help! potatoes growing in compost
 

Any suggestions as to what to do next?

background: I opened the lid of the compost bin this weekend and found
all these white triffid-like tendrils reaching up out of the dark.
Very scary. I traced them to a few rotten spuds I chopped up a while
ago. I haven't done anything about it yet... but growing spuds wasn't
exactly part of the game plan - tiny garden, etc

I've read earlier threads about why not to put potato peelings on the
heap, but since a) it's too late and b) I don't have a veg plot , I'm
wondering what to do now and what this means about my compost (this is
my first year gardening).

Is the silo too dry? cold? something else? Will the spuds leech
nutrients for their growth? (one shoot had even squeezed out through
the hatch at the bottom and sprung a leaf already).

If left to grow, will they produce more potatoes? In how long? And
without any light? Or will this just take up all the space in the bin?

Many thanks for any advice.
Katharine

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article ,
(Katharine Mill) writes:
| Any suggestions as to what to do next?
|
| background: I opened the lid of the compost bin this weekend and found
| all these white triffid-like tendrils reaching up out of the dark.
| Very scary. I traced them to a few rotten spuds I chopped up a while
| ago. I haven't done anything about it yet... but growing spuds wasn't
| exactly part of the game plan - tiny garden, etc

They do that ....

| I've read earlier threads about why not to put potato peelings on the
| heap, but since a) it's too late and b) I don't have a veg plot , I'm
| wondering what to do now and what this means about my compost (this is
| my first year gardening).

Not a lot ....

| Is the silo too dry? cold? something else? Will the spuds leech
| nutrients for their growth? (one shoot had even squeezed out through
| the hatch at the bottom and sprung a leaf already).

If it is a 'hot' heap, then it is too cold. Anything they leach
will be returned when you compost them.

| If left to grow, will they produce more potatoes? In how long? And
| without any light? Or will this just take up all the space in the bin?

Not very well without light. Just break off the shoots and carry
on composting :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Katharine
Mill writes
Any suggestions as to what to do next?

background: I opened the lid of the compost bin this weekend and found
all these white triffid-like tendrils reaching up out of the dark.
Very scary. I traced them to a few rotten spuds I chopped up a while
ago. I haven't done anything about it yet... but growing spuds wasn't
exactly part of the game plan - tiny garden, etc

I've read earlier threads about why not to put potato peelings on the
heap, but since a) it's too late and b) I don't have a veg plot , I'm
wondering what to do now and what this means about my compost (this is
my first year gardening).

Is the silo too dry?

No

cold?

no

something else?

No. Sounds good enough to me!

Will the spuds leech
nutrients for their growth? (one shoot had even squeezed out through
the hatch at the bottom and sprung a leaf already).

They will, but if you don't want the spuds, breaking the shoots off and
putting them back in the heap will recycle the nutrients.

If left to grow, will they produce more potatoes?

Yes.

In how long?

At the end of this season. the size of potato will depend on the size of
the piece of peel you started with and the vigour of the plant. You'll
get at least marble size and possibly larger - marbles can be chucked
back into the heap to grow into bigger potatoes next year.

And
without any light?

They would like some light.

Or will this just take up all the space in the bin?

No, but it'll make it difficult to get compost out.

If you have a single compost bin, best bet is to just break off the
tendrils and let them rot down with all the new stuff you're adding.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

Kay Easton wrote in message


thanks Nick and Kay.
Advice much appreciated. I'll break them up and poke them in, I think,
as I only have the one bin. I've also noticed quite a lot of ants and
woodlice crawling around in it. Is that OK too?
Katharine

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Katharine
Mill writes
Kay Easton wrote in message


thanks Nick and Kay.
Advice much appreciated. I'll break them up and poke them in, I think,
as I only have the one bin. I've also noticed quite a lot of ants and
woodlice crawling around in it. Is that OK too?

Too dry
You often get woodlice in the dry bits around the edges, but you
shouldn't get them in too much of it.
Try watering it, with water, water from cooking veg, tea, or 'recycled
beer' if you want a good accelerator.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:
In article , Katharine
Mill writes

Advice much appreciated. I'll break them up and poke them in, I think,
as I only have the one bin. I've also noticed quite a lot of ants and
woodlice crawling around in it. Is that OK too?

Too dry
You often get woodlice in the dry bits around the edges, but you
shouldn't get them in too much of it.
Try watering it, with water, water from cooking veg, tea, or 'recycled
beer' if you want a good accelerator.

Yup. But don't worry, anyway. I often find that there is a sheet
of woodlice in my heap when turning it over. That indicates that
it was too dry at that level in the heap, so the solution is just
to wet it and let it rot down some more.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Katharine
Mill writes
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in message
sx.cam.ac.uk...
In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:

good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Just how much wee is required then? Is it just a high nitrogen activator
to start the process off or should it be a regular additive, ie. a few
pints each week?

--
Paul Flackett

Remove _bra to reply by e-mail.

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Victor Meldrew
writes
In article , Katharine
Mill writes
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in message

sx.cam.ac.uk...
In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:

good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Just how much wee is required then? Is it just a high nitrogen activator
to start the process off or should it be a regular additive, ie. a few
pints each week?

The best compost I ever made consisted of lapsang suchong tea leaves,
potato peelings and other vegetable waste, and about 2 pints daily of
wee
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

Katharine Mill wrote:
good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Can / should you still do this if you're using composting worms?

Andrew
--
Andrew Wells
Replace nospam with my first name to reach me

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Andrew Wells
writes
Katharine Mill wrote:
good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Can / should you still do this if you're using composting worms?

Why not?
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:
In article , Andrew Wells
writes
Katharine Mill wrote:

good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Can / should you still do this if you're using composting worms?

Why not?

If you add it directly they retreat into their burrows like pistons.

--
Tony
Replace solidi with dots to reply: tony/anson snailything zetnet/co/uk

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

In article , Anthony E Anson
writes
The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:
In article , Andrew Wells
writes
Katharine Mill wrote:

good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Can / should you still do this if you're using composting worms?

Why not?

If you add it directly they retreat into their burrows like pistons.

Yeah, but worms aren't usually in the top inch or two of compost.

You were talking about Lumbricus, presumably?
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

help! potatoes growing in compost
 

The message
from Anthony E Anson contains these words:

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:
In article , Andrew Wells
writes
Katharine Mill wrote:

good stuff. Time I revived that 'slops' bucket ;-)

Can / should you still do this if you're using composting worms?

Why not?

If you add it directly they retreat into their burrows like pistons.

That's because they were ****ed-on worms...

Janet