making compost

[mutantpoodle]

I believ that this area is where all gardening experts hang about

I believe that good compost is made by letting turf rot down
having lifted the turf/grass and stacked it upside down.......which I understand is the correct way
should I now cover the pile but lift and dampen occasionally.....or just leave it to rot on its own?

[mutantpoodle]

just received 5,300,000 replies from Google

I will read and digest...probably not all !!

[Itsallaguess]

I believe that this area is where all gardening experts hang about

I believe that good compost is made by letting turf rot down, having lifted the turf/grass and stacked it upside down.......which I understand is the correct way

should I now cover the pile but lift and dampen occasionally.....or just leave it to rot on its own?

A couple of YouTube videos on the topic which will hopefully be helpful -

Making a turf stack to make potting compost - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6WZJo-HBR4

Turn sod into soil with this simple method - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yxkalK4s28

It looks like a very worthwhile process, rather than just dumping it all at the local tip, although the biggest additional 'ingredient' once you've got the turf seems to be 'time', so I hope you're OK to provide lots of it...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[kempiejon]

The received wisdom from the lads down the allotment, cut it and stack it, grass down, leave it for years, that appears to be all there is too it.

[88V8]

I believe that good compost is made by letting turf rot down
having lifted the turf/grass and stacked it upside down.......which I understand is the correct way
should I now cover the pile but lift and dampen occasionally.....or just leave it to rot on its own?

Good compost is made by letting almost any soft plant matter rot down, grass, soft prunings, etc.

There are two key ingredients sometimes omitted, the first is nitrogen to feed the bugs that do the rotting, this can be supplied by Compost Maker or more cheaply by scattering a little Growmore in the heap from time to time as it's built up.
The other and most important is moisture.

When the heap is made up it must be damp/wet. Dry material will never compost, a year later it will be virtually unchanged.

Our compost is in two bins each 6' x 6' and 4' high. They rotate year on year.
Bin no 1 is this year's material, at intervals I put the hose in there, run it slowly all day, moving it around the heap from time to time. It's amazing how much water a heap will absorb.

In the spring Bin no 2 which is ready for use is emptied onto the garden, and the contents of Bin no 1 are tossed into Bin no 2 which is then covered and left another year.
So it takes two years to make good compost.

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould. One can always identify the non-gardeners in the vicinity, in the autumn they are the idiots burning their leaves.

Dry material will never compost, but moist material will.

V8

[mc2fool]

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould.

You can speed up that by shredding the leaves, either with a shredding leaf vacuum/blower or by piling them up and running the lawn mower over them a few times (or, if you must, with a shredder!).

Rather than bags, I have two chicken wire enclosed circles that I fill with shredded leaves in alternate autumns, and that allows worms into the piles, which I find helps. Turn every few months and, yeah, keep moist. Start using two springs later....

[kempiejon]

dampen occasionally..

There are two key ingredients sometimes omitted, the first is nitrogen to feed the bugs that do the rotting, this can be supplied by Compost Maker or more cheaply by scattering a little Growmore in the heap from time to time as it's built up.
The other and most important is moisture.

Ah yes, Bob Flowerdew of Gardeners Question Time has oft suggested recycled cider. A free resource, moisture and nitrogen.

[tjh290633]

I believe that good compost is made by letting turf rot down
having lifted the turf/grass and stacked it upside down.......which I understand is the correct way
should I now cover the pile but lift and dampen occasionally.....or just leave it to rot on its own?

Good compost is made by letting almost any soft plant matter rot down, grass, soft prunings, etc.

There are two key ingredients sometimes omitted, the first is nitrogen to feed the bugs that do the rotting, this can be supplied by Compost Maker or more cheaply by scattering a little Growmore in the heap from time to time as it's built up.
The other and most important is moisture.

When the heap is made up it must be damp/wet. Dry material will never compost, a year later it will be virtually unchanged.

Our compost is in two bins each 6' x 6' and 4' high. They rotate year on year.
Bin no 1 is this year's material, at intervals I put the hose in there, run it slowly all day, moving it around the heap from time to time. It's amazing how much water a heap will absorb.

