On 11/08/2011 23:44, Christina Websell wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:59:28 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
Bonfires are completely unneccessary, all you need is a shredder for
garden
waste.
If you have a smallish garden, perhaps.

If you have a big garden then surely you have room for a big pile?
--

Yes, I have 2 big compost heaps aided by my chickens poo, and I have a
shredder but my garden is 1/4 acre and has so many shrubs& trees to be
pruned that I cannot use all the mulch or have it decompose in the compost
heap without it getting out of control and not working.

That sounds a bit surprising. I have a slightly larger 1/3 acre and find
that provided I cut the grass and put it on top of the last lot of
prunings they will get hot enough to eat all but the thickest stems.

I do burn some thicker stuff but mostly diseased wood and things like
raspberry canes that occur too late in the season to rot down in time
for next year. I reckon most of what it written on the web about
balancing compost heaps is nonsense. It doesn't matter provided that you
add enough material at one time that it gets really hot inside.

I have three heaps which helps provide more time for them to mature. It
would not all fit into two heaps without compromising the quality.

I defend my right to have a bonfire occasionally, so far down the garden it
does not harm anyone - my neighbour cannot even see it and has no idea I
even had one.

So do I. But I reckon you could probably compost more of the thin stuff.
My problem is finding enough places to put the compost on.

Regards,
Martin Brown