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Compost bin
I am very new to gardening so forgive me if my question is facile. I got a
compost bin free from my local council - it's one of those large black ones that looks a bit like a Dalek :-) I put my organic kitchen and garden waste in there. Every time I take the lid off I am greeted by a swarm of smallish flies (I guess they're not really "flies"). Is this normal? Would this indicate that my compost is not well? Any answers would be gratefully received. Regards, Gavin |
In article , gavin wrote:
I am very new to gardening so forgive me if my question is facile. I got a compost bin free from my local council - it's one of those large black ones that looks a bit like a Dalek :-) I put my organic kitchen and garden waste in there. Every time I take the lid off I am greeted by a swarm of smallish flies (I guess they're not really "flies"). Is this normal? Would this indicate that my compost is not well? Yes and no, respectively :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , gavin wrote: I am very new to gardening so forgive me if my question is facile. I got a compost bin free from my local council - it's one of those large black ones that looks a bit like a Dalek :-) I put my organic kitchen and garden waste in there. Every time I take the lid off I am greeted by a swarm of smallish flies (I guess they're not really "flies"). Is this normal? Would this indicate that my compost is not well? Yes and no, respectively :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. Care to enlighten me, Nick :-) |
In article , gavin wrote:
I am very new to gardening so forgive me if my question is facile. I got a compost bin free from my local council - it's one of those large black ones that looks a bit like a Dalek :-) I put my organic kitchen and garden waste in there. Every time I take the lid off I am greeted by a swarm of smallish flies (I guess they're not really "flies"). Is this normal? Would this indicate that my compost is not well? Yes and no, respectively :-) Care to enlighten me, Nick :-) Yes, it's normal. No, it does not indicate a problem with your compost. They are probably true flies, called by gardeners compost flies, but could be any number of species. Ignore them. They tickle, stick to paint, and otherwise make minor nuisances of themselves, but so what? Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , gavin wrote: I am very new to gardening so forgive me if my question is facile. I got a compost bin free from my local council - it's one of those large black ones that looks a bit like a Dalek :-) I put my organic kitchen and garden waste in there. Every time I take the lid off I am greeted by a swarm of smallish flies (I guess they're not really "flies"). Is this normal? Would this indicate that my compost is not well? Yes and no, respectively :-) Care to enlighten me, Nick :-) Yes, it's normal. No, it does not indicate a problem with your compost. They are probably true flies, called by gardeners compost flies, but could be any number of species. Ignore them. They tickle, stick to paint, and otherwise make minor nuisances of themselves, but so what? Regards, Nick Maclaren. Thanks very much Nick. I must be pretty thick because I read your first response as No, it's not normal and Yes it does indicate a problem with your compost! Good grief - get a grip, man! Regards, Gavin |
In article , gavin wrote:
Thanks very much Nick. I must be pretty thick because I read your first response as No, it's not normal and Yes it does indicate a problem with your compost! Good grief - get a grip, man! Not really. I was once a tolerable pure mathematician, and still tend to think (and post) that way. Don't ask about the joke about the physicist, statistician and mathematician .... Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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On the topic of compost, does anyone have a good suggestion as to how
to deal with a lot of grass cuttings? I'm told (& have seen) that if I put too much grass on the compost heap I end up with a dark, soggy, smelly mass. What is the best suggestion for diluting the grass? |
Nick Maclaren wrote:
Not really. I was once a tolerable pure mathematician, and still tend to think (and post) that way. Don't ask about the joke about the physicist, statistician and mathematician .... I used to be a physicist, enlighten me. in return I can offer one about the Engineer, the chemist and the economist. pk |
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , gavin wrote: Thanks very much Nick. I must be pretty thick because I read your first response as No, it's not normal and Yes it does indicate a problem with your compost! Good grief - get a grip, man! Not really. I was once a tolerable pure mathematician, and still tend to think (and post) that way. Don't ask about the joke about the physicist, statistician and mathematician .... Since you don't want Gavin to ask it, I will. Franz Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
"Dave_R." wrote in message ... On the topic of compost, does anyone have a good suggestion as to how to deal with a lot of grass cuttings? I'm told (& have seen) that if I put too much grass on the compost heap I end up with a dark, soggy, smelly mass. What is the best suggestion for diluting the grass? The best solution is to add plenty of other biodegradable stuff. Kitchen waste excluding meat fish and bones which will attract foxes and rats. Prunings from garden plants Cardboard boxes ripped up Kitchen paper [used] Pets cage droppings {hampsters birds etc] used vegetable oil news paper The list is endless copped up wollen cardigans can also be added but do take off the buttons they dont tend to rot! Diane |
In message , Dave_R.