In the spring Bin no 2 which is ready for use is emptied onto the garden, and the contents of Bin no 1 are tossed into Bin no 2 which is then covered and left another year.
So it takes two years to make good compost.

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould. One can always identify the non-gardeners in the vicinity, in the autumn they are the idiots burning their leaves.

Dry material will never compost, but moist material will.

V8

Your process is very similar to mine, with two 750 litre bins. However I never bother with watering. After two years it is in good shape and it goes to my next door neighbour for her allotment. I used to have a vegetable patch and the contents of the second bin went into the trench for my rows of potatoes and that for the runner beans. Eventually the slugs and wireworms got the better of me. I could grow leeks, and that was about it.

TJH

[tjh290633]

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould.

You can speed up that by shredding the leaves, either with a shredding leaf vacuum/blower or by piling them up and running the lawn mower over them a few times (or, if you must, with a shredder!).

Rather than bags, I have two chicken wire enclosed circles that I fill with shredded leaves in alternate autumns, and that allows worms into the piles, which I find helps. Turn every few months and, yeah, keep moist. Start using two springs later....

I have a chicken wire enclosure, roughly a 3 ft cube, into which my leaves go. There is always room for each year's collection from the surrounding area and I haven't filled it yet after 5 years or more. The older stuff at the bottom looks good to me. Plenty of worms help.

TJH

[bungeejumper]

Ah yes, Bob Flowerdew of Gardeners Question Time has oft suggested recycled cider. A free resource, moisture and nitrogen.

Ah yes, I believe he calls it his Personally Initiated Soil Stimulant?

I've been told that a goodly splash of this precious resource also discourages rats and suchlike. Which might seem a little counter-intuitive, considering how much time they spend living in drains? But apparently they don't appreciate the subtle top notes of the fresh product, which informs them that somebody else is the local apex predator.

Why, I popped out of the back door only last night to distribute my largesse into the environment. Very good, said the wife, but next time remember that the compost heap is at the far end of the garden.

BJ

[mc2fool]

You can speed up that by shredding the leaves, either with a shredding leaf vacuum/blower or by piling them up and running the lawn mower over them a few times (or, if you must, with a shredder!).

Rather than bags, I have two chicken wire enclosed circles that I fill with shredded leaves in alternate autumns, and that allows worms into the piles, which I find helps. Turn every few months and, yeah, keep moist. Start using two springs later....

I have a chicken wire enclosure, roughly a 3 ft cube, into which my leaves go. There is always room for each year's collection from the surrounding area and I haven't filled it yet after 5 years or more. The older stuff at the bottom looks good to me. Plenty of worms help.

TJH

Methinks we have lot more trees/leaves than you! Our enclosures are 6-7ft in diameter and get filled with leaves up to 4-5ft high, and that's not all the leaves each year either, I leave a fair few on the ground under some trees to stop growth under them....

[tjh290633]

I have a chicken wire enclosure, roughly a 3 ft cube, into which my leaves go. There is always room for each year's collection from the surrounding area and I haven't filled it yet after 5 years or more. The older stuff at the bottom looks good to me. Plenty of worms help.

TJH

Methinks we have lot more trees/leaves than you! Our enclosures are 6-7ft in diameter and get filled with leaves up to 4-5ft high, and that's not all the leaves each year either, I leave a fair few on the ground under some trees to stop growth under them....

This just what falls on the path along the back of the garden. We have a lot of Holly and yew.

At the front we have an Arizona cypress, an ash, a yew and a Holly, plus a magnolia. That all falls on the drive, and I get at least 4 bags to go to the dump. What falls at the back is a mixture of sycamore and beech.

TJH

[DrFfybes]

Ah yes, Bob Flowerdew of Gardeners Question Time has oft suggested recycled cider. A free resource, moisture and nitrogen.

