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Compost

terence.mccallumterence.mccallum Posts: 72
in Problem solving
Hi all, I have a couple of compost bin I put a mixed bunch of stuff in them from foliage, paper, thin cardboard, peelings, eggshells etc I try to not put any grass potato cutting or any thing with seeds. After a while the stuff on the bottom looked pretty good so I used it a couple of pots. The problem was after a coupe of weeks the were hundreds of weeds growing in my pots. Is the any way I could avoid this
 
Thanks Terry
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Posts

  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970
    I always put the lawn mowing's into the compost heaps, helps to heat up the compost and kill off the seeds, also put potato peelings in fact all the vegetable remains from the kitchen, egg shells too.
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    We do the same here @cornelly, we include everything that @terence.mccallum mentioned and mowings and all veg bits.  We never add any meat or other animal fats/eggs/fish or stale bread or other cooked foods, apart from vegetables. Weeds are not included in the compost heap either. No problems with weeds growing in the compost here.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Only by making sure you don't put any seeds in the compost, which is almost impossible.  Kitchen waste may contain seeds from whatever fruits you eat, spent annual plants and clippings from flowering shrubs etc.  And wind-borne seeds will find your pots, and birds and small mammals may deposit seeds in their poop.  Just hoe them every few days and leave them on the surface to rot or remove them as you prefer.  In a pot, just keep picking them off.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    My learnings on garden garden compost is that it’s best only to use as mulch.
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    If you can feel the warmth coming off it you'll probably be safe from most seeds.
  • terence.mccallumterence.mccallum Posts: 72
    I have a lid on the compost bin and the pots were growing in a greenhoue
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    nickten said:
    If you can feel the warmth coming off it you'll probably be safe from most seeds.
    Hmm, not in my experience.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    philippa smith2 said:
    Not necessarily so - depends on what you intend to grow.
    True, my view is only a general one.
  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970
    Our compost heaps are covered with polythene sheet, we get well rotted compost on a yearly basis, as has been said nothing cooked, we shred foliage clipped from shrubs and add that too.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    IMHO, the problem here is that we use the same  word " compost " . Garden "compost" is very different from potting " compost"  
    Garden compost is really best as a soil conditioner. Potting " compost " is a  growing medium and is best for potted plants. 
    I often mix the two for bigger pots which need more volume but weeds are often a problem on top.
    Devon.
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