Delighted to hear so many people are taking up composting. Jane, have you got space for a compost bin? Alternatively a proper worm bin is ideal for composting kitchen waste. I've been using a Can 'O Worms bin continually for about 12 years now (I think I was one of the first in the country to have one). Into it goes all vegetable peelings, banana skins, crushed egg shells, etc, but NO cooked food, and NO citrus fruit (too acidic for the worms). Remember that a large proportion of this vegetable waste is water, so a liquid has to be drained from the base of the bin, which can be diluted as a liquid feed.
And Maddie, compost bins can be made easily from linking together four old wooden pallets to make sides. However, this could be too big for you. Could I recommend you (or your parents) phone the council and ask if they have free or discounted compost bins available. Some councils do give them free to their residents, while others sell them very cheap. It's worth asking!
Using washing up water to water the garden - I have been saving used water, but have not put it on the garden yet, as I am not sure if it will be O.K. I have run out of water from the butts in this hot weather. Also have just gone onto water metre. Can anyone please advise. Thanks
I'm vegetarian so I put all my food waste on the compost heap, with no problems. Even the odd bit of stale cheese or sour milk. Last summer, my loo was faulty for two days and (warning :the following is rather indelicate) it was easier to use a bucket. Trying to make the best of it, I set up an experiment in one of my plastic composters. I used a big bag of leaves meant for leaf mold but I didn't get around to it, grass cuttings and ...er... the contents of the bucket. Well, cows and horses are veggies and we use theirs, don't we? Last week I sieved a barrow load of the most beautiful leaf-moldy compost that my large collection of potted ferns will love.
I have numerous composters in my small garden, a greencone which takes all foods, even animal droppings and bones,a wormery, and 2 compost bins, and a metal cage type composter,which is now used for growing rhubarb with great success, I find if the compost is not breaking down well in a bin I put it into another bin and move the empty bin to another corner of the garden and start again. i have 4 cats and no rats at all. I found that laying large cardboard boxes on top of weeds for a few weeks clears the weeds, then i compost the cardboard. i have a small garden but lots of containers of flowers which grow very well using the compost.
Have been composting for a couple of years and thought it was only raw vegetables that could be composted. Heard last week that cooked vegetables could also be used - is this true?
Janis, I wouldn't personally put cooked vegetables onto my compost heap, and would stick to raw and uncooked material. There is a system of composting called Bokashi Composting that can 'digest' all cooked food, but I haven't evaluated it yet. Search for 'bokashi' on the web and you'll find plenty of information. You add EM bacteria (effective microbes in a bran material) to the food waste in a special bucket. I actually have a kit at home, so must give it a go and report back in a future blog.
Hi there, Great site for info. I have a question, have seen a cat litter that states can be put into compost bin(believe it is wood pellets) but every where says not to, can understand the "smelly" not going in but what about "wet"? If anyone has any answers would be great to find out.
We are currently have a Rat problem in Tamworth of what can only be described as biblical proportions since the local council distributed free compost bins - it has been scientifically proven that banana skins attract swarms of frenzied rats which tunnel up under the compost bins -so be warned yes to green kitchen wastes - but beware the yellow peril.
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And Maddie, compost bins can be made easily from linking together four old wooden pallets to make sides. However, this could be too big for you. Could I recommend you (or your parents) phone the council and ask if they have free or discounted compost bins available. Some councils do give them free to their residents, while others sell them very cheap. It's worth asking!
i have 4 cats and no rats at all. I found that laying large cardboard boxes on top of weeds for a few weeks clears the weeds, then i compost the cardboard. i have a small garden but lots of containers of flowers which grow very well using the compost.