In article ,
stuart noble wrote:
On 06/10/2013 19:01, Jake wrote:
On Sun, 06 Oct 2013 18:51:23 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

If I have old compost I either put it on the compost heap, of if its
texture is not too bad, mix it with an equal amount of fresh compost
and add a little slow-release fertiliser, either synthetic such as
Osmocote, or organic such as blood, fish and bone.

If you have borders as well as tubs, it's often the case that
perennials will benefit from some winter protection. When I empty my
tubs/planters/baskets at the end of the season, the plants go on the
compost heap and the compost goes on the borders. It'll provide that
bit of protection for the plant stumps and, with the effort of the
worms, will improve the soil structure.

And it's not at all odd that after 20+ years of doing this, my borders
haven't risen a foot or so!

I can't fathom this. When bought compost has been used for a year, what
is it you're left with? Whatever it is, we are told it has no nutrients
to speak of, yet eventually it breaks down into something that occupies
no space.

Try carbon dioxide and water!

I re-use the same compost in my containers with no appreciable reduction
in fertility. Yes, I mix in a bit of chicken manure when re-planting in
the spring but sometimes I wonder if even that that is essential. My
impression is that there is plenty of nutrition left in the decomposing
organic matter, but of course I have no scientific justification for
that :-)

You have some. As my potting compost is 50% soil (sandy loam) and
50% compost heap (everything, including unwary salesmen), I don't
bother about reusing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.