Compost Question

[gscrym]

How long does it take peelings, old bits of fruit, etc to rot down into compost? Is there anything I need to add to help it on it's way. I put some bought compost in the bottom of the bin and the waste stuff on top.

We gotm some compost out on saturday that ws started last August.

My tips are

Don;t put anything whole in there, cut everything up as small as you can (things like banan/orange/apple/potato peel will rot fairkly quickly anyway)

Wrap up yopur peelings in newspaper before putting them in the compost bin-you get the right mix of brown and green stuff in your bin then, and you don;t get so many fruit flies in your bin.

I send DP to wee in our compost bin after dark sometimes. Rank, yes, but it does wonders for it!!!!!

Be warned though, when you get the compost out of the bin, it will reek.

If you are lucky, you might get some at the end of the summer. There are compost accelerators you can buy. I have never used them, so I don;t know how well they work.

here recent compost thread Although I think we ask more questions than answer LOL!!

worms are good, as are ripped up cardboard and paper.

And, if you can be bothered, turn it! If it's in a static bin, like mine, get a wheelbarrow, fork it out (if you get to some proper compost in the 'dig' hoorah! Spread it around) into the barrow, then back into the bin. It's surprising how well that accelerated production. As Walrus says, don't forget the paper/cardboard stuff- my compost is usually too wet. Oh, and I have a RAT who burrows up from under my shed and helps himself to whatever's new...

do you have to start it off with brought compost?our bin is yet to arrive.

No, you don't. The mix is what's important. You can buy accelerators etc but when it comes down to it, paying attention to what you put in counts. You'll already know about not putting any meat products in (rats!) but beyond that, it's mix it all up. The easiest way is via layers. You may find the vast majority of what you put in is a specific thing such as veg peelings so you have to be aware and tear up some cardboard and chuck that in every so often, for instance. As I mentioned, turning it is a tedious but productive task.

Better still get 2 bins, fill one and leave it alone, then once the second is full, you'll find good compost in the first.

Get on a specific gardening chat site- that can be helpful but be prepared for all out war on the delicate and touchy subject of compost!

Does anyone else have massive slugs in theirs.....Am getting to the point where they seem to be multiplying daily.

We've just used the compost from our bin that's been building up since late in 2005. It was fab and we've used some as a mulch in the garden beds and the rest in the new beds at the allotment. One of my proudest moments, I took photos!! I really must get out more
I'm trying an accelerant at the moment to try to break down some of the foliage from the allotment. I now have 3 compost bins!! the new one is a wooden beehive shape as the garden is tiny and the green one was a little intrusive.
I hate the bags from teabags;they don't seem to break down at all, so I used a riddle to get them out.
Good luck with yours, you'll feel so virtuous.