I've never had the nerve to rot perennial roots separately, as described by Jimmy Crawford - I've used other people's compost (I worked as a gardener for a while) where I had to sieve it before use, to remove the couch grass roots etc, and it's such a waste of time... My compost bins are in the shade (I face NE) so it's hard to get them really hot. But maybe I'll have a go with a bucket of dandelion roots and see what happens. Thanks for the tip!
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I have an open topped composter [home made from pallets] into which I put all weeds. It is watered each time a new batch is put in and covered with a piece of carpet. I leave it for 18 months before using. Hard to tell if it increases the weeds on my plots but it makes lovely compost.
It's impossible to keep an allotment plot weed free anyway any plot left unattended for a couple of months will revert back to the wild so weeds go hand in hand with allotments in my humble opinion.
As a rule, any non-persistent, non-seeding weeds can go in even an anaerobic heap. Things like chickweed, grass, dandelion, nettle and dock leaves (but not flowers/seeds or roots) are all OK and valuable material. The non-compostable ones are best used to make a liquid feed - soak them in a dustbin full of water for a few months. When the smell becomes really vile, pour off the liquid and dilute it for use, and the semi-solid gunk at the bottom can then go on the heap.
If you can get your heap hot enough (by bacterial action, not sunshine) then it should kill anything, including dandelion roots and disease spores but I've rarely encountered a domestic heap that'll do this! Put them in the green bin if you like - the council heaps will get hot enough.
GWRS - the old compost from pots and growbags is a good soil conditioner and won't have any persistent weeds in it, so it's best put straight in the soil.
Steve 309 , I also put it straight on beds as well and yes it is a good soil conditioner
Lincolnshire County Council , give a card that you get stamped each time you take garden wast to the tip and after 6 you get a free bag of compost , I have found it to be excellent
When I took on my allotment 3 years ago it was 5 foot high in weeds, which had seeded. No matter how vigelant, up the little blighter come. As they say, one weed - three years seed -- or is it seven. Or ten?
It is a bit addictive..a lot of our time is taken up with compost. There will be enough to put a good layer over all my borders and I have been using throughout the year as well.
we had a friend once who messed about with logs like that, all stood on one end then turned then pulled out for rotation, ours just got chucked on however they came.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I put mainly food waste in my compost bin, with a few leaves and stems of cut-back plants. I am very careful to exclude anything that spreads (like vinca, japanese anemone and montbretia) and I also exclude weeds.
I do sometimes put in plants with seed heads provided that I like the plants that might grow from the seeds, such as nasturtiums, tomatoes, beans, hollyhocks and wallflowers.
I don't object to a few rogue plants sprouting in odd areas of the garden, I just don't want more weeds, or diseased plants, as I can't keep up with removing them.
Posts
I've never had the nerve to rot perennial roots separately, as described by Jimmy Crawford - I've used other people's compost (I worked as a gardener for a while) where I had to sieve it before use, to remove the couch grass roots etc, and it's such a waste of time... My compost bins are in the shade (I face NE) so it's hard to get them really hot. But maybe I'll have a go with a bucket of dandelion roots and see what happens. Thanks for the tip!
The only thing I don't chuck in my bins is bindweed roots. Everything else goes in,dandelions, buttercups , docks ,the lot.
I have an open topped composter [home made from pallets] into which I put all weeds. It is watered each time a new batch is put in and covered with a piece of carpet. I leave it for 18 months before using. Hard to tell if it increases the weeds on my plots but it makes lovely compost.
It's impossible to keep an allotment plot weed free anyway any plot left unattended for a couple of months will revert back to the wild so weeds go hand in hand with allotments in my humble opinion.
As a rule, any non-persistent, non-seeding weeds can go in even an anaerobic heap. Things like chickweed, grass, dandelion, nettle and dock leaves (but not flowers/seeds or roots) are all OK and valuable material. The non-compostable ones are best used to make a liquid feed - soak them in a dustbin full of water for a few months. When the smell becomes really vile, pour off the liquid and dilute it for use, and the semi-solid gunk at the bottom can then go on the heap.
If you can get your heap hot enough (by bacterial action, not sunshine) then it should kill anything, including dandelion roots and disease spores but I've rarely encountered a domestic heap that'll do this! Put them in the green bin if you like - the council heaps will get hot enough.
GWRS - the old compost from pots and growbags is a good soil conditioner and won't have any persistent weeds in it, so it's best put straight in the soil.
Does yours get hot, Hosta?
Steve 309 , I also put it straight on beds as well and yes it is a good soil conditioner
Lincolnshire County Council , give a card that you get stamped each time you take garden wast to the tip and after 6 you get a free bag of compost , I have found it to be excellent
When I took on my allotment 3 years ago it was 5 foot high in weeds, which had seeded. No matter how vigelant, up the little blighter come. As they say, one weed - three years seed -- or is it seven. Or ten?
Steve, I once put a thermometer into a compost bin and it was 120F.
Because of my crappy knee,I've not made so much this year, but last year I think I made about 25( yes, twenty five) tons of compost.
I'm a bit of an addict.
It is a bit addictive..a lot of our time is taken up with compost. There will be enough to put a good layer over all my borders and I have been using throughout the year as well.
we had a friend once who messed about with logs like that, all stood on one end then turned then pulled out for rotation, ours just got chucked on however they came.
I put mainly food waste in my compost bin, with a few leaves and stems of cut-back plants. I am very careful to exclude anything that spreads (like vinca, japanese anemone and montbretia) and I also exclude weeds.
I do sometimes put in plants with seed heads provided that I like the plants that might grow from the seeds, such as nasturtiums, tomatoes, beans, hollyhocks and wallflowers.
I don't object to a few rogue plants sprouting in odd areas of the garden, I just don't want more weeds, or diseased plants, as I can't keep up with removing them.