UK gardening - First Attempt to Make Compost

Author

First Attempt to Make Compost

Jane

2006-06-26, 1:25 pm

This is my first attempt at making compost. I have a plastic dalek bin and
I've been adding vegetation as and when I have it, over the past 6 weeks.
I've added things in layers so as not to add too much of one thing at once,
and I've poked it a few times to stir it around a bit. I know it'll
probably take a year before it's ready to use, but at the moment nothing
seems to be actually happening. Should the heap be hot or warm to the touch
or is it normal for it to be cold? Is there anything else I should be
doing, or is it just a matter of time and patience?

Thanks.

2006-06-26, 5:25 pm

Jane <jane@hereandthere.co.uk> writes
>This is my first attempt at making compost. I have a plastic dalek bin and
>I've been adding vegetation as and when I have it, over the past 6 weeks.
>I've added things in layers so as not to add too much of one thing at once,
>and I've poked it a few times to stir it around a bit. I know it'll
>probably take a year before it's ready to use, but at the moment nothing
>seems to be actually happening. Should the heap be hot or warm to the touch
>or is it normal for it to be cold? Is there anything else I should be
>doing, or is it just a matter of time and patience?
>
You can either compost hot (bacteria) or cold (worms and fungi). Hot is
quicker but more difficult to achieve - easier in a big heap and very
difficult in something as small as a dalek. So from your point of view,
cold is OK. Stop worrying about it and leave it alone for 6 months (or a
year if your patience will stand it). By that time the bottom should
have rotted, but you will always have a layer on top of unrotted stuff,
so looking in at the top you will always feel not much has happened.

The only other thing to worry about is keeping the compost moist enough
- if you have woodlice or ants in it, is too dry. Add water from any
source and recycled beer, wine or whatever is your preferred tipple.
--
Kay

BoyPete

2006-06-26, 5:25 pm

K wrote:
> Jane <jane@hereandthere.co.uk> writes

snipped

.. Add water from any source and recycled beer, wine or whatever is your
preferred
> tipple.

Oh, how nicely put K ;)
--
ßôyþëtë

Nick Maclaren

2006-06-26, 5:25 pm

In article <ocOtnkIrWCoEFwON@scarboro.demon.co.uk>,
<k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> writes:
|>
|> The only other thing to worry about is keeping the compost moist enough
|> - if you have woodlice or ants in it, is too dry. Add water from any
|> source and recycled beer, wine or whatever is your preferred tipple.

Not quite - you must also avoid it becoming waterlogged, or else it
will turn into silage and smell. The solution to that is to add some
dry material (even shredded paper) or simply let it dry out, and then
loosen it to let the air in.

In any case, you can be completely laid back when making compost,
except when adding the recycled beer, of course.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Sue

2006-06-26, 8:25 pm

"Jane" <jane@hereandthere.co.uk> wrote
> This is my first attempt at making compost. I have a plastic dalek
> bin and I've been adding vegetation as and when I have it, over the
> past 6 weeks. I've added things in layers so as not to add too much of
> one thing at once, and I've poked it a few times to stir it around a
> bit. I know it'll probably take a year before it's ready to use, but
> at the moment nothing seems to be actually happening. Should the heap
> be hot or warm to the touch or is it normal for it to be cold? Is
> there anything else I should be doing, or is it just a matter of time
> and patience?

It is time and patience really, but if you want to hasten things along
and are feeling energetic, it can help to give the contents a more
thorough mixing every now and then which will aerate the material each
time. With a dalek bin you can lift it right off, throw the contents to
one side with a garden fork and mix well - avoiding the robin which will
dart in to steal worms - replace the bin and throw the material all back
in again. You also get the bonus of an aerobic work-out too!

Stick with it - it's very satisfying using your very first batch of
rich, crumbly, home-made compost.

--
Sue

|||newspam|||@nezumi.demon.co.uk

2006-06-29, 9:25 am

Nick Maclaren wrote:
> In article <ocOtnkIrWCoEFwON@scarboro.demon.co.uk>,
> <k@scarboro.demon.co.uk> writes:
> |>
> |> The only other thing to worry about is keeping the compost moist enough
> |> - if you have woodlice or ants in it, is too dry. Add water from any
> |> source and recycled beer, wine or whatever is your preferred tipple.
>
> Not quite - you must also avoid it becoming waterlogged, or else it
> will turn into silage and smell. The solution to that is to add some
> dry material (even shredded paper) or simply let it dry out, and then
> loosen it to let the air in.
>
> In any case, you can be completely laid back when making compost,
> except when adding the recycled beer, of course.

The first time around and with small amounts it may help to add a
starter culture like the proprietory Garotta stuff to initiate faster
composting in a new sterile plastic dalek. You can cut it with cheaper
ammonium sulphate if recycled beer is not to your taste.

Too dry or too wet will both halt composting (the latter being smelly).
Goldilocks has a point.

Regards,
Martin Brown

rachel

2006-06-29, 9:25 am

Normally the heap should be warm within but I doubt you could tell by
touching the outside of the bin, I believe there are thermometers you
can buy.

Anyway, I too feel the pile should be moist but not wet. I add a
little soil occasionally in between the layers to buffer the moisture.
6 weeks should be enough time to see the height of the pile reducing as
it rots down but not long enough to produce any compost. Takes a year
normally for me; not too much woody bits as they are harder to compost
if you have a small bin.

I sometimes sprinkle on some compost maker but I doubt it makes any
difference over a year. I have three bins so I can rotate, good if you
have the space for them.

Kind regards, Rachel

--
rachel

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