Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi
I have just finished my course as a Master Composter so I am happy to answer questions, try and problem solve and learn from you too! It's been a fascinating and enlightening course even with all my years of composting. I cant believe how many different ways there are to compost stuff.

Firstly WELL DONE!
Secondly I have heard there is a way of composting cooked food any Ideas?

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The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

Hi Cloud
At the moment on the domestic front "Bokashi" springs to mind. It is basically a small bin in which your waste food is anearobically fermented.
Take a look at this link
Recycle now - Additional bins

Apparently the food sort of breaks down over a two week period without any oxygen (at the end we were told it looks the same as when it went in!) and you can safely chuck it on your compost heap and it actually enhances the breakdown of material there. As you can tell I have not tried this one myself yet but this info comes from the composting guru's at Ryton Organics who have of course.
I hope this helps.

Many thanks.I think me gonna get one of those as so much food is thrown in the bin.

__________________
The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

Well done shushkin!
And yes bokashi is great! Been bokashi-ing for about a year now.

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Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.

Er, cook less food? Measure your portions?

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Trouble is my eyes is bigger than me belly

__________________
The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

if we have any food that needs recycling him in the corner deals with it very promtly dish is cleaned as well and always available and willing jacob marley

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What lies behind us,And what lies before us,Are tiny matters compared to what lies Within us ...
Ralph Waide Emmerson

i've heard its good to pee on your compost heap to get it going.
But does regular peeing continue to help? i.e. once a week?

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Simon Of Kells

Hi
If your compost is short on green sappy stuff then pee is beneficial as a kick starter. I add some occasionally if I am short of sappy stuff. I only have a small lawn so I cant rely on the lawn cuttings. Urine is a good compost activator and a lot cheaper than buying compost activators from the garden centre.

You can even use it as a foliar feed in a very diluted state!

"But does regular peeing continue to help? i.e. once a week?"

Yes, you are adding nitrogen. Male-pee only though, I believe. I suspect dog-pee would be fine too, if you could train them accordingly!

congratulations shushkin! well done

Well done shushkin, but I was slightly perplexed when this thread didn't include and Bach, Beethoven, Tchiakovsky.....

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated 30th November

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why only male pee?? and thes me been weeing in a bucket and pouring it on every day this week ...... hrumphhhhhhh you saying mine is no good?

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

I'm of the female gender to and for years the compost production line has worked just fine.
So dont worry Lynda66!
You go pee where ever takes your fancy!
Our pee is just as good as the fella's!

phew my bucket weeing is uncomfortable enough ...... glad i've not been wasting it lol ....... so how long should you actually add wee for? i've been doing it every day, will that be enough or should i keep going? its a heap in a cage lined in plastic, about 1.5m squared. with polystyrene and a thick plastic mat on top.

__________________
http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

Personally I only add urine when I am adding a lot of dry brown material and have little green sappy stuff to add. It makes up for the lack of green stuff big time. I admit to that I use it in very diluted form as a foliar feed for my leafy veg sometimes!!! You have to be aware of the salt content. I have long eaten a low salt diet so I am not too worried but others as different.

For anyone interested here is some more info on the benefits of adding urine:-

First, urine is sterile. Second, it contains the drainage of every cell in the body -- it's crammed with minerals and vitamins. Third, it contains a lot of nitrogen.

Diluted human urine was also found to be a good source of nutrients, especially nitrogen, for cabbage and spinach. The application rate is important, however, as too frequent applications tend to depress yields through increased soil salinity. Good results were also evidenced in maize and tomato crops and urine is considered to be as effective agronomically as urea or ammonium sources of nitrogen.

I hope this helps

Using your own urine instead of flushing it down the loo saves a lot of water too. Urine is a resource ~ why do we waste it? (because we can afford to, I guess)

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

*thinks i may get a more comfortable bucket*

__________________
http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

I use the kiddies pottie when at the lottie.(could be the start of an ode to peeing on yer compost!)yep quite low down but fairly comfy! got slight problem now tho as we've given the chooks 1/2 our 2nd shed as the 1st wasn't quite big enough,now i've not got room to perch on the pottie in the 1/2 shed! men don't realise how lucky they are as far as how easy it is for them to just whip it out do the biz & no-one notices~straight onto the compost!

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the fates lead him who will;him who won't they drag.

Happiness is not having what you want,but wanting what you have.xx

Phew,
I was worried that i'd asked a dodgy question for a while.....
Now i know i'm as 'normal' as the rest of us...

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Simon Of Kells

well i think mines pretty safe for salt, i only add sea salt to chips (which we eat about once a month) and fried eggs and cheese on toast lol ...... i steam all my veg, so very rare i add salt to anything else,

actually theres plenty of grass mixed in with the kitchen waste and chopped hedge trimmings, paper and cardboard, and about 100 tea bags a week and i've turned it all over twice in the last month, so hopefully, that will be enough for now, so i may try a bit on the veggies.

goes off to wee on the veggie patch

Lynda xx

__________________
http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

don't put in too much we you'll upset the worms, something to do with the salts.

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Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.