Homemade compost is so exciting! (MERGED)

arkonite_babe

We have a thread on home made compost already, I'll add this post to it.

A_Star

When I first started my compost bin I put some bindweed in it, or rather my husband put the pile I'd left in the sun into the compost!

Relative to the size of the bin it was a small amount, it had been killed with a ground-friendly weedkiller and they had been left on the patio for about 2-3 weeks before hand.

Is this still going to cause me problems? My garden is inundated with bindweed anyway although I've managed to kill alot of it.

Lotus-eater

A_Star wrote: »

When I first started my compost bin I put some bindweed in it, or rather my husband put the pile I'd left in the sun into the compost!

Relative to the size of the bin it was a small amount, it had been killed with a ground-friendly weedkiller and they had been left on the patio for about 2-3 weeks before hand.

Is this still going to cause me problems? My garden is inundated with bindweed anyway although I've managed to kill alot of it.

You weedkilled and and left it on the patio for 2 weeks? I like your thinking, yes, it should be dead and cause you no problems, and yes bindweed is a master at coming back to life when it by all rights should well be gone.

When you dig it out you will see Tbh when you dig out a bin all the roots are fairly easy to see and remove. I get couch grass growing up into mine and it's not too bad.

rosie-marie

A_Star wrote: »

When I first started my compost bin I put some bindweed in it, or rather my husband put the pile I'd left in the sun into the compost!

Relative to the size of the bin it was a small amount, it had been killed with a ground-friendly weedkiller and they had been left on the patio for about 2-3 weeks before hand.

Is this still going to cause me problems? My garden is inundated with bindweed anyway although I've managed to kill alot of it.

Hi, How did you manage to shift it? I have terrible problem with bindweed no matter how much I pull up it just keeps coming back, its usually a full time job in the summer keeping on top of it. (Sorry for going off topic). I was told never to put it in the compost, best to burn it.

bonsibabe

Hi all

I just got my compost bin last friday from waste aware scotland, got a 330 ltr one for just £8:D although I probably should have bought 2 as we are allowed a max of 2 per household.

I've been reading thru all the posts and have to say that I now have a headache:rotfl: .

I also bought one of those bokashi things with the 2 bins that you can compost all of your cooked waste and meats and dairy. Apparently all you do is put them in the bin provided, sprinkle a handful of the bran stuff on, and layer it till its filled. Then seal the lid and leave for 2 weeks while you fill the second bin thing. It says that after the 2 weeks the contents should be okay to mix into the normal compost bin.

Am i right in thinking this or does it take longer? I look at all the cooked food waste that my kids manage to produce and wonder if we might need another bokashi set as i could probably fill one in a week :eek: .

Sorry if this question has already been asked. I got through 10 pages and could not manage any more - been a while since I was last on here and feeling like a bit of a lightweight. Although am going back on wasteaware to order another compost bin, as I think we will fill one up pretty quickly!

Any suggestions on how to start the bin off would be greatly appreciated as the pack said to put 6 inches of twigs in the bottom, there arent any within our local area and to get some would mean driving to the other side of the city which I don't think hubby would like to do - he's already pulling faces at me suggesting that once a week he pees in a bottle so I can water the compost

Many thanks, am really new to composting (apart from remembering my nan used to have a compost heap at the bottom of her garden) and any advice would be so gratefully appreciated.

xx

Lotus-eater

You should put a layer of dry twiggy (like) material at the bottom of the compost bin. Anything you can get your hands on, it's to allow drainage and I would say quite important.
You have to drive to the other side of the city? Sounds more than a little odd, you don't have any organic material around you then? No old nettle stalks, no old flower stalks, nothing like that?

I don't get bokashi, I know people seem to love them, but using something where you have to buy a constant supply of a material to do something that is supposed to be green........ don't get it.
Surely if you are making so much cooked waste, cook less? Everything else goes in the compost.

A_Star

rosie-marie wrote: »

Hi, How did you manage to shift it? I have terrible problem with bindweed no matter how much I pull up it just keeps coming back, its usually a full time job in the summer keeping on top of it. (Sorry for going off topic). I was told never to put it in the compost, best to burn it.

I used a weed killer, I can't remember which one but it's the type you spray on the leaves. Gave it a good 3-4 doses over a few days then left it for a couple of weeks. Once it was dead it was really easy to pull out.

I don't hold much hope for having permanently got rid of it, there are some little bits growing in my veg plots though I'm removing it as soon as I see it.

bonsibabe

Lotus-Eater. Many thanks for that advice. We are on the outskirts of the city and live right next to the water, where they are hoping to build a new marina in the next couple of years. So not many trees, although there are some bushes and shrubs and possibly a few areas where we could have a looksie for some twiggy like materials. Hubby is off tomorrow to get me some fine chicken wire to put under the compost bin to make sure that nasty rats don't get into my bin (I'd totally freak if they did), its a blooming shame we didnt get the bin 6 weeks ago as my mam and dad cleared out their garden and got rid of about 3 bags of twigs from their trees and bushes. Now their garden looks bare lol.

I have cut down the amount I cook (I used to cook to feed the 5000 my hubby used to say lol) but what annoyed me was the bits I was throwing in the bin like leftover toast crusts or the last dregs of the cereal from the bowl that the kids leave in the morning, or the fact that my fussy so and so hubby cuts the crusts off his bread when making sandwiches for work! They were annoying me so I have bought the bokashi units to see if I can cut down the amount of waste going into the bin on a weekly basis - my bin is full to the brim at the minute and I think that with the recycling and the composting I might just be able to cut that down to half!

Although we are getting a kitten in the next few weeks so that will up the rubbish with the litter trays! But what goes into the bin should still be reduced.

We have just moved into our council house after hubby spending 11 years in the forces so am looking forward to trying to be as green as possible this summer, We have big plans for composting and growing our own veggies. Have even got the kids involved as they are going to make water catchers from empty 2ltr pop bottles (we saw them on a kids programme about being green!), and am advertising on freecycle for a waterbutt and some barrels to grow potatoes in!

Many many thanks for the advice on the twiggy stuff, will definitely be out this week and have a good look on the shoreline to see if we can find anything we can use! x

Lotus-eater

If you have got a garden there must be something in there that will do as twiggy waste! I can't believe you have to go outside the garden unless it is a concrete wasteland.

bonsibabe

Our garden is just builders rubbish covered with a layer of turf:mad: ! It's a pretty built up area but there is a "nature walk" down by the water where we might be able to find some materials suitable for starting the bin off ! Me and the kids are going to take a walk down there tomorrow to see what we can find!

Am I right in thinking that I can put small amounts of cardboard in the bin as well ? I know I can use shredded paper (of which I have a mountain of shredding to be done:rotfl: ) but someone said to me I can put small amounts of cardboard in as well? Hubby is definitely not looking forward to peeing in a bottle once a week but I read that diluted male wee is good for the bin so he now has no choice:D !