is this normal ?

[bailz]

so do we put tatty peelings in or not people. regards neil.

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by bailz

so do we put tatty peelings in or not people. regards neil.

Yes Neil, you can put spud peelings in but the advice is to bury them to stop them sprouting.

However, on an allotment where blight invariably strikes and you just can't be certain that every plot holder has cleared away all the remains from the potato harvest, then I personally wouldn't put spud peelings in the compost. In a kitchen garden setting with an open wire mesh compost heap again I wouldn't put spud peelings in. Blight spores are air bourne and can travel miles. The spores live on bits of potato tissue waiting for the right weather to infect plants. It's a dreadful disease.

[bailz]

can i put my compost bin on concrete as not much space, it is one of the 220lr plastic ones cheers.

[Sarina]

@ Lazydog: Yes Lesley Jay is right. If you add tomato or, potato peels the spores of fungus that cause blight will remain. Through this it will be added in the soil. Spores of fungus stay in the soil for a long time.

Usually, I add junk mails, fallen leaves and trash clippings as a brown. As I'm living in a hot weather country my compost dries up quickly. Any solution?

[DavidT]

Good evening Sarina and welcome to the site, as Lesley says, blight needs plant tissue to survive. It will NOT survive in the soil if that tissue isn`t present. Regarding the moisture content of your compost. You have 3 options, either cut down on the brown content of the bin or, increase the green content or keep the mix at it`s present ratio but water daily, just keeping the material moist. Neil, it`s not advisable to keep the bin on concrete because you want to encourage worms into the mix, it would also reduce the amount of oxygen in the bin.

[bailz]

So do u think it be better to forget the bin then david and just keep buying cheers neil.

[Sarina]

Hi David,

Thanks a lot for your suggestion, David. I'm following the tips.Are the materials, that I'm using as a brown, OK?

Let's hope for the best.

[DavidT]

Neil, if the only place you have for a bin is on concrete, then you may get away with it if you use a wooden one, This will let air in through the sides, you would need to add worms though. If you are using a plastic one, it should be on soil. I`m not a fan of these plastic ones because the compost always seems cold and very wet. Sarina, non shiny paper is fine as are leaves, though these will take a lot longer to break down. Trash clippings, the same as leaves if there are lots of woody bits.

[lazydog]

In my compost bin which is wooden with a lid + floor 6x4x3' high (an old coal bunker) i put all my hens bedding which is shavings based about a barrow load/month plus the vegetable peelings and the junk mail shredded we have not got any grass yet as i have dug it all up to grow veg.
My concern is the spud peelings sprout even when buried!
I don't put weeds in there because of the chance of the seeds ect.
The compost rots well and i have it appears trebled my worm population in the 9 months we have been doing this,
We didn't have spud blight last year and dont want this year either so would it be best to burn the peelings instead?

[bailz]

hi can you not put weeds into the compost as my garden has dandilions (trying to get rid of them) so they get mixed in with grass trimmings regards neil.

[lazydog]

Hi Bailz
from what i have been told stuff like couch grass and any seeds will/might survive unless extreme temps are reached and so will be grown on when compost is used.
But i might be wrong still learning and will never stop learning

[Lesley Jay]

I don't put any weeds in the compost bin. Weed roots can continue to grow and weed seed heads can spread seeds through the compost which means more weeding to do when the compost is used. A hot compost heap is supposed to kill off the weeds but I never take the chance. Dandelion flowers can continue to develope their seed heads in the compost bin.

LazyDog, where potato peelings are concerned there is always a chance of blight. I remember my Gran used to cook them and feed the hens with them but I don't think DEFRA like anyone doing that now.

[lazydog]

LazyDog, where potato peelings are concerned there is always a chance of blight. I remember my Gran used to cook them and feed the hens with them but I don't think DEFRA like anyone doing that now.[/quote]

i wont tell em if you dont
another good reason i need to get a wormery up and running i thinks