what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
cornerstone
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Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:40 am

what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by cornerstone »

I intend to reuse my old potato soil by making compost, to keep up a possible endless supply of potatoes, saving some for replanting and so on, so all i need is compost maker and maybe some small other stuff, i plan to have say 3 lots one in use one ready and one to get ready or make as in making or being processed.
I just wanted to share my ideas, someone may find them helpful
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Decaff
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Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by Decaff »

That sounds great! We only have one bin at the moment, hoping when the shed is finished that all the pallets collected will be made into a leaf mould bin, a bin for ready to use compost and another for new composting.
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grenfell
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Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by grenfell »

I've got one brick built heap and three of the plastic dalek things , one on the back and two on the front garden. I use the two on the front for composting grasses that I "harvest" from customers lawns . In addition I have used a couple of large builders bags ( the ton ones) to compost leaves. I also have a couple of guerrilla heaps on customers properties.
When out at work rather than use a customers toilet I tend to use a bottle in the back of the van which of course goes on the heaps . Wood ash is riddled ready for garden use and any bones also go into the wood burner and get crushed up along with bits of soft charcoal too.
cornerstone
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Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:40 am

Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by cornerstone »

Thanks grenfell i was thinking of the grass idea too and i have 2 pet rabbits i was thinking of using their waste as an accellerator
grenfell
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Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by grenfell »

Yes the grass makes a useful ( and free ) resource although I don't collect all of it. Some people have their lawns treated so I tend to just bin that and likewise when I go to one and it's covered in dandelion clocks and other weeds. One other problem I would have if I collected all the grass I cut would be that of balancing the " greens" and the " browns" , too much grass can tend to go a bit slimey .
featherstick
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Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by featherstick »

I confess I'm struggling a bit to understand your system but if I've got it right, you're planning to perpetually grow potatoes in containers with the same soil, replenishing it between crops with compost, is that right?

If it is, you'll build up pest and disease and reduce nutrients over time, despite the compost, and especially if you grow the same crop over and over.

It would be more sustainable to grow a variety in each newly-replenished pot. So you might start with potatoes, when they are over, replenish the soil and grow tomatoes, then swiss chard, then runner beans. Four pots, four different crops, moving each crop along one each time. This will help safeguard the soil and prevent disease building up.
cornerstone
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:40 am

Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by cornerstone »

featherstick wrote:I confess I'm struggling a bit to understand your system but if I've got it right, you're planning to perpetually grow potatoes in containers with the same soil, replenishing it between crops with compost, is that right?

If it is, you'll build up pest and disease and reduce nutrients over time, despite the compost, and especially if you grow the same crop over and over.

It would be more sustainable to grow a variety in each newly-replenished pot. So you might start with potatoes, when they are over, replenish the soil and grow tomatoes, then swiss chard, then runner beans. Four pots, four different crops, moving each crop along one each time. This will help safeguard the soil and prevent disease building up.

no not perpetual just over the winter i only aim to reuse once.
I really do not prepare on a perpetual basis just for winter, but i am planning to now put back what i do use so i have that level all the time.
the potatoes is something i did a few years ago, but i wish to utilize the outhouse for winter now i have cleared it out.
featherstick
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Re: what is the easiest and best compost maker way.

Post by featherstick »

OK, so it's double-cropping.

Potatoes are a hungry crop, so put some manure or good kitchen compost in there, and feed with a vegetable feed at least once, twice or three times probably better. If you have access to comfrey, that's very good as a mulch, a liquid tea (it stinks though) or just cut down, wilted for a couple of days, and then thrown into the pot.