Composting Help?
November 10, 2009 by Composting
Filed under Composting Q&A's
Emma W asked:
Can anyone recommend something to help my compost along? I have only just got a compost bin and have been putting grass cuttings and food scraps in it, but I would like to speed up the composting process so I can get more in!!! I have heard about products you can buy to help it along but are they any good? Do they work? Are they safe? Will they affect my future compost?
Thanks to those who advised not to put food scraps in. The scraps are not cooked, I just meant veggie peelings and carrots that have gone a bit mouldy in the veggie rack!!!! My dogs eat all the cooked scraps, they would kill me if I composted them instead of them eating them!!!!!
Can anyone recommend something to help my compost along? I have only just got a compost bin and have been putting grass cuttings and food scraps in it, but I would like to speed up the composting process so I can get more in!!! I have heard about products you can buy to help it along but are they any good? Do they work? Are they safe? Will they affect my future compost?
Thanks to those who advised not to put food scraps in. The scraps are not cooked, I just meant veggie peelings and carrots that have gone a bit mouldy in the veggie rack!!!! My dogs eat all the cooked scraps, they would kill me if I composted them instead of them eating them!!!!!
Rudebox77 on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 10:51 pm
Have you tried manure?
sfacets on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 9:49 am
Earthworms are great…. the more the better, they really churn it all up… also the moister/warmer the faster the decomposition.
bty937915 on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 12:19 pm
Gerota is a good product for helping to rot down, and is safe, also use plenty of water to keep the compost wet.
piglet on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 5:43 am
put worms in there, in our house we compost all our fruit and veg waste, tea bags, egg shells, etc and garden waste and we have garden worms in there which help the composting along
syzdday on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 7:55 am
try some manure also put lime in it also , it should be hot to kill any grass seeds in it .If it is a tumbler compost bin be sure to turn it when you can .
brack706 on Wed, 18th Nov 2009 7:02 pm
Previous answer re; warmth and humidity was spot on, so if you have an open or semi-enclosed heap, put a piece of old carpet over it (upside down) to help keep it warm and wet. Plastic sheeting also helps.
Felidae on Mon, 23rd Nov 2009 6:31 pm
I’d suggest that you don’t put in too much grass, but a lot of your gardening (None seeding, non flowering) cuttings.
Coffee grounds and tea bags, none processed vegetables (ie; not cooked), etc.
You should have at least two composting bins; one for this year which you then Turn over into the other bin and then leave for another year. You star filling the now empty bin and, at the end of next year, empty this years compost into the garden and then Turn over the new compost into that bin and then repeat.
Composting is a long process - and I’d not recommend chemicals doing something that nature does very well already; it just takes a bit of time.
Orla C on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 2:39 am
It needs to be reasonably aerated, so you could put bits of branches in it also, helps it along. I’d be a bit slow to put in the grass cuttings, simply because as that breaks down it can form a great bit sludge and really obstruct the process. Sprinkle that in in very small amounts, what you can’t fit in just dump over a hedge into a field, or in a ditch.
What else can you put into a composter? Torn up unbleached and uninked cardboard, apparently worms love it and get stuck in right away. What can work as a catalyst is human urine - I know, it sounds disgusting, but it does get the stuff humming along nicely. Just pee in a bucket occasionally and throw it on your composting pile. My mother’s been doing it for years, her compost is the best.
who's in love with Pandora on Thu, 26th Nov 2009 12:32 am
Emma sorry to tell you but you should not include food scraps in your composter as this encourages vermin.
You ought to buy a wormery for the food scraps and just use the composter for peelings, some grass cuttings but do not overload with them and turn regularly. For a composter to be efficient it needs to be at a constant heat in the middle. You can achieve this by laying and old carpet over as this will help to keep the centre of the compost warm.
If you want to kick start your compost heap buy Goratta from garden centre or DIY store this will speed up the process and is harmless.
Things to include in composter:
Peelings;
Egg shells;
Tea bags;
Dust from Vacuum;
Dead Flowers;
Weeds but not perennials;
Torn up egg cartons;
Old vegetables.
Grass cuttings
Wormery;
Food scraps;
Unused pet food;
Try this website for further info en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compost
I grew new potatoes this year using the material broken down in my composter…they were just delicious.
Happy composting.
tricky on Fri, 27th Nov 2009 7:23 am
emma never ever put food scraps in your compost bin! To help everything rot down use Garotta* found at any good garden centre. happy gardening.
c on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 10:41 pm
a good compost should not need any amendments.. look at the bottom of your compost.. are there worms? sounds like you have too many greens.. you need some browns in there too.. dead leaves.. add some shredded newspaper..to speed up the process.. turn the compost more often. but compost usually takes awhile.. here is a good web sit to help you out
Bill P on Sun, 29th Nov 2009 6:16 am
You really don’t hurry compost, it does things by itself. About the only help necessary is to go to the heap with a garden fork or a pitch fork, and turn it about once a month.