What to do with used compost?

Willow_Warren · « **on:** June 15, 2012, 15:18 »

Hello,

I have grown quite a bit of things in pots.

The question is what should or can I do with compost once I've harvested the crops?

In particular I have the waste compost from:
Winter flowering pansies (not a huge amount of course)

but soon I will have the waste compost from the potatoes which are in 40L bags, and various other quite sizeable containers (spring onion, salad leaves, and some carrots).

Often I haven't had such a large volume to deal with and I have just either thrown it in the bed (the flower beds, not my personal bed, that would be weird!!), or into the council compost bin...

I don't have a compost bin at the moment (I had a dalek bin one but it got left at my previous house, I don't want to invest too much in a new one incase I move again and have to leave it behind).

Advice or opinions gratefully recieved!

Thanks

Hannah

compostqueen · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2012, 15:50 »

The growbags I generally use for growing next years spuds in
Throw it on the garden
Pity you have no compost bin. Why can't you take your bin with you when you move?
Don't put it in the council bin! That's plain wrong

arugula · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2012, 15:50 »

Well I was going to say you can add it to the daleks (its what we often do) but you haven't got one, however I'd be careful with used potato growing medium as you might leave bits behind and you will end up with volunteers for years to come.

Willow_Warren · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2012, 15:58 »

Quote from: compostqueen on June 15, 2012, 15:50

Why can't you take your bin with you when you move?

Well last time it was full and not composted down! Kind of ran out of time & space in a vehicle as well!

Keep looking at cheap places to get... Aldi had 200L ones for �15 but it would have fitted in m car! (full of excuses...)

H

arugula · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2012, 16:02 »

Can't you get a reasonably cheap one from your local council or a local recycling scheme?

savbo · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2012, 16:12 »

I have a couple of old dustbins I put old compost into, and so far this year have used them for growing carrots, keeping fartichokes, dahlias and begonias in dry over the winter, filling dibbed holes for parsnips, filling shallow trenches for growing slow-growing salads in to help differentiate them from weeds...

and for mixing with soil to fill containers...

so I wouldn't put all yours on the compost heap

sav

Kleftiwallah · « **Reply #6 on:** June 15, 2012, 16:26 »

As Norman Stanley Fletcher told warder Makay, dig a tunnel and bury it !

Cheers, Tony.

shokkyy · « **Reply #7 on:** June 15, 2012, 18:28 »

Give it to me

I've got four raised beds that need a few more inches of soil/compost on top.

SG6 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 15, 2012, 18:30 »

You can add it to the garden, I find that it helps the structure of what they call soil in my garden.

Equally keep it and the next year put in in a large tub/pot then add something like a half bag of manure to it and grow some potatos in it. Thats what I have done with 2 50-60cm pots this year. Used last years compost + manure to grow potatos in - thay are doing fine.

Much of the compost purchase is simply a pretty inert medium in which nutrients are added, the nutrients can get washed out or used up. Usally resulting us buying new bags the next time round.

Yorkie · « **Reply #9 on:** June 15, 2012, 20:25 »

I'd advise against using compost from tomato / spud plants one year, in the same pot or place as spuds / tomatoes the following year.

hushda24 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 15, 2012, 22:54 »

Oh dear

I used last years potatoe compost for the base mainly& cover seed pots up with new compost. and earthed up with new compost.

I have still spent 60 quid on compost this year lol

Next year i am using all this years again.

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What to do with used compost?

Willow_Warren

What to do with used compost?

compostqueen

Re: What to do with used compost?

arugula

Re: What to do with used compost?

Willow_Warren

Re: What to do with used compost?

arugula

Re: What to do with used compost?

savbo

Re: What to do with used compost?

Kleftiwallah

Re: What to do with used compost?

shokkyy

Re: What to do with used compost?

SG6

Re: What to do with used compost?

Yorkie

Re: What to do with used compost?

hushda24

Re: What to do with used compost?

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