writes On the topic of compost, does anyone have a good suggestion as to how to deal with a lot of grass cuttings? I'm told (& have seen) that if I put too much grass on the compost heap I end up with a dark, soggy, smelly mass. What is the best suggestion for diluting the grass? For certain values of "too much" this must be true, but I have no problems at all adding roughly 1-2m^3 of grass clippings to mine every week. It immediately starts rotting and reaches a peak temperature of 70-80C internally after a couple of days (slightly funny stale smell of short chain fatty acids). It then slumps and I turn it over to mix in and finish the top dry bit. It has mostly all gone by the time I next cut the grass. Obviously I do mix in hedge cuttings when I have them since the heap at these sort of temperatures will consume quite thick hedge prunings too. You can encourage it to go faster early in the season with a proprietary accelerator like Garotta (cut with cheaper ammonium sulphate). I suspect you may only need to do this step when establishing a new heap though. I remember having trouble in a house with a 20' square lawn, but in my present fairly large garden I have never had a problem. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
On 9/1/04 3:35 PM, in article , "Dave_R."
wrote: On the topic of compost, does anyone have a good suggestion as to how to deal with a lot of grass cuttings? I'm told (& have seen) that if I put too much grass on the compost heap I end up with a dark, soggy, smelly mass. What is the best suggestion for diluting the grass? Hi Dave I have experienced the same problem. You ask for 'the best' suggestion. Well, my best suggestion comes in twos or more. Firstly, keep your compost covered, keep the rain out. I put an old rubber mat directly on top of the grass (to keep the heat in) and above that a piece of plywood to keep the rain water off. On top of that I put a sheet of black plastic that covers the complete bin top to bottom...I want to keep the heat in!! Now, after you have figured all that out...this is the key...add a manure of some kind. This year I used dry chicken manure that I keep in a barrel beside my bin. So it goes like this: I cut the grass, when the catcher is full, I empty it onto the pile then sprinkle a dry chicken manure on top. I cut the grass and when the catcher is full I dump it into the bin then add a sprinkling of dry chicken manure on top. So it is freshly cut grass...chicken manure....freshly cut grass, chicken manure. When all the lawn is cut put a rubber mat (old carpet with a rubber base works well...anything like that, that will seal the top to keep the heat in...my rubber mat came from an old Toyota Corolla Station Wagon (Saloon, I think you call them). There are two, no three, reasons why I use dry chicken manure. 1. It is easy to 'sprinkle' and spread, more or less, evenly. 2. Adding water to chicken manure (or any manure) releases the nitrogen as ammonia...you can smell it as it goes on it's merry way and leaves your garden (where you want and need it). For compost piles, use the dry stuff, it carries much more nitrogen that is needed for the decomposition of grass and other 'stuff'. But you need to cover it with a rubber mat to retain 'the good stuff' (nitrogen) and keep the heat in. 3. My third reason for using dry chicken manure is because it is available...thank you Lord! :) I used to have several piles of grass clippings that would break down eventually. This year using the above method I have only 1/2 a pile. Dave, I know that this message is not totally organized and/or in a logical sequence. Most of what you need to know is there to the best of my knowledge and no you do not have to buy a Toyota to get a rubber mat to cover your compost bin...just use your mothers! :) Cheers, Gary Fort Langley, BC Canada |
"Dave_R." wrote in message ... On the topic of compost, does anyone have a good suggestion as to how to deal with a lot of grass cuttings? I'm told (& have seen) that if I put too much grass on the compost heap I end up with a dark, soggy, smelly mass. What is the best suggestion for diluting the grass? one way is to dry the grass out before composting, I use empty onion sacks from the local veg market. If it gets too dry use natural urea which adds moisture and activates de-composition. HTH David |
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