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A bag of compost: where to store it?

dalya_mossdalya_moss Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
Hi, I have a bag of good quality compost which can be used for seedings and also enriching soil before planting veg. Is it best stored inside the shed or outside? My problem:

It currently sits outside, with a brick on top of the bag. It’s an eco system in itself as I find slugs, worms snails etc in it, which I’m sure it benefits from ! 

Unfortunately though when I use this compost to plant veg seeds in  pots  to germinate on my windowsill, I’ve noticed the the soil is full of slug eggs and slug trails ! My heart sinks,  I have a bad feeling I’m providing them with a nursery: the slugs are born and munch the seedling as it emerges.

Could this be?  Should I just get new compost and store in the shed in the future? 

 Thanks 😊 

Posts

  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    edited May 2023
    You could put it in a dustbin. 👍
    I've made the same mistake before now, you're not alone!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Always better to keep it undercover somewhere, but slugs are part of a garden ,the same as every other creature. It's  how it is, and you'll just have to deal with them when they appear. 
    They'll hide anywhere that there's cover and dampness.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    You can still use it for mulching, maybe around shrubs or something that's not too prone to slug damage.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • dalya_mossdalya_moss Posts: 2
    edited May 2023
    Ah thanks all for the really helpful thoughts and glad I’m not the only  one who without thinking planted seedsin compost filled with slug eggs! Yes, I’ll keep seedling potting compost in the shed from now on. Then once they grow and harden a bit, as you said it’s up to nature and the garden, and that includes slugs! 😊
  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    edited May 2023
    I keep my shop-bought compost in the shed (when there's room - but certainly once open). My home-produced compost stays in old plastic sacks outside, but with the top folded over a few times, with a brick on it, and always so that rainwater runs off it, rather than forming a pool in the centre. I used to have a problem with slugs using the damp centre as a home, but learned not to overfill the bags.
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