Presumably his compost heap is not visible from the road

[kempiejon]

Ah yes, Bob Flowerdew of Gardeners Question Time has oft suggested recycled cider. A free resource, moisture and nitrogen.

Presumably his compost heap is not visible from the road

One can use a decanter.

[Fluke]

I've earmarked a corner of the garden to start a compost heap but a bit hesitant as I've read they can attract rats, anyone had any trouble with this?

[staffordian]

I've earmarked a corner of the garden to start a compost heap but a bit hesitant as I've read they can attract rats, anyone had any trouble with this?

As I understand it, the issue is with any meat or fish remains which get in to the compost. Keeping it vegetarian seems to be the key

[tjh290633]

I've earmarked a corner of the garden to start a compost heap but a bit hesitant as I've read they can attract rats, anyone had any trouble with this?

I had slow worms in mine for many years, they liked the heat generated. Also plenty of ants whose eggs they liked. Mice were also prone to like nesting inside. My home made bins disintegrated a few years ago and I bought two plastic bins. The slowworms don't seem to like them. I have seen one mouse.

TJH

[fisher]

For over 10 years I have been using Green Johanna compost bins. I have 3 of them and I compost all of our food waste including meat and fish in them. I have had no rodent problems and I believe they are advertised as rodent proof. They work much more effectively than the standard open bottomed plastic compost bins that are common. They are usually hot composting for me even in winter. I did not buy the additional winter jacket that they sell. They are frequently full of hundreds of worms.

They are pricey though.

Here is a review: https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/ ... er-review/

[kiloran]

For over 10 years I have been using Green Johanna compost bins. I have 3 of them and I compost all of our food waste including meat and fish in them. I have had no rodent problems and I believe they are advertised as rodent proof. They work much more effectively than the standard open bottomed plastic compost bins that are common. They are usually hot composting for me even in winter. I did not buy the additional winter jacket that they sell. They are frequently full of hundreds of worms.

They are pricey though.

Here is a review: https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/ ... er-review/

Decisions, decisions.... A Green Johanna compost bin, or two and half bottles of Ardbeg?
OK, decided....A compost bin won't keep me amused on a cold winter's night.

--kiloran

[stevensfo]

I believe that good compost is made by letting turf rot down
having lifted the turf/grass and stacked it upside down.......which I understand is the correct way
should I now cover the pile but lift and dampen occasionally.....or just leave it to rot on its own?

Good compost is made by letting almost any soft plant matter rot down, grass, soft prunings, etc.

There are two key ingredients sometimes omitted, the first is nitrogen to feed the bugs that do the rotting, this can be supplied by Compost Maker or more cheaply by scattering a little Growmore in the heap from time to time as it's built up.
The other and most important is moisture.

When the heap is made up it must be damp/wet. Dry material will never compost, a year later it will be virtually unchanged.

Our compost is in two bins each 6' x 6' and 4' high. They rotate year on year.
Bin no 1 is this year's material, at intervals I put the hose in there, run it slowly all day, moving it around the heap from time to time. It's amazing how much water a heap will absorb.

In the spring Bin no 2 which is ready for use is emptied onto the garden, and the contents of Bin no 1 are tossed into Bin no 2 which is then covered and left another year.
So it takes two years to make good compost.

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould. One can always identify the non-gardeners in the vicinity, in the autumn they are the idiots burning their leaves.

Dry material will never compost, but moist material will.

V8

Leaves are raked up and put into black bags which are then thoroughly watered, and left for 2-3 years to make leaf mould. One can always identify the non-gardeners in the vicinity, in the autumn they are the idiots burning their leaves.

I've tried explaining the principles of compost to my wife for years, with little success. Years ago, I worked in a lab with loads of Ammonium sulphate and I used to take some to start it off. The heat generated during the process is amazing!

These days, she's more concerned about neatness and she doesn't want anything spoiling the look, so leaves go to a pile behind a tree and removed every year by a pissed-off gardener.

Next time she goes to visit her mother, I just may have everything covered in tarmac and then astro turf laid down, followed by plastic bushes.

Steve