What to do with used compost?

[PMW]

I have lots of pots now full of used compost and am a bit unsure what to with it all. I have read through some earlier threads and see that many recycle through the compost heap or reuse.

I have just pulled out some tomato plants that started to show signs of disease (blight I think) and wondered about reusing this compost. Would this be ok for a different crop like brassicas or should I just try to dispose of it somewhere?

[Two_Sheds]

Blight won't affect brassicas, only tomatoes or potatoes. I reuse all my old compost by mixing it in with new and with leafmould.

If it's too rooty it goes on the borders or in the compost heap

[PMW]

Thanks for the reassuring advice. I can now mix it up with some fresh compost and worm cast fertiliser and pot up my kale and spinach plants that have been waiting

[pauco]

As the above posts say, reuse!


paul.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I reuse most of my compost but I err on the side of caution when it comes to disease. The above posts are quite correct in what they say but I would worry about what would happen if after I had used it for brassicas it found its way into one of my tattie bins.

The dustbins I use for growing tatties are now filling up nicely with riddled compost. There it will stay lid on until spring when it gets a dose of BFB or growmore to sweeten it up and away we go again.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

Blight can only survive on living plant material (potato and tomato that is). It won't survive on brassicas and won't survive in the soil or in the compost heap - http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/comp.../compost_3.php

[Potstubsdustbins]

Thanks 2Sheds thats good to know. Funnily I have never had a dose of blight, but was thinking more as a generality. Maybe I am a tad over caustious but the way I look at things by the time we have started gardening we don't get that many seasons so I like to remove as many doubts as possible.

Colin

[PMW]

I have only just got into gardening and I understand the caution, but I was hoping for a few more seasons yet!

Thanks for the advice anyway. Can you tell me what the BFB you refer to is?

[Hans Mum]

BFB = Blood Fish & Bonemeal

more info here

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...one_16616.html

[northepaul]

I tend to put it onto my flower beds or in the compost bin, unless I have a specific reason not to (such as blight as mentioned above)

[Two_Sheds]

^ but blight isn't a reason not to. It doesn't survive in the compost heap, because it needs a live host (potato or tomato plant). Even if those plants are in the compost heap and are infected, they aren't alive for very long: when they rot, the blight spores die

[salome2001]

thanks for that link, makes me feel better about the fact that I put blighted tomatoes in the compost bin before hearing that i shouldn't... have to admit I did put subsequent maerial in the council food waste bin, guess neither was the wrong thing

Back to the original post: I used a Easy2Grow and Octogrow self watering kit this year for the tomatoes (outdoor, hence the blight) and the compost at the bottom of the pots was really on the nose.. would this be ok to reuse???

[Two_Sheds]

the compost at the bottom of the pots was really on the nose.. would this be ok to reuse???

on the nose?

[Florence Fennel]

Is it smelly? I'm intrigued.

[salome2001]

yes, smelly!