Andy, we all take away from nature whatever we do, it will have consequences. I live in an area of leafy lanes, fields meadows and trickling streams. The wild life are squirrels foxes and plenty of birds and flying insects as a lot of the area is not cultivated, our small estate obviously is cultivated which I think adds to the diversity. very early morning Starlings blacken the lawns as they pick up the leather jackets, good for the birds hard luck on the L.J's. Although we feed the birds they seem quite tame and will perch on the spade handle as i rake the soil swooping down on anything moving. I do not use chemicals if I can manage without although we do need to at odd times. At least in our area those abominations of decking and heavy stone coverings have vanished, we may not be perfect but do not cause problems for the wild life if we can, not always possible of course. Good well made compost adds to the habitat of the smaller wild life and with larger amounts it will compact down if not turned, Air is an essential which is why I made slatted boxes up against a wall that gave back heat at night. Having had the job of turning the midden at the end of the stables as a lad I knew turning was a necessity for good well rotted compost.
What gets me is we do not always do the right thing by ignorance, when my Daughters screamed SPIDER I would pick them up and put them outside, I did not then know they were house spiders I was doing the wrong thing, the poor things were probably scrabbling to get back into the warmth away from the danger outside. We just do not know. Good luck.
"Hot" composting requires that you turn it over once it starts to cool down and this heat will kill most weeds seeds. Its the fastest way and great for smaller heaps. it can be done in three months but "Cold composting means that it will take much longer.. possibly a year or more. If you want to speed it up come the spring use the lawn clippings and mix it in to the existing pile. which will make it heat up again for a while. Be aware If using cold compost in the garden its usually going to have weeds that will wake up once in your flower beds.
Hot Composting done by Commercial firms is piled high and turned regularly. If you visit a site you will see row after row of hills all steaming away. Huge diggers turn a pile on to a clear area then move all the other piles in turn. When it is ready it goes through rotating filters and is then bagged, the good stuff will bring good money the dross goes into the cheap bags, a lesson I learned at an early age you get what you pay for.
I did hear that experiments were made in the early days of foot and mouth to see if bodies laid at the base would decompose, whether it worked I have no idea although I would imagine other experiments have also taken place.
If you buy a massed produced product produced as cheaply as possible then expect the worst, if you want good stuff then make your own, it will mean setting up two or three bins then if possible putting every thing through a shredder keeping it warm and damp not wet which means covering it from the weather but allowing the air in. As with everything worth doing it takes time and effort, we gardeners should be well used to that. In my case brought up with Middens, Plenty of farm muck, double digging with Autumn spreading well rotted manure and letting winter and worms do their stuff we know there are no short cuts, good gardening is hard work and sweat, instant gardening happens on TV and should be banned because after the TV crews leave the owners still have to work at it to keep it all tidy.
Good for you Lyn, Once you have the set up then it is easy to take half an hour to toss one bin into the next making sure it is warm and damp well Aerated at the same time, give the worms and germs space to work their wonders. For seeds which do not need rich compost I used to steam some compost after riddling it nearly to dust and adding some small grit and washed sand, I lost very few seedlings.
My personal thought is hang all those so called one day garden makeover people plus the mass army who do not appear on camera from a high tree by their fancy tool belts until they saw the light. What happened I ask to all those make over gardens with half a ship yard of rusty steel in them, half a rain forrest in planking and a brickworks, I would bet that most are now back to the original, I always used to say how on earth will you sell that house now, but "hey" that is me who knows full well there are no quick fixes, "Quick fix today, you will be back tomorrow" an engineers battle cry.
I always used to turn my compost bins but find my wrists just aren't up to it anymore so I now keep 3 bins on the go. It takes longer but I still get decent compost and I just rotate between each bin.
i also make leaf mold but the leaves go straght into nets then into old waste bins left over from our pre wheels bin days. Give a good water every now and again and eventually you get rewarded with lovely dark, rich leaf mold.
Last edited: 25 October 2017 13:22:10
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.
Good for you Sussexsun, you have adapted and it is what we all have to do as we progress through this life. Compost can be made by anyone willing to wait for it to change from waste into that lovely organic tonic for the garden. From the smallest bin to a three box set it will work as long as the three needs are met, Heat Air Damp. Living along a leafy lane, leaf told almost falls into your hands, definitely the best for seedlings as long as you cut it down with small grit and washed sand seeds thrive. Good luck.
Frank I live surrounded by oaks. They are holm oaks so constantly dropping leaves. They do make lovely mold but take quite a while to do so. Lucky for me my garden is quite large with a few spare corners I can hide compost and mold bins in so I am quite willing to wait and let nature do its job.
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.
