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Rejuvenating old compost

christopher.claydonchristopher.claydon Posts: 10
in Problem solving
Hello I have been growing vegetables in large wooden trough and had planned to replace to compost but due to current circumstances I am unable to buy new so is there a way I can rejuvenate the existing compost.

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    HI and welcome to the forum. If you can't get hold of any well rotted manure, or rotted garden compost, add some pelleted chicken manure, or some Fish Blood and Bone.
    Devon.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    The simple way is to mix what you've got with some form of fertiliser to replace the nutrients you've taken out previously.  That will depend on whether you want to be organic etc. and whether you prefer granular style or liquid feed.  If you're happy with agricultural stuff, a local market gardener recommended me to an 8.5.18 mix but the rest is up to you?  For the future I'd suggest you use household waste etc. to lay in a store of composted goodies with which to begin each season.
  • christopher.claydonchristopher.claydon Posts: 10
    Hi thanks for the response my trough is just out side the kitchen window so chicken manure or dried blood may be a bit unpopular, so is there a low odour alternative that would give good results.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited March 2020
    If you don't need it to be organic, Growmore or similar would do the job.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Fish, blood and bone meal (FBB)  or dried chicken manure pellets, mixed in with the soil, don't smell at all. Be careful if you have foxes about, though. They like to dig about in it.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    Useful thread as I may have to re use my grow bags for tomatoes this year. Thinking chicken manure pellets well mixed in. I have some well rotted horse manure for pots etc 
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    I tip my pots out every year and turn over the soil/compost and mix with FB+Bone.
    Compost is just a medium storing the nutrients. Keep the old compost and introduce fresh nutrients.
    Compost is too expensive to be buying every year. My only exception is for my tomato and cucumber plants in the greenhouse.

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

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