Compost

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Hydromet
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Compost

#1 Post by Hydromet » Wed Nov 04, 2015 8:32 am

As I produce quite a bit of sawdust, I put most of it into the compost, along with grass clippings and vegetable scraps, plus a bit of cow manure. I turn these over daily and, running two bins, I usually have compost coming out of one bin while the other is composting. They get a bit warm when new material is added, but cool down after a couple of days.

At the weekend, I pulled out my unsuccessful brussels sprout crop, which was all leaves. To fit it in the bin, I ran it through the workshop blender, reducing it to a pulp, and mixed it in.

When I went to turn it over today, it was quite hot, with lots of water vapour coming off. I reckon when it cools down, the earthworms will come back up and thrive on the new vegetable matter. Should be a good brew.

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probes
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Re: Compost

#2 Post by probes » Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:17 am

Ach! a wonderful topic. I read somewhere that if you put the fallen leaves in a garbage bag (some holes in the bottom), tie it up and leave to the garden, it will turn into compost by spring.
Updates on progress next spring :).

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Re: Compost

#3 Post by 500N » Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:29 pm

I have a number of bins turning over.

Great stuff.

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Re: Compost

#4 Post by Sisemen » Wed Nov 04, 2015 12:45 pm

In my part of the world lawn clippings go into black bin bags and left over summer. Come Autumn there's lovely black compost to add to the garden.

Another tip I had recently was to put lawn clippings into a bucket, fill with water and leave for a few weeks. It makes a concentrated liquid manure. It also smells like fresh cow ***** which, given the processes of fermentation, isn't really surprising!

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Re: Compost

#5 Post by om15 » Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:37 pm

If you are fortunate to live by the sea you can add nitrogen to the bin by putting layers of seaweed into the mix. In my last place I had about a quarter of an acre allotment area, I used to go down to the beach after the storms and bring back bin liners of seaweed and put a 3 inch layer directly on to my asparagus bed, it was brilliant stuff.
I use a plastic compost bin, put everything in it, leave for a few weeks, then remove, give a good turn over with a bit of rotted compost to aerate and put into the second bin, leaving the first bin empty for use, in good weather this gives usable compost in about 6 weeks.
Current veg bed area much reduced but still compost everything. Lots of windfall apples create masses of worms in the compost which is good.

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Re: Compost

#6 Post by 500N » Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:46 pm

I open the lids to my compost and let the rain in on them, does wonders for keeping it wet
and adding nitrogen.

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Re: Compost

#7 Post by Dirk » Tue Apr 05, 2016 6:37 pm

Compost Corner!!!!!!!!

Don't forget the old trick of pissing on it, I have no idea if it works, but it feels strangely satisfying.
I compost pretty much everything organic that isn't too dry, I also burn all the twig debris from my plot and throw that back on, I moved house just before Christmas, so this year is a bit of a sort out year, but hope to grow some nice chilli plants, tomatoes, Runner/broad/kidney beans and of course loads of spuds

P.S My current compost bin is a small concrete slab box with wooden lid and little slide door at the bottom, purpose built by previous occupent, stuff thrown in and covered with big plastic sheet and a bit of old carpet...luvvly jubbly

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Re: Compost

#8 Post by 500N » Tue Apr 05, 2016 6:44 pm

I do that as well occasionally.

Works wonders.

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Re: Compost

#9 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Feb 05, 2017 12:31 pm

We have compost pits. I also did in the UK. Must admit they didn't work too well there. They are about 1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m. Once we have about 0.5m of vegetation down there we put a shallow layer of soil (sand here) on top and keep it watered. With the heat here we have good compost within a few months. We mainly use it for mulching the fruit trees and planting bananas in. For the latter we dig a 1m sq hole fill it with water then back fill with soil (sand) compost cow and goat droppings. Just planted out our 11th yesterday. Three more babies almost ready to be transplanted. One 'mother' plant has bananas on so we will leave the small one to take over when she dies after fruiting.

