Old compost

Older_But_Not_Wiser

Hi all, hope you won't mind yet another newbie gardener question.

I have five BIG ceramic garden pots that I filled with compost years and years ago, and just planted and replanted over the years. I've emptied them of plants again but the compost is now full of tiny fibrous roots and I'm sure it can't have any nutrients left in it after all this time. Should I just throw it away and replace with new or could I make any use of it (mulch round my borders perhaps)?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but you'll see from my earlier post on this sub-forum that I really don't have a clue about gardening!:o

Any and all advice gratefully received

jenfa

If we empty pots of compost we either put it on the borders or put in with our garden compost for the worms to do their magic.

pambler

I have very heavy clay soil, so any compost, even old rooty stuff helps to break it up a bit

A._Badger

Never throw away old compost unless you know it is contaminated, or infested with something horrible, like vine weevils. It's a fabulous mulch and a very useful addition to raised beds.

savemoney

I never throw compost away I always reuse it either in compost bin or mixed with new compost adding some fertilizer or liquid feed afterwards.

forgotmyname

I dump it in the compost bin and add teabags, veg offcuts, Shredded paper and just about everything thats not meat or cooked.

By the time that lots mixed up you will have something ready tp start growing again.

Ectophile

I've done most of the things suggested above. Sometimes it gets chucked into the compost bin. Sometimes it gets mixed with fresh compost and fertiliser and re-used. The last lot of compost from the potato tubs was spread over the veg patch to try to break up the horrible clay soil.

suki1964

Ectophile wrote: »

I've done most of the things suggested above. Sometimes it gets chucked into the compost bin. Sometimes it gets mixed with fresh compost and fertiliser and re-used. The last lot of compost from the potato tubs was spread over the veg patch to try to break up the horrible clay soil.

Hmmm

Mother decided to dump the old compost from the hanging baskets over our vegetable patch. I spent five hours weeding out petunias :eek: