Yes, I am that bored already 
With the local tip being closed and green waste collections suspended, I'm gonna have to start a compost bin, I have an old plastic dustbin I can use, but how do I stop it stinking?
Grass clippings will be the main thing I dump in there.
Does it need fertiliser and does it need insulating?
With the local tip being closed and green waste collections suspended, I'm gonna have to start a compost bin, I have an old plastic dustbin I can use, but how do I stop it stinking?
Grass clippings will be the main thing I dump in there.
Does it need fertiliser and does it need insulating?
Don't know about your question but I've just been to my local B&Q (click &collect) only and they have racks and racks of garden flowers outside than you can take for free 👍
In reply to Post #1
Read up a bit on composting if you're bored already
It will stink if you put too much green matter in (e.g. grass clippings). I did quite a bit in the past and you need to get as much brown matter in as green as I remember. Stuff like dried leaves and even cardboard shredded up. You can get activator type pellets to get it going, shouldn't need insulation - can get really hot when it's going well. I'm far from an expert though!
Read up a bit on composting if you're bored already
It will stink if you put too much green matter in (e.g. grass clippings). I did quite a bit in the past and you need to get as much brown matter in as green as I remember. Stuff like dried leaves and even cardboard shredded up. You can get activator type pellets to get it going, shouldn't need insulation - can get really hot when it's going well. I'm far from an expert though!
In reply to Post #3
If it's any use I tried it using grass clippings only and ended up with a congealed blob of mess so if you're going to do it you need to do it properly.
If it's any use I tried it using grass clippings only and ended up with a congealed blob of mess so if you're going to do it you need to do it properly.
In reply to Post #4
I remember leaving a tub of grass clippings in the garden before a holiday, three weeks later and I would have rather sniffed a bottle of butyric than disturb that crap
I remember leaving a tub of grass clippings in the garden before a holiday, three weeks later and I would have rather sniffed a bottle of butyric than disturb that crap
In reply to Post #1
What about a wormery? Dendros are easy to keep and it's free bait
What about a wormery? Dendros are easy to keep and it's free bait
Vegetable peelings my dad used to put in his.
In reply to Post #6
Had my son drilling loads of holes in the bin to keep him amused for half an hour, got some stuff in it, had a bag of lawn soil bought in autumn to fix the dips, loads of worms in/under it, chucked em all in
Had my son drilling loads of holes in the bin to keep him amused for half an hour, got some stuff in it, had a bag of lawn soil bought in autumn to fix the dips, loads of worms in/under it, chucked em all in
I have a massive compost heap at work, on it goes grass cuttings,from the Kubota, mulching pick ups from strimming,damp newspapers all shreaded up ,any small stuff left over from a tree down or shrub pruning or removal,I put that through a woodchpper I use..
The trick is layering,keep several types of waste on top of each other,I don't mix it all up into one lump of the same material,...at home we use similar, but T bags,broken eggshells,shreaded newspaper, grass cuttings,broken sticks, and so on,now and again, I will tip it out and turn it over..then put it on my shrubs or re compost it..
(I didn't get laid off as I feared,I'm still head Gardner, groundsman on 30 acres)....on my own,not another soul for foreseeable)
The trick is layering,keep several types of waste on top of each other,I don't mix it all up into one lump of the same material,...at home we use similar, but T bags,broken eggshells,shreaded newspaper, grass cuttings,broken sticks, and so on,now and again, I will tip it out and turn it over..then put it on my shrubs or re compost it..
(I didn't get laid off as I feared,I'm still head Gardner, groundsman on 30 acres)....on my own,not another soul for foreseeable)
Cheers guys, I'll try to keep the green stuff balanced with brown then
I've got a lot of strawberry plants in flower now, any tips to get a bumper crop
I've got a lot of strawberry plants in flower now, any tips to get a bumper crop
In reply to Post #10
Feed them with Tomorite or something similar, straw underneath to keep the fruit up off the soil and a net over the top to stop the birds
Feed them with Tomorite or something similar, straw underneath to keep the fruit up off the soil and a net over the top to stop the birds
What's goin on with these
They taste alright if picked on a hot day but the texture isn't very appetising!
They taste alright if picked on a hot day but the texture isn't very appetising!
In reply to Post #1
I have some big buckets with sealable lids filled up with water and put weeds and any old plant matter in them and leave sealed for a few weeks and then drain it and use the water to water my vegetables.
Then what's left goes in a corner at the back of the garden to rot completely and it doesn't take long, can stink for a while but I have a long garden so it isn't an issue.
The local tips near me are open now, so the rest will soon follow soon enough.
I have some big buckets with sealable lids filled up with water and put weeds and any old plant matter in them and leave sealed for a few weeks and then drain it and use the water to water my vegetables.
Then what's left goes in a corner at the back of the garden to rot completely and it doesn't take long, can stink for a while but I have a long garden so it isn't an issue.
The local tips near me are open now, so the rest will soon follow soon enough.
In reply to Post #5
Not a nice smell is it. I pile it up right at the bottom of my garden just behind my neighbors fence, gives the nosey bitch something to talk about, she is quite excitable
Not a nice smell is it. I pile it up right at the bottom of my garden just behind my neighbors fence, gives the nosey bitch something to talk about, she is quite excitable
In reply to Post #12
The plant needs digging up and throwing away.
Joking aside, colour, taste, texture and the centre of strawberries vary tremendously so if you aren't happy with your variety change.
We've tried several different ones in the past but our favourite is probably an original that came with the house.
Some modern varieties look good and crop well but often have poor taste in comparison.
Find a variety you are happy with, then take runners from it.
The plant needs digging up and throwing away.
Joking aside, colour, taste, texture and the centre of strawberries vary tremendously so if you aren't happy with your variety change.
We've tried several different ones in the past but our favourite is probably an original that came with the house.
Some modern varieties look good and crop well but often have poor taste in comparison.
Find a variety you are happy with, then take runners from it.