We have up to 3 pits running at the same time depending on the time of year. It took a lot of training to explain that they are not rubbish pits. The staff were putting branches stones and even plastic down there. We have a dump in the bush out of sight for branches etc (not very bright to have bonfires here) and they now put plastic in the bin :-bd
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Re: Compost

#10 Post by om15 » Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:03 am

As mentioned above I use plastic compost bins in the garden and at the allotment, my next door neighbour has two conventional home made bins at the bottom of his garden adjacent to our common boundary. We live in a rural village about two hundred yards from the river.
The problem is an infestation of rats this year, other neighbours are poised with air rifles and have an impressive tally, I carefully use some disgusting poison in containers, however the rats appear to be nesting in the neighbours compost heap. I found a possible rat hole in my garden and poured a wheel barrow of concrete down it, have found two enormous dead rats nearby, but they still keep coming.
I think that we need to invite in a couple of street fighting cats to live with us, that has always worked in the past.

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Re: Compost

#11 Post by Ex-Ascot » Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:36 pm

OM15, interesting. We have a big rat problem in the thatch but they don't seem to go for our compost pits. Wonder why? We have electric traps and put down slow release poison. Any animals that eat the poised rat or squirrel don't get poisoned. Hate to do it but no choice. Think mentioned before we had a rat in the bed once in the middle of the night. Could have been worse with things we have here.
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Re: Compost

#12 Post by ian16th » Thu Oct 04, 2018 2:18 pm

om15 wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:03 am
I think that we need to invite in a couple of street fighting cats to live with us, that has always worked in the past.
They don't need to be 'street fighters'!

Our well bred Grand Premier Siamese, keeps the rats away from our house. Excepting the odd 'trophy' that she brings in to demonstrate her skills.
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: Compost

#13 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:35 pm

Rats will go for cooked meat and veg scraps. If there are several proper heaps around they would bother. At our last home the compost bins were home to slow worms.

Leaves are slow composters and best over two years. Better shredded through a leaf vac o r lawn mower.

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Re: Compost

#14 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:18 pm

We have a dump in the bush out of sight

Which brings me to a somewhat indelicate question. Forgive me, for I am a Scottish person.

In a place like the Okavango, where the water table is presumably quite shallow, how do septic tank soakaways work?

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Re: Compost

#15 Post by G-CPTN » Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:21 pm

I have found that (wet) leaves collected (and shredded) by a ride-on mower composted quickly and were ready by the following season.

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Re: Compost

#16 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:40 am

G-CPTN, on a recent cruise a lowland Scot told us his secret, even had it printed in the Telegraph. Get up early after a hard frost. The frozen leaves break up even easier.

Of course not all leaves will compose quickly. Willow in particular are very slow.

My technique, not having either heavy frost or a ride on mower, is to use a powered mower until the bag is full AND keep mowing. The leaves are not picked up but are finely macerated. Now empty the bag and run the mower over the macerated leaves.

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Re: Compost

#17 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:08 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:18 pm
We have a dump in the bush out of sight

Which brings me to a somewhat indelicate question. Forgive me, for I am a Scottish person.

In a place like the Okavango, where the water table is presumably quite shallow, how do septic tank soakaways work?
Actually our bore hole is 30 metres deep. The lagoon level is only a metre below the front of our estate. Me no expert, can't explain why. As for our soakaways (down slope from our bore hole) I do not want to think about it. The original owner who built the place did tell me the situation but I have forgotten. I will ask him again. I think that we have two. One was overflowing from the top bathroom so we just directed the bath water into the bush and left it for just the toilet. Top outside shower just goes into he bush anyway. I think house and guest accommodation goes into another one.

Most of the luxury camps here have systems which have been explained to me many times but I do not understand. The dirty water goes into tanks and out comes 'grey' water which can be used to water the grass. They feed the first tank with bacteria or summut.

The best ecological concept here in the Delta is methane gas from all the *****. Just direct all the guest's ***** into a tank keep it stirred and out comes methane to run a gas hob. The gas does actually smell a bit but works.
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