Compost advice please

[ESBkevin]

The only problem with 'new' leaves and shredded paper is that it will blow about (especially in a drying wind) unless it is partly composted or kept down with something else like more compost or farmyard manure or clods of earth etc.. If they are used as lower layers in a lasagne style mulching they are fine. Deciduous tree leaves take many months to break down, packing them in a big chicken wire bin and adding nettles or urine to speed up the decomposition gets the fastest results. Otherwise pack them in a black bin liner and wet them, place the bin liner upside down (open side to the earth) and leave as long as you can (many months or up to two years). Autumn leaves are fantastic material once they break down, gathering last years from a forest floor might be a good start.

My first year on the plot I had to double dig everywhere (well it was just a half plot) to get rid of the bind weed. It was hard graft and tedious. I buried anything green or cardboard or half rotted woodchips, shredded paper or the little bit of compost I had. It broke down in the soil and started the process nicely. If I hadn't had the bindweed problem I would have just mulched heavily.
I hope that arms you with ideas, adapt and overcome as thay say in one branch of the armed forces.

[8875june]

I think I will compost any leaves I collect for next year. I don't really have anything I can use as mulch this year. would covering the beds with black plastic help protect them through the winter. I am going to buy 50 bags of manure but that will only cover 3 of the 11 beds.

[Jay-ell]

Keep an eye out for neighbours with the green waste bins - if your council is like mine they'll have to pay for it. Ask them if it would be OK for you to take it instead to make compost with. That way you can get loads of garden waste to compost and they don't have to pay for the bin. If you don't really know your neighbours it gives you a chance to meet them. Make sure that the stuff is OK though before they cancel their bin and end up dumping a load of sprayed stuff on you. While your at it ask for brown cardboard and newspaper - if you don't as you wont get

You could offer to supply some bags for it - those blue bags from Ikea hold a lot, are tough and only cost 50p

On Tuesday the local gardener dropped another builders bag of prunings off, on Wednesday I was stuffing the contents into the compost bins. I've now got 5 compost bins chocked full. Last week I had 1 3/4 bins full

On Thursday afternoon he dropped off two more builders bags plus a couple of bin bags full. He phoned up to make sure I can use it. He was told to keep it coming. I've only got 1 compost bin left to fill so I better build some bins to fit all this into.

The ones filled up so far were bought or pre-loved so keep an eye on freecycle etc to see if there's anything going free. I've got a couple of lengths of wire mesh I can build bins out of - loads of air getting in there. I've got half a pig pen that I'll drag out later on for next year - can't get it out now as it would have to be dragged through 2 yacon beds, a courgette bed and scrape through the gap between my fire pit and the pumpkin/bean/trombone frame greenhouse. There's also a stray marigold in the way. I might just move the fire pit instead and use that. I wonder if I can convert the duck sheds into compost bins? It might work.

[8875june]

Can I compost my bedding plants, craniums, lobelia etc and printings from lavender and hydrangea. I shall ask some of my neighbours to save me their garden waste.

[ESBkevin]

Yes all your flowers will compost. Try and get them before they seed if you can. Composting gers hot and usually kills seed and other nasties if the bin is big enough, but avoiding the excess seeds just makes sense.

[Jay-ell]

As Kevin said you can compost all of them but try to deadhead them before the seeds develop. Last year I threw the Jersey Kale flowers into the bin and the seeds survived. This year the bed which got that load of compost had loads of Kale seedlings.

[Kirk]

I would just add what you can when you can.
Any cheap compost for the structure and and bargin manure when and if it appears.
Collect lots of fallen leaves and let them compost down, then add.

Never seen the point in a green manure. We deweed a patch of ground then scatter over it a weed seed. Bet you have spent hours digging to remove unwanted grass and now the idea is throw a rye grass blend over it. Never did get the idea.

You can likely get cheap, even free, manure the problem is that it is fresh out of the horse and you need to store it for a year before using it.

[KevinM67]

I hope someone can help.

My better half kindly brought me back some compost from B&Q, as I've had a delivery of a load of bulbs/roots, etc.

Miracle-Gro peat free stuff, and pretty expensive (wouldn't be my choice, but I was really grateful).

The thing is - it's full of insect eggs.

I don't think it's slug eggs as they are not in a gloopy mass, but singular pearl-like balls (that seem to explode when crushed).

I want to pot up the bulbs/roots and keep in the house until it's warm enough outside.

Am I inviting trouble, or should it be OK ?

[veggiechicken]

Are these eggs blue, Kelvin??

'Cos I have blue "eggs" in mine too - its the added fertiliser!! Don't panic.

[KevinM67]

Nah VC - they're a 'pearly-like' colour.

I never thought it could be added fertiliser - but I don't think it is.

If it is spider eggs, then I wouldn't have a problem.

I'm just a bit wary it's something worse.

[nickdub]

Nah VC - they're a 'pearly-like' colour.

I never thought it could be added fertiliser - but I don't think it is.

If it is spider eggs, then I wouldn't have a problem.

I'm just a bit wary it's something worse.

Sounds like snail eggs - if you want to post a photo I expect someone would confirm it.

[KevinM67]

Sounds like snail eggs - if you want to post a photo I expect someone would confirm it.

Cheers Nick - I'm going out the back in a bit and will try to post a decent pic.

Thanks.

[Thelma Sanders]

Yup, fertiliser granules in mine

[Thelma Sanders]

Sounds like snail eggs - if you want to post a photo I expect someone would confirm it.

I think slug & snail eggs stay soft and a bit sticky, rather than hard and crunchy?

[KevinM67]

I think slug & snail eggs stay soft and a bit sticky, rather than hard and crunchy?

I don't think I'll be tasting them to find out.