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  • New compost Bin and other questions - HELP

    Hello all

    I am back and enjoying some very cold weather indeed.

    Due to some nice welsh wind I have had to dismantle my greenhouse for tis own safety so I will be re erecting that soon but I had my new compost bin delivered today so Boris the Bin now has a home and Ive sat him on a gravel patch near the house - in a half shade/half sun position and have made sure that worms are able to get inside - its next to a nice big plant bush thing - no idea what so I know there is soil around and access.

    My only question is that because I have never ha a compost bin - what do I put in it? Whats good and not so good?

    Also I have a son and a bf and have heard that they will be able to help the compost heap along - although not sure if ill be able to convince my boyfriend to pee in a jug but my seven year old may be a different story.

    Also how long before Id have useable compost?

    Any help appreciated.

    Second question is - when seed packs say plant indoors/ plant outdoors.....can I take the plant 'indoors' as potting up and putting in my greenhouse or does it mean inside my nice warm house - as I have a few things that need to be started soon according to the packs and would like to make a start on my greenhouse planting.

    many thanks
    R.I.P Marco 'Super SIC' Simoncelli. Forever our champion x x x

  • #2
    Here's a good link on how and what to compost :-

    How to make compost - full instructions
    Location....East Midlands.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Welshmummy View Post
      Also how long before Id have useable compost?
      That depends on lots of things, which are probably mentioned in Bren's link.

      Site it in full sun if possible, heat speeds things up considerably, as does nitrogen (pee, comfrey, nettles etc)
      All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Welshmummy View Post
        when seed packs say plant indoors/ plant outdoors.....can I [put] in my greenhouse or does it mean inside my nice warm house -
        Not enough light in a house, usually. You might get away with a south-facing windowsill though.

        GH might still be too cold though: it depends what seeds we're talking about ...?
        All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

        Comment


        • #5
          if you sit it on a gravel patch, your first lot of compost will have gravel in it, good if you have clay soil, not so good if you hve stony soil, and not so good if you want the area to stay gravelled.
          full sun is better, lots of nitrogen will speed the process along, it will take longer in winter than in summer, turning it frequently [once a week] will make it become compost quicker.
          Put anything in it except for oil/fat of any kind, cooked meat/bones [ they attract rats etc and dont compost as quickly]
          If it's smelly, it's too wet or not aerated enough, if it's too dry it won't compost, if you have ants in there it's too dry and you aren't turning it enough.
          Put in equal measure of browns and greens, inlcuding eggshells, blighted foliage/stems, practically anything organic that wasn't meat or fish or oil/fat.
          You can compost faeces but people are sqeamish about doing that, whether its humnan/dog/cat stuff, there are ways of dealing with those too.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by taff View Post
            Put anything in it except for oil/fat of any kind, cooked meat/bones [ they attract rats etc and dont compost as quickly
            I do. Not had any rats nor foxes to date, but if in doubt leave them out

            Originally posted by taff View Post
            You can compost faeces ... humnan/dog/cat stuff
            Indeed Check out the humanure thread if you're curious
            All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

            Comment


            • #7
              hello and welcome to the forum...

              compost bin - and what it should contain.

              fill with the following and try to mix equal amounts of mix.. not to wet..if it smells bad add more paper cardboard.

              vegetable peelings, egg shells, little amounts of shredded paper /cardboard, grass cuttings,fruit cores apples pears etc, bannana peals, uncooked vegetable waste, rabbit droppings, tea bags, any vegetation waste from your garden / allotment..coffee grinds.. also wee......

              do not fill with the following...

              do not use cooked foods, animal waste dog poo/ cat poo are a big no no, meat, perenial weeds, cabbage roots not to spread club root.. also bad infected vegetables eg onion rot etc..

              the term for use for the compost is usually once season a year.. but rots down quicker it heats up..

              always read the seed packaging someone in a magazine will always print plant out now but they dont know we are going to have snow and frosts in febuary..


              also see local council web site you can have the plastic darlek compost bins at a reduced price....
              you may have to collect...
              Last edited by allotment grower; 05-02-2012, 09:22 PM.
              do a little every day...
              keep it organic and taste and see the difference..

              http://allotmentveggrower.blogspot.com/

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by allotment grower View Post
                do not fill with the following...

                do not use cooked foods, animal waste dog poo/ cat poo are a big no no, meat, perenial weeds, cabbage roots not to spread club root.. also bad infected vegetables eg onion rot etc...
                .. until you are a more confident composter.

                Those ingredients can be composted, if you do it properly. You don't need big industrial heaps the size of warehouses either. This is a thorough examination of composting, not just the obvious. Chap.2 and Chap.7 give good info on thorough, complete composting processes that kill pathogens
                Last edited by Two_Sheds; 06-02-2012, 10:18 AM.
                All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post
                  .. until you are a more confident composter.