Posts
Andy, we all take away from nature whatever we do, it will have consequences. I live in an area of leafy lanes, fields meadows and trickling streams. The wild life are squirrels foxes and plenty of birds and flying insects as a lot of the area is not cultivated, our small estate obviously is cultivated which I think adds to the diversity. very early morning Starlings blacken the lawns as they pick up the leather jackets, good for the birds hard luck on the L.J's. Although we feed the birds they seem quite tame and will perch on the spade handle as i rake the soil swooping down on anything moving. I do not use chemicals if I can manage without although we do need to at odd times. At least in our area those abominations of decking and heavy stone coverings have vanished, we may not be perfect but do not cause problems for the wild life if we can, not always possible of course. Good well made compost adds to the habitat of the smaller wild life and with larger amounts it will compact down if not turned, Air is an essential which is why I made slatted boxes up against a wall that gave back heat at night. Having had the job of turning the midden at the end of the stables as a lad I knew turning was a necessity for good well rotted compost.
What gets me is we do not always do the right thing by ignorance, when my Daughters screamed SPIDER I would pick them up and put them outside, I did not then know they were house spiders I was doing the wrong thing, the poor things were probably scrabbling to get back into the warmth away from the danger outside. We just do not know. Good luck.
Frank.
"Hot" composting requires that you turn it over once it starts to cool down and this heat will kill most weeds seeds. Its the fastest way and great for smaller heaps. it can be done in three months but "Cold composting means that it will take much longer.. possibly a year or more. If you want to speed it up come the spring use the lawn clippings and mix it in to the existing pile. which will make it heat up again for a while. Be aware If using cold compost in the garden its usually going to have weeds that will wake up once in your flower beds.
Hot Composting done by Commercial firms is piled high and turned regularly. If you visit a site you will see row after row of hills all steaming away. Huge diggers turn a pile on to a clear area then move all the other piles in turn. When it is ready it goes through rotating filters and is then bagged, the good stuff will bring good money the dross goes into the cheap bags, a lesson I learned at an early age you get what you pay for.
I did hear that experiments were made in the early days of foot and mouth to see if bodies laid at the base would decompose, whether it worked I have no idea although I would imagine other experiments have also taken place.
If you buy a massed produced product produced as cheaply as possible then expect the worst, if you want good stuff then make your own, it will mean setting up two or three bins then if possible putting every thing through a shredder keeping it warm and damp not wet which means covering it from the weather but allowing the air in. As with everything worth doing it takes time and effort, we gardeners should be well used to that. In my case brought up with Middens, Plenty of farm muck, double digging with Autumn spreading well rotted manure and letting winter and worms do their stuff we know there are no short cuts, good gardening is hard work and sweat, instant gardening happens on TV and should be banned because after the TV crews leave the owners still have to work at it to keep it all tidy.
Frank.
You’re right Frank, there’s nothing like making your own and I couldn’t possibly buy enough to cover our garden in the autumn.
I do buy good stuff for seed sowing and potting on though.
I have never had any rubbish in my Levingtons or Malloy.
Last edited: 25 October 2017 12:03:24
Good for you Lyn, Once you have the set up then it is easy to take half an hour to toss one bin into the next making sure it is warm and damp well Aerated at the same time, give the worms and germs space to work their wonders. For seeds which do not need rich compost I used to steam some compost after riddling it nearly to dust and adding some small grit and washed sand, I lost very few seedlings.
My personal thought is hang all those so called one day garden makeover people plus the mass army who do not appear on camera from a high tree by their fancy tool belts until they saw the light. What happened I ask to all those make over gardens with half a ship yard of rusty steel in them, half a rain forrest in planking and a brickworks, I would bet that most are now back to the original, I always used to say how on earth will you sell that house now, but "hey" that is me who knows full well there are no quick fixes, "Quick fix today, you will be back tomorrow" an engineers battle cry.
Frank.
I always used to turn my compost bins but find my wrists just aren't up to it anymore so I now keep 3 bins on the go. It takes longer but I still get decent compost and I just rotate between each bin.
i also make leaf mold but the leaves go straght into nets then into old waste bins left over from our pre wheels bin days. Give a good water every now and again and eventually you get rewarded with lovely dark, rich leaf mold.
Last edited: 25 October 2017 13:22:10
Good for you Sussexsun, you have adapted and it is what we all have to do as we progress through this life. Compost can be made by anyone willing to wait for it to change from waste into that lovely organic tonic for the garden. From the smallest bin to a three box set it will work as long as the three needs are met, Heat Air Damp. Living along a leafy lane, leaf told almost falls into your hands, definitely the best for seedlings as long as you cut it down with small grit and washed sand seeds thrive. Good luck.
Frank.
Frank I live surrounded by oaks. They are holm oaks so constantly dropping leaves. They do make lovely mold but take quite a while to do so. Lucky for me my garden is quite large with a few spare corners I can hide compost and mold bins in so I am quite willing to wait and let nature do its job.