Compost Discussion Thread (Merged Threads)

teapot2 · 31 July 2007 at 11:55PM

morganb wrote: »

Yes, we were saving meat and wrapping in a newspaper ... and the bin did have a tight-fitting lid ... think we'll give composting a miss until the flies die off ...

NOT a good idea to put meat raw or cooked in the compost bin [if that is what you were doing???]. Flies will lay eggs then maggots appear then more flies.... There are some useful links on composting in the sticky at the beginning of this Forum. Am new to composting myself and have found them very useful as its not always obvious what does and doesn't go in.

Hope your visitors buzz off soon

ampersand · 1 August 2007 at 6:14AM

I've always 'known' never to put any meat-anything, cooked or otherwise, in compost.
I was given a neat square little lidded green bin for kitchen waste at local council's Compost-Conscious day a year or two back. It's perfect - I'm sure your LA will have various initiatives like this.
Also, when you add water to swill around and rinse your container, pour this water on as well. It's important for breakdown that there be some dampness.
Good luck - above all, don't stop now.

absfabs · 1 August 2007 at 9:00AM

As other posters have already suggested, don't put meat into compost.

I have lidded kitchen caddy, but if I don't empty it daily AND

wash it out I get a few fruit flies. Nothing major, though.

Outside compost bin is abuzz with flies this time of year. I think this is normal, but takes some getting used to.:cool:

What works for OH is taking lid of and walking away quickly, after a couple of minutes flies have settled or flown off and he can empty caddy/garden stuff without them buzzing into his face.

Another "quick fix" is covering the compost with a few shovels full of garden soil, stops flies and smells most efficiently, at least until there is another layer of fresh kitchen stuff.

If your lawn needs mowing, a layer of grass works equally well.

elsien · 2 August 2007 at 5:04PM

I've read the other threads about this, but my problem isn't a few ants, its the whole ant neighbourhood moving in and setting up house together in the compost bin.
I've tried aerating it, putting in only garden not kitchen waste, watering, and leaving the top off when it rains, to no avail. It's now getting to the stage where I need to start taking compost out of the hole in the bottom, and I'm having nightmares about lots of homeless ants running up my arms and legs etc (guess who's been watching too many horror films?)
Any way of persuading them that next doors garden is an up and coming neighbourhood, or am I stuck with squatter ants for ever?

alanobrien · 2 August 2007 at 6:08PM

We had some in ours for a while, loads of the little monkeys crawling about all over the place. Seem to have dissapeared recently. I suspect the mixture of warmth, food and safe nesting attracts them. A good hose type soaking may make them move on, failing that liberal use of ant powder but not sure what that would do to the compost unless its bio degradable of course.