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Here is my compost heap

freddyblack1993freddyblack1993 Posts: 49
in Problem solving
This is my compost heap and materials, i need all the help it can get as it don't have the slightest clue on how to get things going 
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  • freddyblack1993freddyblack1993 Posts: 49
    I say compost heap... more like a pile of damp dead grass :dizzy:
  • MrsGardenMrsGarden Posts: 3,951
    edited August 2018
    Mine's always the same, never get it right. I think you need to shred the twigs and things, add brown and green stuff. I give up on mine every year and take it to the tip. Sorry, not exactly expert advice!
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Hate to say this but that’s not going to do much, it’s preferable to have the bottom open to bare soil. Then the worms can crawl in, you need to chop that up, the smaller the bits, the quicker it will compost.
    Our compost is ready in two monther from Spring to autumn.
    put a couple of shovels full of soil from your garden, that has the bacteria’s in that will get it working.
    Add green grass clippings, any junk mail and cardboard boxes you have, torn up. Tea leaves, coffee grounds, dead heads from plants, chopped twigs, a chipper is good if you have one.   Try to aim for near enough equal green stuff and brown stuff.

    Have at at least two bins, a metre cube is a good size, fill one, then upside down it into the other one, cover both with a piece of carpet to keep the warmth in, in the half made one, also cover with some sheets of corregated iron/metal.  When the original one is full, empty the first one you made into another container, darlek type or builders bags, and off you go, that’s the cycle. 

    Keep it turned about, once a week is what we do,  that gets air in and mixes everything together, also that will deter rats from nesting in it. 

    We used all ours last autumn and we now have another lot ready to go this year, enough to cover the whole garden. 

    Good luck, it’s very satisfying to make that lovely black gold.😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • freddyblack1993freddyblack1993 Posts: 49
    Lyn said:
    Hate to say this but that’s not going to do much, it’s preferable to have the bottom open to bare soil. Then the worms can crawl in, you need to chop that up, the smaller the bits, the quicker it will compost.
    Our compost is ready in two monther from Spring to autumn.
    put a couple of shovels full of soil from your garden, that has the bacteria’s in that will get it working.
    Add green grass clippings, any junk mail and cardboard boxes you have, torn up. Tea leaves, coffee grounds, dead heads from plants, chopped twigs, a chipper is good if you have one.   Try to aim for near enough equal green stuff and brown stuff.

    Have at at least two bins, a metre cube is a good size, fill one, then upside down it into the other one, cover both with a piece of carpet to keep the warmth in, in the half made one, also cover with some sheets of corregated iron/metal.  When the original one is full, empty the first one you made into another container, darlek type or builders bags, and off you go, that’s the cycle. 

    Keep it turned about, once a week is what we do,  that gets air in and mixes everything together, also that will deter rats from nesting in it. 

    We used all ours last autumn and we now have another lot ready to go this year, enough to cover the whole garden. 

    Good luck, it’s very satisfying to make that lovely black gold.😀
    it actually is open to the bare ground its just the sides and back walls keeping it all tidy... the Mrs isn't a fan. thanks for the advice :) i will defiantly get another bin sorted, i have a piece of old carpet next to the bin what i throw on at night time to keep in the heat. i am eager to see it shrink into some nice material! iv literally only just started the heap desperatly thrown some bits on there from around the garden and kitchen waste :D   
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    It will come, you’ll be surprised the stuff you can find to put on it.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    I have two compost heaps that both work well and i use one one year and one the next. Your coming up to the right time of year as all the foliage will be dying back and you can plionk it all on. 
    Honestly, you can put almost anything in a compost heap, old leaves, small twigs cardboard, small twigs as long as you can incorporate at least a third or so of good organic materials. Food scraps but no meat or you get rats, and no holly as this takes ages to break down and the thorns can prick you. I avoid putting in the contents of a weeding bucket too - to avoid seeds. 
    A compost bin needs to be durable - if its wood (like mine), then it needs to be strong and treated. If it  is plastic then make sure the compost is easy to get out as well as put in. I use two, one for one season and one for the next. This works very well as through the year you may want to get good compost out whilst putting new compost down. 
    I made mine from old scaffolding planks from ebay. If that is too much you can buy plastic types. 
  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    if you stick with your design, then I suggest nailing a baton over the top so that it does not splay. Is the wood water and rot proof? You could line it?  No ply or MDF as it will buckle and dissolve. 
  • freddyblack1993freddyblack1993 Posts: 49
    ZeroZero1 said:
    if you stick with your design, then I suggest nailing a baton over the top so that it does not splay. Is the wood water and rot proof? You could line it?  No ply or MDF as it will buckle and dissolve. 
    it was rushed, i was keen on getting started after watching a couple videos so i rushed to find any wood i could around the house and managed to salvage an old babies cot for the head and foot boards nailed them together with some old laminate flooring... it is not my intention to keep it this way. this was just temporary rushed into situation
    , which i probably should have waited until i had more materials or at least a better idea of composting 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    There are thousands of great 'how to...' vids on Youtube. They will tell you about the balance of greens and browns. Roughly half fresh green (veg, prunings, grass), half brown (newspaper, hay, shredded leaves, cardboard). Mix them, check it's not sloppy nor cracklingly dry, and wait. If it's in balance, then the more you check it and turn it over, the quicker it will turn to soil. The bigger the bin/pile, the hotter and quicker it can be.
  • freddyblack1993freddyblack1993 Posts: 49
    Fire said:
    There are thousands of great 'how to...' vids on Youtube. They will tell you about the balance of greens and browns. Roughly half fresh green (veg, prunings, grass), half brown (newspaper, hay, shredded leaves, cardboard). Mix them, check it's not sloppy nor cracklingly dry, and wait. If it's in balance, then the more you check it and turn it over, the quicker it will turn to soil. The bigger the bin/pile, the hotter and quicker it can be.
    im slowly learning the basics, best thing i did was join this forum! :D
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