                  Those ingredients can be composted, if you do it properly. You don't need big industrial heaps the size of warehouses either. This is a thorough examination of composting, not just the obvious. Chap.2 and Chap.7 give good info on thorough, complete composting processes that kill pathogens
                  The plastic darlek compost bins THAT MOST PEOPLE USE or the open wooden pallet types dont usually get hot enough to kill off pathogens and fully compost animal waste.. you can compost them in metal drum composters but most people dont invest in that type of composter...
                  do a little every day...
                  keep it organic and taste and see the difference..

                  http://allotmentveggrower.blogspot.com/

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by allotment grower View Post
                    ... dont usually get hot enough to kill off pathogens
                    Most don't, sure, but they could if they're done properly, and anyway it's not just heat that kills the bad bugs.

                    How hot does it have to be? And for how long? We (the general public) don't really know, and to be on the same side we're just told not to compost carnivores' poo.

                    My dalek doesn't have any snow on it: the rest of the garden is covered with snow. Even at zero celsious outside, my composter is warm ~ in summer it steams, and you couldn't put your hand in the middle, it's just too hot.

                    Do read this article, from my earlier link.

                    Pathogens exist on/in their hosts ~ they don't survive (for long) away from their hosts. As an eg. roundworm eggs (dog faeces) can survive in soil for months. Burying the faeces, or leaving it on the soil allows the surviving eggs to reinfect other dogs (and people), but proper composting introduces not only heat (through thermophilic bacterial action) but other organisms that destroy the pathogens.

                    The heap doesn't have to be hot for that many days to kill pathogens ~ depending on how hot it is. You can use a compost thermometer to take daily readings. The book explains better than I can.

                    "it’s relatively simple to deal with [faeces] if you can get a compost heap to heat up to above 40˚C or you can put it somewhere safely out of the way for a good long time ie 2 years" Composting Cat and Dog Poo - Could You?
                    It's usually recommended to only use carnivore compost on ornamentals, not on edibles (but we're happy to put sheep/cow/chicken/horse poo on the edibles), and some people even flush animal poo down the toilet, where it enters what is, in essence, our drinking water.

                    There's a bit more here: Composting Dog Waste | Care2 Healthy Living
                    Last edited by Two_Sheds; 06-02-2012, 07:30 PM.
                    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I've just found the bit I was looking for:

                      "bacteria were grown both in an incubator and separately in compost at 50°C, they died in the compost after only seven days, but lived in the incubator for seventeen days.
                      This indicated that it is more than just temperature that determines the fate of pathogenic bacteria.
                      ...other factors ...affect the viability of ... human pathogens in a compost pile. Those factors require as large and diverse a microbial population as possible, which is best achieved by temperatures below 60°C (140°F).
                      One researcher states that, "Significant reductions in pathogen numbers have been observed in compost piles which have not exceeded 40°C" Humanure Handbook: Chapter 3: Compost Biodiversity

                      Fascinating stuff, and it turns everything we "know" about composting on its head.
                      All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        [QUOTE=Two_Sheds;944295]Most don't, sure, but they could if they're done properly.

                        How hot does it have to be? And for how long? We (the general public) don't really know, and to be on the same side we're just told not to compost carnivores' poo.

                        This forum question was by a female general gardener with young children my advice was to add general compost matters and advice not to include material that could harm them-selves or young children...not to be added as an in depth information on the does and donts.. or pros and cons of composting.. animal waste... etc... thanks for the read on the link...
                        Last edited by allotment grower; 06-02-2012, 07:37 PM.
                        do a little every day...
                        keep it organic and taste and see the difference..

                        http://allotmentveggrower.blogspot.com/

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          [QUOTE=allotment grower;944308]
                          Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post
                          Most don't, sure, but they could if they're done properly.

                          How hot does it have to be? And for how long? We (the general public) don't really know, and to be on the same side we're just told not to compost carnivores' poo.

                          This forum question was by a female general gardener with young children my advice was to add general compost matters and advice not to include material that could harm them-selves or young children...not to be added as an in depth information on the does and donts.. or pros and cons of composting.. animal waste... etc... thanks for the read on the link...
                          Does gender really matter here ?
                          S*d the housework I have a lottie to dig
                          a batch of jam is always an act of creation ..Christine Ferber

                          You can't beat a bit of garden porn

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            not at all.. sorry to genderise this..

                            just read the original post and it says they have young children
                            personally i would not give advise to anyone that could protentially harm themselve or young children..

                            we have two kids our self and when they were young they were always in the garden with their hands in dirt one minitue and the next eating a biscuit ..
                            do a little every day...
                            keep it organic and taste and see the difference..

                            http://allotmentveggrower.blogspot.com/

                            Comment

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