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Composting garden waste

Hello everyone,

I started gathering some green garden waste about a year ago with the idea in mind that it would eventually degrade.

I put in there grass cuttings, dead leaves from a tree in the back lane and weeds (brambles, nettle and all sorts) that I pick up mainly from the lane.

A year on, and a layer of soil starts to form at the bottom. It looks very much like soil with quite a few worms.

I would like to think that this soil is fertile and could be used in the garden but I am wondering if the weeds that broke down will thrive in it as well. Their "seeds" are likely to be somewhere inside.

Is it worth using this soil in the garden or is it better to leave it as it is in order to keep the weeds at bay?

Any contribution appreciated.

Thank you

Posts

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    When you are more experienced in compost making you will learn never to put anything seedy in, nore roots of perennial plants like nettles and dandelions.  But if your compost is hot enough the heat will deal with most nasties.

    Keep at it and you'll have fertility for your garden.

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,888

    apart from ground elder and bindweed, I chuck everything in mine, have done for almost 30 years. 

    Nettle roots are bright yellow so can easily be removed and chucked back into the "fresh" bin. If it's recognisable, chuck it back in, if it looks like " soil" I use it. 

    If stuff is chopped up and it gets hot enough, seeds will die, if it doesn't get hot enough, it's not being done properly. 

    Most weeds are easily spotted and removed by  hoeing or hand weeding. 

    Devon.
  • cornellycornelly Posts: 970

    I shred as much as possible, but lawn clippings go straight onto the compost heap, plus green waste from the kitchen, have two heaps so turn from one to the other every three months or so.

  • I make about 20 cu. yds. of compost but it can take anything up to 18 months before it comes out at the other end after many moves.  The only things that are absolute no-no are brassica roots and potato roots and haulms.

    There are some photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/norwichhouse-oakridge/albums/72157655792756058

    Last edited: 16 October 2016 17:24:53

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,477

    @d to pick through the stuff I put on the heap. Sometimes there are seedlings that are in the right place so I leave them.  And they're your own weeds, so you know what you're getting.

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Thanks everybody for your contributions. I know what I have to do now. I had the feeling that it was all too easy...

  • Hi, I've decided to start green composting (I use bokashi for my food waste) , I intend to use grass cuttings and leaves etc much like the original post, my only concern is getting the compost hot enough, my compost heap is at the back of the shed and doesnt get much light,  would purchasing a tumbling composter be a good idea?

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    A tumbler adds air every time you turn it. That sppeds up the composting process. If you can afford it and only have a small amount of stuff to compost, fair enough. A compost heap doesn't need light. If you have a lot of stuff to compost, the cubic metre bays made out of pallets, with regular turning into the next bay, does the job.

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