Mine don't stand on soil, the little red worms that are in the compost bin are not the same as your average earth worm. I have asked Garden Organic how the little red worms arrive in the bin and, though they are normally pretty scientific in their answers, they freely admit that the worms ...just arrive. I always start a new bin with a good shovel of horse manure so I don't have to rely on the worm fairy
Some things are best not composted at home. Many teabags aren't paper-based but are made of some sort of polypropylene stuff, which explains why they still pop up in my veg patch 7 years after I put them in the compost. Now I empty teabags out into my composting bucket, and throw the outers in the bin - my OH thinks I'm mad...
The starch based compost bucket liners are supposed to be compostable but they too reappear for years in the garden - apparently they need heat (as produced in commercial compost systems) to break down properly.
Don't compost any cooked food because it encourages rats.
You can compost poo and bedding from herbivores but not carnivores. Urine is a good compost activator (it speeds up the process).
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Re teabags - as the bags don't compost well I have a pot by the sink and throw them in there and when they reach the top slit the bags and put in tea leaves/dust in the compost. It's a bit messy but doesn't take long to do.
I think the little red worms are the ones that started off very often in horse manure, maybe cattle or sheep too. Starting a new heap a few shovelfuls from a wormy old heap will work as Artjak said or if a heap seems to have gone v slow I put some extra worms in. It's a bit like making yogurt, and, no, I don't put wormy compost in my yogurt.
i put all weeds on the heap with the exception of couch grass, bishp's weed and bindweed. Blood runs cold at the thought! Box trimmings wont break down either.
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Mine don't stand on soil, the little red worms that are in the compost bin are not the same as your average earth worm. I have asked Garden Organic how the little red worms arrive in the bin and, though they are normally pretty scientific in their answers, they freely admit that the worms ...just arrive. I always start a new bin with a good shovel of horse manure so I don't have to rely on the worm fairy
Don't put in crocosmia bulbs..........and cut everything up as small as possible so it breaks down quicker.
Some things are best not composted at home. Many teabags aren't paper-based but are made of some sort of polypropylene stuff, which explains why they still pop up in my veg patch 7 years after I put them in the compost. Now I empty teabags out into my composting bucket, and throw the outers in the bin - my OH thinks I'm mad...
The starch based compost bucket liners are supposed to be compostable but they too reappear for years in the garden - apparently they need heat (as produced in commercial compost systems) to break down properly.
Don't compost any cooked food because it encourages rats.
You can compost poo and bedding from herbivores but not carnivores. Urine is a good compost activator (it speeds up the process).
Re teabags - as the bags don't compost well I have a pot by the sink and throw them in there and when they reach the top slit the bags and put in tea leaves/dust in the compost. It's a bit messy but doesn't take long to do.
Thanks very much folks, its been very informative
You may get some little ghostly potato plants growing from your peelings, don't worry, just fork them into the compost.
Still trying to work out whether we're talking about the council green waste bin or home composter
In the sticks near Peterborough
Nut, I think it is a home composter
I think the little red worms are the ones that started off very often in horse manure, maybe cattle or sheep too. Starting a new heap a few shovelfuls from a wormy old heap will work as Artjak said or if a heap seems to have gone v slow I put some extra worms in. It's a bit like making yogurt, and, no, I don't put wormy compost in my yogurt.
i put all weeds on the heap with the exception of couch grass, bishp's weed and bindweed. Blood runs cold at the thought! Box trimmings wont break down either.