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Compost on ground?

Leif
Leif Posts: 3,727 Forumite
in Gardening
I asked this question in a thread but it got no answers. Does everyone put their compost bin directly on soil, with an exposed bottom, so to speak? If so, do you have trouble with weeds in the soil growing into the compost?

I recently moved my compost onto a concrete area, as I noticed some approaching bindweed.
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Comments

  • marineville
    marineville Posts: 23 Forumite
    it encourages the migration of worms which is absolutely a good thing, plus i'm sure it helps with moisture regulation which, again, is a good thing for optimising composting. i would've thought that any lack of light onto the plants underneath will kill off any plants that might try to grow in the bin. so much better than trying to compost on concrete... and tidier.
  • tim_n
    tim_n Posts: 1,607 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Exactly as marineville has said.

    I've gone straight onto the ground weeds and all. They started to grow up, but as I've dumped more grass and food waste the heat and excess moisture has done for the weeds. It's not balanced (too much green, not enough brown) but it's getting there.

    If you've got a few spades of your old compost to put in the bottom which has worms and the bacteria, it'll work equally well on concrete, but will make a mess when you turn it :)

    Hope that helps!
    Tim
  • JMurph
    JMurph Posts: 202 Forumite
    I just used a black plastic rubbish bin with a lid, and drilled lots and lots of holes through the bottom and some round the sides, to let air/worms in. It's worked a treat!
  • Greenqueen_2
    Greenqueen_2 Posts: 400 Forumite
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    I did the same (a plastic dustbin) but now that its full its too heavy to lift to turn out!
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 13,193 Forumite
    Homepage Hero First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    Greenqueen wrote: »
    I did the same (a plastic dustbin) but now that its full its too heavy to lift to turn out!

    I just push my Dalek over & go from there
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • Leif
    Leif Posts: 3,727 Forumite
    I checked my second pile, a mix of wood chips, turf and grass, and bindweed had grown through a foot of the pile, to the surface. The roots in the soil are thick. I suspect a 'dalek' is the way to go as the top will prevent the bindweed from photosynthesizing, and it might exhaust itself.
    Warning: This forum may contain nuts.
  • EpsomOldie
    EpsomOldie Posts: 192 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I place some concrete slabs around the edge of my (lidded) bin. From the outside it looks like it's standing on concrete, however there's a clear area of earth in the middle to allow worms in. The concrete edging prevents mice from getting into the nice warm heap, and when it comes to emptying it, it provides a firm edge to stand on.
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