Re using compost

[Richie88]

Hi all
did say when i joined the vine there could be some daft QS
can you re use compost the year after growing if you sive it and add chicken pellets and bag it until next season

[rustylady]

Yes. Maybe not add chicken manure pellets, as these are high in nitrogen. A balanced fertiliser such as Blood, Fish and Bone would probably be better.

Another thing to consider is whether the plants previously grown in the compost were healthy. If they became diseased during the growing season it might be wiser not to re-use the compost.

[Richie88]

Hi rustylady
thanks for that advice up till now plants are doing fine {fingers crossed) still got a full box of blood fish and bone so if things go well will give it a try
just bought a greenhouse this year so its all a learning time for me this year
cheers
richie

[veggiechicken]

I always reuse compost but 2nd year, I use it for plants that aren't too fussy like lettuces, or for topping up spuds in containers.

[Darwin.]

I use compost year after year after year. I just leave it in the beds and add fresher stuff to it. I couldn't afford to be buying all new stuff every year.

[Richie88]

cheers for the advice looks like i will doing as you say veggiechicken but buy new for the tomatoes
darwin this is why i was asking works out expensive buying new every year
thanks again richie

[veggiechicken]

That's what i do Richie. New compost for seed sowing and potting toms and cukes in the GH.

[darcyvuqua]

This is my first year and spent a fortune on compost for improving my soil on the allotment but next year I will be adding all of my home made stuff and only using fresh in the greenhouse, Once I have finished I will add the compost to the compost bin or top dress the beds to keep infection out of the green house!

I know its not an answer to your question I'm just in the same boat as you and just giving you my spin on things

Good luck

[Madasafish]

End of growing year, I empty all compost onto bare earth .. and leave it over winter in a pile.

Spring re-use it for plants that require lots of it eg poatoes in sacks, tomatoes etc.

Add minerals etc as appropriate.

The winter rain and frosts clear out any traces of anything in the old compost.

No problems so far in 20 years..

New compost for seeds and seedlings and hanging baskets...

[Richie88]

thanks for all this info will try all of these tips anything to save on buying bags and bags of compost each year

[Linzy]

I always use old compost in tubs to bulk out and top with new to avoid any weeds

[Farmer_Gyles]

I'm re-using old compost in pots and sacks - I'm going to try and be careful with rotation etc and I need to refresh the old compost too

I'm not sure what the best thing is for refreshing the old compost so would appreciate some advice ....

i grew tomatoes in morrisons buckets last summer, but they all got blight before i got any tomatoes, so were all destroyed ..... i then planted brassicas in the buckets for the winter .... they grew ok, but not very big .... info at the time was that they needed feeding .....

i've used some of this compost in potato sacks now (old compost sacks) .... about 8in in the bottom of the sack, 2 seed potatoes buried in each sack .... i've sprinkled a handful of brown pellet fertiliser (from Aldi) on top ..... i'll be "earthing up" with more compost from these pots as needed .... i also have some "council compost" which is a bit rough (it's very dark, not fully composted, still steaming when we shovel into sacks), some fresh MPC and some BF&B.

what's the best mix to use?

last year i grew spuds in sacks of compost ... i used a mix of fresh MPC, home made compost and council compost .... over the winter, the compost was put in morrisons buckets to grow more brassicas .... this year i want to use the same compost for tubs of carrots, maybe salad crops etc .... what's the best way to revitalise it? (using BF&B / brown fertiliser pellets etc)

[Potstubsdustbins]

I start with a NPK neutral general fertiliser such as BFB or growmore, this year I am trying concentrated farmyard manure with addded calcified seaweed.

For spuds and onions I use plant specific fertilisers.

All the other stuff gets Miraclegrow (high nitrogen) for green growth and/or tomorite (high potash) for fruit growth.

Potty