Newbie Soil Questions

[n180]

Hello All,

just getting into all this gardening business, reading up watching vids etc. Just a few questions related to the soil that I am not sure about which I hope some of you can answer for me.

1. I have all sorts of weeds and things growing in my soil at the moment. Can I just dig them up and leave them lying on the soil and mixed within the soil, and as they rot they will act like compost giving back to the soil? If not, can I dump them in a compost heap? I take it as all weeds are green then anything and everything can be added to the compost heap right? Or is there any type of weed that cannot?

2. Now if I am too lazy to bother with a compost heap, can I just dump everything straight on top of the soil? Egg shells, leaves, weeds etc. If i dump things onto the soil before planting, then I can mix them all into the soil and they will decay over time? What if I have already planted things, can I just go and dump everything onto the soil around the plants, and just leave them ontop to decay? over time obvioulsy one would dump a lot of things, everyday I am likely to be dumping things like banana skins, egg shells, tea bags etc. It, will look a mess around all the plants, but can this actually be done in theory, as after all everything will rot back into the soil over time?

[Shetty]

Hi n180,
welcome to this forum.
Unfortunately it is not that easy when it comes to weeds. You can compost annual weeds before they set seeds, but not perennial ones. So, to be on the save side – bin them all

Theoretically you are right you could just dump all you your things on the ground. But while they rot down, they use up nitrogen, which the plants growing there need.
So you are better of with a compost heap. Just nail 3 pallets together and stick some old planks along the front and away you go.

P.S. Rip the teabags apart before adding them. The actual 'bag' has some plastic added to it and won't rot

[n180]

Originally Posted by Shetty

Hi n180,
welcome to this forum.
Unfortunately it is not that easy when it comes to weeds. You can compost annual weeds before they set seeds, but not perennial ones. So, to be on the save side – bin them all

Theoretically you are right you could just dump all you your things on the ground. But while they rot down, they use up nitrogen, which the plants growing there need.
So you are better of with a compost heap. Just nail 3 pallets together and stick some old planks along the front and away you go.

P.S. Rip the teabags apart before adding them. The actual 'bag' has some plastic added to it and won't rot

Thanks for the answers. I am surprised to hear that about weeds. For now aleast I guess I will have to bin all my weeds as I don't really know the difference between annual and perennial weeds, and can't tell when annual ones are seeding.

Thanks for the tea bag tip, I actually thought I would just have to compost the whole teabag.

[Dave the Gardener]

Agree with the reply re weeds - especially as you do not as yet feel able to identify the various weeds - perrenials like couch grass, thistles, docks, creeping buttercup etc will all regrow if left in the soil and will also grow if put into most compost heaps, so best bin the whole lot til you are able to differentiate - and you will be able to do that sooner rather than later, as weeds are omnipresent.
On the compost side of things, if you want to grow beans next year you can dig a trench now wher you want to grow them - about 18" deep - and as long as you want your row of beans to be, and fill that with your compostable waste over the next four or five months, then backfill it at least a month before you sow them or plant them out if you start them in pots,with the soil you removed and your beans will have a good rich base from which to feed on.

[vegetable-gardener]

Yes it's best to get rid of all the weeds. Some people dig a trench and put the peelings in there and fill it up as the go with soil. If you leave it all out on top you could encourage rats. Not recommended.