If you are that worried why don't you get some and leave it in a heap to see what comes up if you aren't happy with it put it back in the council recycling bin.
How do you know what goes into a bag of Verve, arthur bowers etc, we will never know. As these places that make compost on a large scale for comercial purposes heat it far more than we can, I would think it ok.
Top soil, thats another problem, I would never buy that. Someone I knew bought a lorry load it was full of knotweed and weeds.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I had no option but to buy topsoil for my garden in Northumberland, constructed on what had been a concrete farmyard. Maybe I was lucky, but it was excellent stuff, with no major weed problems.
Castle Morpeth produced an award-winning municipal compost which we bought and used a few times, with no problems. I don't know what happens to the municipal compost made locally to me here, in the pennines.
If you read the reports in Gardening Which you can find out (roughly) what goes into commercial composts. They also do comparitive brand testing, which can be really useful; the difference between plants grown in "best buy" and "do not buy" composts is remarkable. I now always use their recommendations for seed sowing, because seedlings are so sensitive to nutrient levels etc.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I regularly use my council's (Wiltshire) compost-- and I have to pay £1/bag (if I bag it myself.) I've not had a problem with it. Your council is hot composting the materials so perennial weeds should be killed. It's important to note that it's designed as a soil conditioner or mulch and not a planting medium by itself. There's no point in recycling your green waste if people are willing to use the resultant product. You have to create a market to make it worthwhile for your council! Most peat-free multi-purpose composts are using materials from somewhere. I'm guessing they buy material from councils. And there is no such thing as sustainable peat farming. It takes 1000s of years to put down peat.
If my council GAVE away compost, I'd be all over that.
Some time ago at our gardening club,the speakers car broke down on the way, so one of the members nipped home and brought some vhs tapes about Central TV gardening shows which he had taped, there was a TV and player already in the hall!
As far as I can remember the presenters were Howard ??, Clay Jones and Arthur Billet.
Part of the programme was about composting with Arthur the main man, he said never put any seeding plants in the compost bin as it never got hot enough to kill the seeds!
He explained he had been a research scientist at some government station and done experiments over the years and no matter what materials they used they were unable to get the heaps hot enough and there was always seedlings with the end product!
As far as the council official are concerned about the heaps beening hot enough, like politicians they speak with forked tongues!
The two programmes that was shown were very good as were the presenters!
My ground elder roots go in my green bin (council waste) along with nettles, tree elder, brambles and those horrid things that creep everywhere, woody roots, don't know what they're called but would never put them in my compost. Having said that, I once had a full raised bed filled with council compost by a gardener and apart from finding golf tees, old tights and lots of bits of plastic and garden ties, I wasn't bothered with weeds at all (Cambridgeshire).
I want to top up my rose bed what should i use topsoil or compost. I lives in Manchester. And where should i buy? And what could be the price for 1 tonne bag.. any advice. Thank you.
Posts
If you are that worried why don't you get some and leave it in a heap to see what comes up if you aren't happy with it put it back in the council recycling bin.
My council wont sell it or give it away.
How do you know what goes into a bag of Verve, arthur bowers etc, we will never know. As these places that make compost on a large scale for comercial purposes heat it far more than we can, I would think it ok.
Top soil, thats another problem, I would never buy that. Someone I knew bought a lorry load it was full of knotweed and weeds.
I had no option but to buy topsoil for my garden in Northumberland, constructed on what had been a concrete farmyard. Maybe I was lucky, but it was excellent stuff, with no major weed problems.
Castle Morpeth produced an award-winning municipal compost which we bought and used a few times, with no problems. I don't know what happens to the municipal compost made locally to me here, in the pennines.
If you read the reports in Gardening Which you can find out (roughly) what goes into commercial composts. They also do comparitive brand testing, which can be really useful; the difference between plants grown in "best buy" and "do not buy" composts is remarkable. I now always use their recommendations for seed sowing, because seedlings are so sensitive to nutrient levels etc.
I regularly use my council's (Wiltshire) compost-- and I have to pay £1/bag (if I bag it myself.) I've not had a problem with it. Your council is hot composting the materials so perennial weeds should be killed. It's important to note that it's designed as a soil conditioner or mulch and not a planting medium by itself. There's no point in recycling your green waste if people are willing to use the resultant product. You have to create a market to make it worthwhile for your council! Most peat-free multi-purpose composts are using materials from somewhere. I'm guessing they buy material from councils. And there is no such thing as sustainable peat farming. It takes 1000s of years to put down peat.
If my council GAVE away compost, I'd be all over that.
Re Heating up composts!
Some time ago at our gardening club,the speakers car broke down on the way, so one of the members nipped home and brought some vhs tapes about Central TV gardening shows which he had taped, there was a TV and player already in the hall!
As far as I can remember the presenters were Howard ??, Clay Jones and Arthur Billet.
Part of the programme was about composting with Arthur the main man, he said never put any seeding plants in the compost bin as it never got hot enough to kill the seeds!
He explained he had been a research scientist at some government station and done experiments over the years and no matter what materials they used they were unable to get the heaps hot enough and there was always seedlings with the end product!
As far as the council official are concerned about the heaps beening hot enough, like politicians they speak with forked tongues!
The two programmes that was shown were very good as were the presenters!
The only stuff I don't compost is bindweed and ground elder, everything else goes in ,even docks and weeds in seed.
I've done it this way for almost 40 years and have never had a problem.
I one pulled a thermometer out of a compost bin and it was reading 120F
Edd, to be fair, I had inserted said thermometer a few minutes earlier.
I pulled a pair of secateurs out of mine the other day, never found a thermometer though.
I dont put anything to do with tomatoes in my compost bin, they sprout up everywhere. And like hostafan, never ground elder or creeping buttercups.
My ground elder roots go in my green bin (council waste) along with nettles, tree elder, brambles and those horrid things that creep everywhere, woody roots, don't know what they're called but would never put them in my compost. Having said that, I once had a full raised bed filled with council compost by a gardener and apart from finding golf tees, old tights and lots of bits of plastic and garden ties, I wasn't bothered with weeds at all (Cambridgeshire).
Hi
I want to top up my rose bed what should i use topsoil or compost. I lives in Manchester. And where should i buy? And what could be the price for 1 tonne bag.. any advice. Thank you.
Last edited: 15 April 2017 03:42:03