is this normal ?

[Nik]

hi gardeners

this is a thread more to put my mind at rest really...as you know i recently brought a compost bin,i managed to get about 15ib of old fruit and veg past its sell by at work the other day along with loads of cardboard....i opened it up this morning and there was shed loads of tiny little flies in there...at 1st i thought oooo nooooo,but my partner says not to worry its part of the natural process of the fruit /veg &cardboard breaking down...now my partners not often wrong,well thats what i tell her,lol it seems to keep her happy so am i frettin about nothing or do i get one chance to go ner ner ner your wrong at my wife

my second point is i hear conflicting advice about the ratio of fruit and veg waste to cardboard ,some say 50/50 and others say more 70/30 i presume 70 would be in the veg's favour..im not entirely sure and dont want a big pile of smell in my compost bin lol

cheers guys

Nik.

[paulsherwin]

If you have lots of overripe fruit in there it will be attracting fruit flies. They should go away as everything rots down. You really need to increase the proportion of green stuff in there though.

There are no hard and fast rules about composting - it all depends on what you put in.

Paul

[DavidT]

Agree with Paul on the fruit flies. As for the mix, the general rule is 50 / 50 brown and green.

[Nik]

thanks lads

i think iv put to much vegetable matter in the bin

i got a load of the divides that are in apple boxes at work tore it all up and mixed it into the bin....now fingers crossed im a little more in balance

again thanks fellas

Nik

[ian digs]

Hi Nik, Chuck some grass cuttings, tree prunings anything else like that in there and give it a good stir.

Good luck......Ian

[Nik]

Originally Posted by ian digs

Hi Nik, Chuck some grass cuttings, tree prunings anything else like that in there and give it a good stir.

Good luck......Ian

hi ian

i forgot to mention that i did put a load of grass cuttings in at the very start

iv just started stirring so im hoping it will all sort itself out

cheers ian

Nik

[paulsherwin]

If it starts to look runny, add more shredded newspaper and cardboard.

Paul

[Nik]

cheers paul

Nik

[gardenfunn]

I think it is proper, and it must be 70/30

[DavidT]

Originally Posted by gardenfunn

I think it is proper, and it must be 70/30

Explain, please. What is proper, and why 70/30?

[marrow]

Don't worry about the flies, you do need to put more green garden waste in but don't put too much grass in at a time, its fine if you mix the grass in but dont just plonk a lump it on top as the heap won't be able to breath. Put as much vegetable matter in as you want, just ensure that its got adequate ventilation and doesnt become too wet. Tree clippings or straw is a good addition.

I put very little if any cardboard/paper in mine and have never heard of 50/50 ratio, more like 90/10 I 'd say.


.

[DavidT]

Marrow, you need to do a bit more compost studying. The reason compost gets soggy is because ther is too much green material. Building up layers of green then brown ( shredded paper, leaves etc ) material is how it`s done.

[marrow]

David no disrespect to you, but I really don't need to do much further research into composting techniques, I've read some of your posts and found them very informative so respect there, but to clarify, compost gets socky because of inadequate rain cover/ventilation, there is a big distinction in my mind regarding brown waste and paper/cardboard waste, brown waste is tree/hedge trimmings, straw etc etc to add structure and airway pathways for the microbes to do their job, but I wouldnt include shredded paper or cardboard as they'll just create an anaerobic environment. What is crucial is getting the compost up to a sufficient heat, this can only be done in a aerobic environment. Shredded paper will not provide any structure whatsoever. Likewise grass clippings need to be dispersed as again they will hinder the aerobic process.
The moisture balance with adequate ventilation within the pile is the most crucial aspects of composting, you get these right and the compost will be ready for use within three months, get the balance wrong and you could be waiting a year!

The C/N ratio for paper is very poor compared to green waste, the ideal ratio is 30 to 1 for compost microbes, waste paper is like 600 to one, whilst vegetable waste is 15 to one, manure is actually 30 to 1 .





.

[redadare]

Originally Posted by Nik

hi gardeners

this is a thread more to put my mind at rest really...as you know i recently brought a compost bin,i managed to get about 15ib of old fruit and veg past its sell by at work the other day along with loads of cardboard....i opened it up this morning and there was shed loads of tiny little flies in there...at 1st i thought oooo nooooo,but my partner says not to worry its part of the natural process of the fruit /veg &cardboard breaking down...now my partners not often wrong,well thats what i tell her,lol it seems to keep her happy so am i frettin about nothing or do i get one chance to go ner ner ner your wrong at my wife

my second point is i hear conflicting advice about the ratio of fruit and veg waste to cardboard ,some say 50/50 and others say more 70/30 i presume 70 would be in the veg's favour..im not entirely sure and dont want a big pile of smell in my compost bin lol

cheers guys

Nik.

how do i start to make a compost heap, what do i need to build one. im new to this site and just got an allotment garden, and need advice thank you.

[marmite]

Recycle now - Making Compost
Hello all please go to this link if you want to, it does explain composting.Regards Marmite. Allways in the compost smalling of roses.