A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Compost Question??

Can you put privet hedges in your compost bin??
Thank you.

To grow or chopped up???

If it's to grow, no...
if it's to compost, yesss!!

Absolutely!! Chop them up for quicker results.

I need to find out what type of plant I have what do I do??

I sent you a PM to let you know where to post Mystery plants...

I'm using branches that my landlord prunes from different bushes and trees to make sure my pile remains airy. It's been a number of days since I turned it because the flood really soaked it. I thought for a while that it had washed half of it away but it didn't it just really helped it break down. I have almost no brown left in it at all. And it is definitely time to sift it. Which is good because I'm still looking for homes for all the plants that need thinning. And you know I still won't thin lol.

I also have loads of twiggy material in mine, but every time I turn my heap, I keep finding loads of this woody material still in there. Some of them are breaking down, so I'm happy for them to stay, but others look very tough (part of a Quince tree I chopped down I think). Should I leave this material in there for aeration, or should I remove it, as it looks like it'll never break down??????

How long have you had them in your bin???

I have just started mine. The information that I have is, it takes approx 6-9 months until it is ready or even longer.

I've had my bin going since about October/November. I put a lot of woody stuff in the bottom, and then alot of leaves, and grass clippings, plus food stuffs from the kitchen. The process is definitely working, as it's got a nice smell to it now, and is looking very brown (and a bit crumbly in places). But I still have these twigs all over the place?

Are these twigs very big???
Can you break them down smaller??

It sounds like your compost is coming on. Well done

They're quite long (1ft or more), but are thin (twiggy ). I struggle to break them down, as they're so tough. This is why I don't think they'll break down on their own? The outer layer comes off on some, so might be worth persevering with them, to see what'll happen? I think I may just have to remove them when I sieve it (assuming my wife will bye me a rota-sieve for my birthday -- she may think I'm mad and having nothing more to do with me

Well, if there are quite long. I think I would take them out. But that's just my opinion.

I was removing them when I spotted them during my heap turning exercise, but stopped just in case they were proving beneficial. I'll go back to picking them out. They go off to the council compost heap anyway, so not a complete waste.

Daniel,
For branches, etc that may be a bit bigger...
I keep leaving them in..
They are good for aeration of the stuff inside,
and in the process they will eventually break down... *some wood may break down faster than others, which is which, I am not sure of exactly*
but for me and my own piles, I just keep leaving them in *the bottom mostly* from bin to bin...

And as a side note of info....
When you re~introduce those twigs/branches into the new compost pile you start, they bring with it alllllll the wonderful bacteria, microbes, and "stuff" on them that helps "jump start" your newer piles...gets the "juices'" flowing on the new pile faster, than if you didn't have branches/twigs innoculated first..

And eventually, they won't be any more and you'll have to add new ones...
Personally for my own piles, I re~use the old one's, and also stick in fresh ones'.. that way...as the older one's break down more and more each time and use.. I have new one's to work in the process...

P/S Daniel,
I hope you get your sieve....
Please if you ever get pictures of it,
we'd *I know I would* love to see it!!!

P/S Princessazlea,
How are your piles are coming along???

Good, I am adding to it at the moment. Greens and Browns.

Weezie, a question for you?
At the top of the page was a advert about a compost bin in Switzerland. They said they add meat and cooked veg in theirs.
How can this be right? I thought you could not add these to a compost bin?

Catch the ad for me, and post here
*the link on a post.*
**Sometimes what are are regional ad's..***

Weezie here it is?
http://www.smartsoil.co.uk/

I am sure I read of here

Can you put the contents of what's in your hoover bag in the compost pile???

I've read that soft-wooded trees take much longer to break down the hard-wooded trees.

This sounds very interesting. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I would really like to see a picture of it, too!

http://www.rotasieve.co.uk/aboutrotasieve.htm

It's a bit pricey, but looks good

Now that's a nice lil'contraption....

Pleasssssssse let me know if you get it,
how it works???

I use a trusty trowel and shovel...

Wow, Daniel, that's really a niffy looking little gadget! I hope you get it and give us a full report on how well it works.

Actually, looking at it and how it's made, the principle reminds me of the old-fashioned flour sifter that my grandma and mom had and it sure seems like it would do a great job!

I have noticed little flying bugs on my compost bin. I take this as being normal??