Compost

Status
Not open for further replies.
theoretikos

theoretikos

Rescue Buddy
Joined
Jul 31, 2013
Messages
3,824
Reaction score
4,193
Points
1,225
Location
Fife, UK
Not sure if this is the right place so please feel free to move :)

I am going to start a compost bin with the piggies poop but I am wondering what to start it in.

Was thinking of possibly starting a wormery as I am short on space and have a communal garden - the woman next door hates me dropping hay and keeps moaning about mice. In my opinion the mice are there anyway so whatever :mal:

Does anyone here have experience of starting a wormery? There are lots of worms in my little patch so I could have an open box and let them move up...hopefully this makes sense!
 
I have a composter not wormery. I throw in all the piggy poo and hay in as well as veggie waste and garden waste. Makes lovely compost :)
 
Rodentopia said:
I have a composter not wormery. I throw in all the piggy poo and hay in as well as veggie waste and garden waste. Makes lovely compost :)
Click to expand...
What type of composter do you use? I have been looking at the big black plastic ones but not too keen on the price
Just wanting to get compost for my flowers :)
 
Have a look on the website of whoever does you waste collection recycling before you but any compost bins. Every now and then our council makes an arrangement where residents can get compost bins at a discounted rate. This may not be so in your area - but, if you don't ask - you don't get.
 
theoretikos said:
Not sure if this is the right place so please feel free to move :)

I am going to start a compost bin with the piggies poop but I am wondering what to start it in.

Was thinking of possibly starting a wormery as I am short on space and have a communal garden - the woman next door hates me dropping hay and keeps moaning about mice. In my opinion the mice are there anyway so whatever :mal:

Does anyone here have experience of starting a wormery? There are lots of worms in my little patch so I could have an open box and let them move up...hopefully this makes sense!
Click to expand...


... and about worms. The wormerys on sale tend to use a special variety of worm called a tiger worm. They also have a section at the bottom to collect the liquid produced to use as a plant feed (bit like baby bio).

I have worm in my compost bin and I seem to recall that the red ones do a better job at breaking down the contents than the garden worm. I started my bins off by buying some red worms from a fishing tackle shop. It's a long time ago so I can't recall the evidence for this - but it works for me.
 
i have a compost bin :) currently filled with guinea pig poop and hay . We got our bin from the council. Father in law said to get some stuff to help break it down and that's worms will help too. Probably have some useable compost next year!
 
Check with your local council, it's possible that they may have a scheme going. You could also put a want on your local Freecycle. I got my second one from there. It's surprising how many people get them from the council when they're going free. Only to end up not using them & then they're in the way.
 
I have a composter and whilst it isnt really making much in the way of usable compost yet the volume of waste in their halfs 2-3 weekly so it never gets full which is handy! Mine is kept on soil not concrete at it was already heavy with bugs living in it so it started straight away. If you compost megazorb/other highly absorbent bedding though you need to water the heap or it just dries out due to the bedding absorbing all the moisture!
 
i used to have a black plastic one but made my own now just a massive large open bin, I throw grass cuttings on top to create heat to compost it during the summer months. Mines also situated on soil so a lot of natural bugs and worms get into it as well as the odd mouse lol
 
Thank you everyone! My garden is just a small rectangle of soil about 6ft long surrounded by concrete so I would put the compost bin on the soil if possible. My boyfriends dad managed to get a discounted bin from our council so I will be sending an email to see if it's still available.

I'm not even sure why I want to start compost it just seemed like a good idea. Hopefully it will help the rubbish soil!
 
I have a small garden but far larger than the 6ft rectangle you mention.I am a very keen gardener and have three small bins and they each take ages to break down because they are only 1mx1m x .5m and I only turn them once or twice and and I wait a long time before thlere is any useable compost.I
For a really small plot I'd go with a womery. Anything else anw you'll be waiting ages for it to break down.
 
I have a conpost bin ive had it 5 years and never had any compost out. I have put init in past woodshavings, megaxorb, hay, straw (I used to have a bunny), grass, veg peelings (mostlt onion / potato as most other veggies go to pigs so no waste. I have put egg shells and tea bags too, also have put lots of guinea poos lol. I have tried adding accelerator in both liquid And powder form but all it seems to do it rot down a little to free a little space at top but no compost.

is there something I am missing? Its on soil so wprms should get in and I do add the occasional worm that I find in garden. Should I buy some and put them in ir would it be a waste as they can just escape out bottom if they want?
 
Briony_S said:
I have a conpost bin ive had it 5 years and never had any compost out. I have put init in past woodshavings, megaxorb, hay, straw (I used to have a bunny), grass, veg peelings (mostlt onion / potato as most other veggies go to pigs so no waste. I have put egg shells and tea bags too, also have put lots of guinea poos lol. I have tried adding accelerator in both liquid And powder form but all it seems to do it rot down a little to free a little space at top but no compost.

is there something I am missing? Its on soil so wprms should get in and I do add the occasional worm that I find in garden. Should I buy some and put them in ir would it be a waste as they can just escape out bottom if they want?
Click to expand...

Why haven't you had any compost out?
 
Briony_S said:
I have a conpost bin ive had it 5 years and never had any compost out. I have put init in past woodshavings, megaxorb, hay, straw (I used to have a bunny), grass, veg peelings (mostlt onion / potato as most other veggies go to pigs so no waste. I have put egg shells and tea bags too, also have put lots of guinea poos lol. I have tried adding accelerator in both liquid And powder form but all it seems to do it rot down a little to free a little space at top but no compost.

is there something I am missing? Its on soil so wprms should get in and I do add the occasional worm that I find in garden. Should I buy some and put them in ir would it be a waste as they can just escape out bottom if they want?
Click to expand...


I don't think you NEED worms in a compost bin.

We chose to have worms in ours and, as I said before, we were advised that the red worms are better than garden worms. We bought some from fishing tackle shop. Our bins are on soil and the red worms are happily living there. I'm sure loads escape but they obviously reproduce as there are plenty in the bins.
 
Briony_S said:
Ive no Idea I have never turned it or watered it. Do I need to turn or water? If so how often and how much water?
Click to expand...
I don't think compost ever needs watering. Dedicated compost makers (I do not put myself in that category) would watch the mix of ingredients .

Turning is a good idea but we never turn ours and always get good compost.

Our problem is that plant seeds don't die in our composting process . We are careful not to put weeds in when they have seed heads but we put our kitchen waste in the compost and quite frequently , we see a tomato plant growing somewhere which has obviously come from our compost.
 
It's a long time since I looked into compost making but from what I recall, woodlice aren't harmful .
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top