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Composting - New to it and looking for help

Morning chaps,

I look after a site and the estate manager has kindly given me a nice space to use with the agreement that I empty the previous gardeners crap out of it. Now this crap turned out mostly to be new builders sacks full of collected leaves, a stack of broken pots and a few bags of rock salt. 

I got permission to start composting and this is where I'm up to 5 months in. The area is shaded thanks to a row of conifers and the space is a nice size. 

Now I am new to composting so this is a learning curve. I have read up on what puts what into soil so I've been collecting the local papers to add in each visit.

So far I've been dug out the old soil and compost to use in the boarders, I have lined the bottom with the thinner sticks then I have been doing a grass, paper, moss, leaf order with the occasion few sticks every 3 rotations.

Im 5 months in and the lower part is coming on fantastic and I'm really happy with the speed of the decomposition but I will leave it a few more months before using it. 

Now questions...

I have noticed a complete lack of worms and beasties in the previous compost and there aren't any in the new stuff. How can I attract things to it? I have ordered a 20kg buckets of tiger worms as I have heard these are the best ones.

Is there anything I can add to increase nutrients or that I'm missing ?

Do you wet yours ? because of where mine is it doesn't tend to get wet, there is a hose and a nearby tap I can use if it is beneficial for watering. 

The plus side of this is I've managed to make friends with the local robin family and the young ones were out yesterday learning from dad :)

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  • My local green waste composting site said to me the greater the surface area of your compost matter the faster the decomposition.

    The only other tip is keep turning it. Where I go they turn weekly but they are processing huge volumes a day!
    • I've turned a few times already, about once every 6 weeks. My area is about 3 mtr wide by about 9 mtr long, only using about 5m2 at the moment mid as I'm trying to get a few bays going for different times of the year 

  • PRO

    Lack of worms could be down to an acidic soil, possibly caused by the conifers.

    Have a read: http://www.wormman.com/ph_of_your_soil_and_worm_bed.cfm or generally Google worms and acidity.

    You can use a little lime (but be careful with the conifers as most are calcifuges)

    • PRO

      p.s. Yes, moisture is essential.

      • Indeed. The two things that most compost heaps don't have is heat and moisture. Look at the bulk composters and their vessels turn 220 tons into compost in 3 weeks!

        I don't turn my two bays at home, each about 2 m3, just take the top off once a year and use what's good underneath. Turning small amounts just lets the inside dry out, and loses any heat you've built up.

        • what would the best way of getting heat into it ?
          • Heat is all down to the size of the heap. Decomposition creates heat, if there is enough volume to keep the heat in you have an active compost heap. Without the heat, and the moisture, you have a pile of dry rubbish.

            I have a site with 5 bins, each a metre cube. Over ten years I've filled from the left, and I now have three bins full and two that have broken down to nothing. That's the sort of rate you get with an un-attended bin, purely grass cuttings and leaves.

            The volume is increased dramatically by the size of the heap: 1x1x1 metres is one cube, 2x2x2 is 8 cubes, 3x3x3 is 27. The more volume, the greater the heat you generate and the more moisture is kept in the centre.

            If you have the compost in bulk vessels turning keeps it all mixed up and breaks it down faster. In a static heap heat is generated in the centre, so not turning it helps keep the heat in.

            Covering it does work, but only if you also take the cover off regularly to allow rain in or irrigate it. Even in the drought we had earlier this year it was only the outside of my two bins that dried out: the underneath stayed moist, and that dry outside material is taken off as the base of next year's heap.

      • Cheers Phil, how often should I add water to it?, I can cut the overhanging branches off I was just concerned that a lot of sun might do more damage
  • put a old peace of carpet over the top to help keep the heat in also have 2 separate bins one to put the cuttings on this year the other one to start next year leave it a year before using

  • Whenever you turn it, its a good chance to mix a sprinkling of grass in to keep the heat thru and plenty of Nitrogen - the grass doesnt last long at all in the mix but keeps the beasties happy.

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