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Talk to me about compost

12 replies

solarpoweredbarbarella · 21/06/2008 18:02

I got my compost bin today and in it so far is 1 banana skin and a loo roll middle, it looks a bit daft, what else should I put in, do I need something to start it off?

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Threadwormm · 21/06/2008 18:07

If you get the balance right you shouldn't need any 'starters'. Make sure you have both 'nitrogeny' (leafy) things and 'carbony' (woody/papery) things. (V. roughly speaking)

Turn and mix loads. Big volume needed to get the heat up, so may be add one more banana skin or so.

solarpoweredbarbarella · 21/06/2008 18:15

it looks very silly, I forgot there is also a tea bag.

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FrayedKnot · 21/06/2008 18:17

Eat some more fruit and veg

WelliesAndPyjamas · 21/06/2008 18:52

see if any of your neighbours have guinea pig/rabbit/chicken/whatver bedding that you can put in there, complete with poo

solarpoweredbarbarella · 21/06/2008 19:12

I will have chicken poo soon, hopefully

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WelliesAndPyjamas · 22/06/2008 07:29

perfect! but if you are growing lettuce put some poo aside and put on ground under the leaves - works a treat, believe me!

Tickle · 22/06/2008 07:56

make some soup - a squash is more peelings than flesh

I have been told that you shouldn't compost banana skins or citrus fruits because they take forever to break down. Don't know if this is true. Also, I don't put eggshells in mine, cos we have had rats in the garden - ewww!

Minum · 22/06/2008 08:20

My tardis shaped compost bin is full of a mixture of garden trimmings, veg peeelings, and biodegradable plates/cups from a fete. How do I turn it over, as the bin is 90% full

solarpoweredbarbarella · 22/06/2008 09:14

Mine looks a bit like a tardis, actually dh asked me where the compost bin was and why there was a adlik in the garden.

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IAteRosemaryConleyForBreakfast · 22/06/2008 09:18

We started with a layer of branches and twigs (tree conveniently fell over in garden!) and one cut of the lawn, since then (only a week ago!) we've had at least 3 caddies full of teabags and peelings. Loo rolls, cardboard etc too. It will fill up quick but I recommend an intense effort to get it started, it's good for the soul to see something in there!

Madlentileater · 22/06/2008 13:29

Twill be full before you know it! since getting chickens, we now have 3! I don't bother with turning it, just fill it up and then leave it.

girlywhirly · 23/06/2008 09:37

I compost the following:
fruit and veg peelings, cores, past its' edibility
shredded personal documents and receipts
grass cuttings
paper bags
leaves
teabags
ash from barbeque
prunings/dead headings
cut flowers
windfall fruit
bedding plants at end of summer/basket plants
yellow pages
pet hair
wood or paper based cat litter, only wet, not the faeces.
(urine is an excellent accelerant)

I must have got it right, because there is a massive colony of worms living inside our bin. They just got in by themselves, attracted by the rotting vegetation. When I dig out the stuff from the bottom of the bin, I try to separate the worms by hand and pop them back in the bin before the compost goes on the flowerbeds. (Not at all squeamish, but I do wear thin surgical type latex gloves, as salt from the sweat on your hands irritates the worms skin! The worms are at all stages of life from tiny to enormous, and most have a pale band around them indicating that they're breeding.

I stopped doing eggshells because of attracting rats, too. Now the bin has a base; the holes for drainage are big enough to let worms and other insects in and out, but not rodents in. Our council now collect all types of waste food, cooked or raw, inluding meat and bones, so shells go in there with stuff that takes ages to rot like citrus peel.

Cutting things up into small pieces, or using a garden shredder and layering wet and potentially slimy things like grass with dry shredded paper will speed up the whole process. The end result doesn't have to look like the shop-bought stuff, as long as it is crumbly with no unpleasant smell and no obviously unrotted material it is fine.

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