of both...i always chuck used kitchen towel including the roll in the caddy rather than the bin as this is moisture retentive..basically anything that originates from a plant can be composted at home but some things take longer than others to break down...

[DD.]

if the heap doesnt warm up enough to make them germinate they will pop up every where..

?

[RobertSongs]

I was under the impression that the killing off of seeds in the compost heap was due to them germinating and then dying through lack of light..if I am wrong I stand corrected...i was only speaking from experience of seeing the germinated seeds in my compost bin..

[engineer]

Try to avoid putting seeds into the pile, and also avoid any perrenial weeds, couch grass, dandelion, dock, etc.

[sunshineband]

I was under the impression that the killing off of seeds in the compost heap was due to them germinating and then dying through lack of light..if I am wrong I stand corrected...i was only speaking from experience of seeing the germinated seeds in my compost bin..

I thought it was because the heat generated just killed the seeds  :blink:

[engineer]

Iv'e heard that a garden/allotment compost heap will not reach the required temperature to kill off seeds     So why not just set fire to it and spread the resultant potash

[Yorkie]

My compost bin is taking ages to fill up as I don't have grass cuttings to add.

Can I add the soiled contents of my guinea pigs cage?  It has a mixture of sawdust and hay?  If so, I could fill it in no time at all!

Yes, but as others have said, you need to ensure a good balance of brown and green stuff.  By analogy, you only want to use grass clippings in small amounts as they go slimy otherwise.

[snowdrops]

Iv'e heard that a garden/allotment compost heap will not reach the required temperature to kill off seeds     So why not just set fire to it and spread the resultant potash

The compost materials that you add to the bins are not dry enough to burn,plus there is more benefit to adding the bulk that compost delivers.

[WendysLot]

Great discussion.

Thanks Robert for the link.  I might use newspaper and hay occasionally for my guinea pigs cage and then I can use this on the compost heap.

Wendy

[auntyfifi]

I am also new to this composting lark, and have bought a large plastic square bin, it holds about 600l, We have a large garden, which until we bought our place was just some land around a french barn, that we have now converted. Therefore, there are loads of weeds in our garden, I kept them under control last year on the veg patch, but everywhere else in the garden they are a problem.  I have put the composting bin on the ground on top of a piece are tarpaulin, as I was worried that there would be a problem with weeds growing up through the compost.  Have I done the wrong thing here?  If yes, I can easily remove it, but will I have to remove all the weeds underneath the bin, or will they just die off from no light etc.

Also do I need to actually buy worms from somewhere for my composter or will they come along naturally.

Being a bit of a novice here any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Guys xx

[mumofstig]

I'd cut the weeds to ground level and then put the bin on top of the soil, that way worms can get in  The compost pile, as the bin fills, should stop the weeds from regrowing.