Compost Bin In Wrong Place?

Marisol · November 2023

Hello everyone I’ve got my compost bin at the back of the plot next to a beautiful oak tree. I’ve been looking at YouTube and it says you shouldn’t put a compost bin next to a big tree. I’m wondering if that’s why a previous owner added a plastic sheet underneath the bin.

What do you think? Should I reposition it?

🤗

Marisol · November 2023

https://youtu.be/6X0SwoQC3Vo?si=nB9DAdwxSIvn4UU2

I watched this. He’s called David The Good he says all the roots find their way into the compost.

he’s also made his compost bin with concrete bricks bottom and sides. It looks so ugly. Sometimes the more you read up or watch the worse it is! 🙉🙈🙊

love your sense of humour x

Fire · November 2023

I think you'll be fine. Just keep an eye out and see if you have problems going forward.

Marisol · November 2023

Cheers me dears! 😉

rowlandscastle444 · November 2023

My parents always had theirs close to trees. Mine is too, albeit the other side of the fence.

What I DO get, is ivy and bindweed suckers growing inside the compost, and I have to remove these when turning the contents, as well as when I bag it up for use around the garden

Your previous house owner probably put down the plastic sheet to help prevent things like this. I'm of the opinion that provided that you are careful, it's unnecessary.

Fire · November 2023

Yes, I have been more concerned with bindweed than roots coming in under the fence and into the bins. But in ten years, it has never happened.

Lizzie27 · November 2023

Well it's happened here. We put our compost bins under a very large Norwegian maple and in front of an euronymus hedge when we first moved here and found large roots inside the bins a year later. We then put a sheet of plastic underneath - same result a year later, the roots just snaked over the edge of the plastic and up into the bins. In some instances, the roots actually pieced the plastic. The following year I put very expensive, heavy duty root barrier fabric down. Same result. Last year I put two layers of plastic over the root barrier and pinned it all securely down. Haven't checked this year yet.

The roots of the tree have grown under our concrete path and under the neighbouring three raised beds, despite the root barrier fabric we installed. The garden at that point is probably 30 ft across.

Mozigual · November 2023

We have trees all round our garden and the roots do get into the compost heap. It's a bit of a pain but have also tried weed barrier but, as Lizzie says, they just grow through or around it. I just end up with a layer at the bottom that is dryer and have to get the roots out when I empty it. I have the same problem in my raised veg beds so might have to reconsider what to do with those.

Dovefromabove · November 2023

We had ash tree roots growing upwards into raised beds. With compost bins I would’ve thought that turning of the compost should help break up the new fine roots before they grow enough to become troublesome. Not something that was possible when we had veg growing in the beds …. We moved the veg growing area away from the trees.

rowlandscastle444 · November 2023

I've just been reminded by my OH, that an alley used to run across the end of our garden, and a previous occupant removed the dividing fence, in order to extend the garden.

So the compost bin sits on about two inches of soil, with about three inches of concrete under that.

Palustris · November 2023

Mine is near an Oak tree, a couple of very big Beech and the Holly hedge. Only place where it could be placed. Not had any problem with tree roots in the compost. Biggest trouble is with thousands of Beech nut casings which do not rot down at the same speed as normal compostable material.

Compost Bin In Wrong Place?

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