Idiot's Guide To Composting Please!

wheels28

Thanks for the initial question and all those who replied, i'm new to gardening so i will also use this info to help me set my compost heap up.

savemoney

I get those thick light blue rubble bags use to get them from Morrisons think they still sell them but got some a little cheap 8 for £1 at Proudfoots a while back

I got some good compost last year I do add worms but as I dont empty the composter fully I dont need to add them as much they certainly help break down the compost. I often add compost with some peat free compost I get from shops for potting on. Or if I add new plants to the garden I digger a bigger hole and add new fresh compost so as to give the plant a good chance of growing.

I rarely throw much away tbh its only when I have a lot of plants to throw away and dalek is full which is usually Sept/Oct thats why I emptied partial at weekend as it was full

I also get compost powder wilkos for around £2 it helps break the compost down, I get a good year out of it

londonsurrey

Sounds brilliant. I wouldn't add slugs - a compost heap can double as a worm breeding ground, a wormery - don't deliberately create a sluggery! Lol.

I put slugs and snails in the park opposite me at dusk - foxes eat them.

Eenymeeny

wheels28 wrote: »

Thanks for the initial question and all those who replied, i'm new to gardening so i will also use this info to help me set my compost heap up.

Thanks Wheels28. I hunted for a no-nonsense guide to composting to no avail. It seemed a bit like alchemy, in the end my head was buzzing! I knew that MSE forums would come through, they are brilliant! (I recommend them to anyone who will listen:o)
Thanks again everyone, maybe others will add their questions now, I know that I'll have more!
I thought that 'slug retreat' didn't seem a very good idea... :) Think that I'll take mine to the park too, when I find them! :rotfl:

flimsier

Oh god - for the last two years I've just been putting it in a big bin, then emptying it once a month in a heap (all food waste and grass and garden cuttings). Occasionally turning with a fork. Intended to use it next year.

My compost is rubbish then.

londonsurrey

"Slug retreat" :rotfl:

Flimsier, your compost sounds very cosseted and nicely varied. Just carry on with your routine, but start a second bin for newer material.

kazschow

Personally, I'd dispatch slugs and snails, they carry lung worm, and are a hazard to canines, even foxes if they're a pest to you don;t deserve that horrible demise

back to composting... can you compost egg shells and pet hair? I have big hairy dogs, and groom out bag loads of hair regulalrly

wallbash

Bob Flowerdew composts woolly jumpers , but us mere mortals have to take things slower.
I compost the rabbit fur ( can't be bothered to sort from the bedding ) but if you have lots , I wouldn't , nor shells . Yes it can be done , but lets make it easy in the beginning.

Sambucus_Nigra

Eenymeeny wrote: »

Thanks Wheels28. I hunted for a no-nonsense guide to composting to no avail.

No nonsense guides:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/growyourown/posters-resources.php

Click on the composting guide - free to download.

or if you prefer book form

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Organic-Book-Compost/dp/1847734375/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314722727&sr=1-3 out next week

londonsurrey

kazschow wrote: »

Personally, I'd dispatch slugs and snails, they carry lung worm, and are a hazard to canines, even foxes if they're a pest to you don;t deserve that horrible demise

Ye gods, I had no idea. I don't wish foxes any harm, and support the local wildlife hospital:
http://www.londonwildcaretrust.co.uk/appeals.html

Other than chucking them in the landfill bin, is there anything useful and ecofriendly I can do with them?