Recycling Compost..?

[braders]

Evening all

I have lots of tubs filled with compost I used last year...is it a good idea to use it again, or will it be dead so to speak. I would hate to throw it away, if it could be used again this year.

Cheers
braders...

[spennysaint]

hi

I also have pots of used multi purpose compost. I invested in a wormery at the end of last summer so my plan was to mix the worm poo (sorry forgot the polite name) into my used compost. would this be ok to grow veg in?

Claire

[Creemteez]

Not really a good idea according to The Venerable Monty and Saint Alan of Titchmarsh.
They reccommend that you put old potting compost on the compost heap and allow it to "cook" with eveything else. Makes sense really as the composting process will "do for" any harboured desease, the old stuff will be rejuvenated by the new and you don't waste it.
Having said that I HAVE "rebooted" old compost with slow release fertilser and chicken pooh pellets and had reasonable results, though I did get a certain amount of powdery mildew and some self seeded stuff that was obviously from the previous use.
If you don't like the sound of eigther of those suggestions, then I would use it on the garden as a mulch and general soil improver. I would NEVER throw it away - it's too damn expensive!!!

[braders]

Not really a good idea according to The Venerable Monty and Saint Alan of Titchmarsh.
They reccommend that you put old potting compost on the compost heap and allow it to "cook" with eveything else. Makes sense really as the composting process will "do for" any harboured desease, the old stuff will be rejuvenated by the new and you don't waste it.
Having said that I HAVE "rebooted" old compost with slow release fertilser and chicken pooh pellets and had reasonable results, though I did get a certain amount of powdery mildew and some self seeded stuff that was obviously from the previous use.
If you don't like the sound of eigther of those suggestions, then I would use it on the garden as a mulch and general soil improver. I would NEVER throw it away - it's too damn expensive!!!

Thankyou creemteez...makes sense...will do it at the weekend...going to have alot of compo at the end of the day I hope.

Cheers
braders

[selfraising]

I've re-used old compost in the same way as creemtee suggests by adding fertilizer but more often than not, I put it on my flower borders.

[BrideXIII]

i do re-use compost if... what i have grown in it is not a greedy crop, ie: radishes lettuce etc, i add a handful of feed, and leave it a month or two, then mix it with fresh stuff, it is fine for bringing on seedlings and again crops that aren't greedy, I also microwave it to kill off anything nasty.

[selfraising]

Oooh I like the microwave idea Bride. How long do you microwave for?

[BrideXIII]

Oooh I like the microwave idea Bride. How long do you microwave for?

i use a big casserole dish, and do it for 5-8 minutes, cos i always worry it will explode , however it is always piping hot so i figure it doesn't need the recommended full 10, i have noticed that i don't get mould on it when i do this, so it's all good.

[spennysaint]

Hi guys

my problem is that i have a very small garden (Well yard really) hense the wormery rather than a composter. Only have one small flower bed! the rest is paved. All my veg was grown in containers.
Claire

[geoff]

Any old 'secondhand' compost I lose around the plot as a mulch, or just chuck it in the compost bin and mix it up

[DavidM31]

Any old 'secondhand' compost I lose around the plot as a mulch, or just chuck it in the compost bin and mix it up

I agree, that what I do with all mine, and last year I got through about 1000 litres of the stuff which is about 3 x 330 litre plastic compost bins full up, and I am not about to take that down the tip. It helps to improve the soil a lot and any bacteria in it seems to break down in the garden soil.

[jackie j]

I always tip mine onto the garden or take it to the lottie and out it on there. Unless like this year some of it will go into the council compost bin as it had toms in that got blight.

[braders]

Im made up this thread has been rated...thanks everyone..!

Cheers
braders

[Creemteez]

you can NEVER have "too much Compo", luv!

[Snadger]

I spent a lot of time last year making up John Innes type compost. My tomatoes were grown in it in flower buckets in the greenhouse.
When the toms and peppers were finished I tipped each bucket out, had a bit of a fertle and removed the tommy roots then put the compost back in the pots.
I now have a greenhouse full of winter brassicas all planted individually in flower buckets. Spring cabbage, PSB and kales are all thriving in the greenhouse!
When these are finished the compost will be truly exhausted and will be used in areas of the plot where the soil aint too grand!