Ultra Newbie Here

[taff]

I dunno about coal ash.....my father put ours on the back garden for years, didn't seem to have done it any harm, the earth is lovely to dig, the veg tastes fab.

Neither me nor my sister have two heads or anything, so....it's up to you really....

[Currysniffa]

My Grandfather all ways used to put his coal ash all over the veg patch and being a ex miner he had a fire going 24-7 365 days a year so there was a lot of ash and he dug it all in the garden and as far as I'm aware it never did his veg any harm, I only wish my soil was as good as his was.

I don't think he put it on his compost heap though.

Welcome to the vine btw Chef..

[Chef_uk]

thanks for the replies and welcomes So coal ash in to compost is a definite no, but direct on to a veg patch is doable. That said i'll probably not risk it as i don't want to harm the ground in any way.

[The Large One]

we've got 2 open fires and when we have our sweep round to clean them i asked him what he does with his ash, obviously a mixture of wood and coal ash.
he says allotment/gardeners would always take whatever he had, no questions asked !!

[Two_Sheds]

Our grandfathers may well have put coal ash on the veg patch, but they also breathed in asbestos, ate lard sandwiches and smoked 50 Woodbines a day

Just because "they used to do it" doesn't mean that it's safe

[Jeanied]

Hi there Chef UK - welcome to the vine - as you can see, a lively debate to be had here!
If you get your compost mix right, it rots down very fast - so your bin will be full one week and only 2/3 full the next! As others have said, aim for roughly 50/50 green stuff (in your case grass cuttings) mixed with brown stuff- manure, dry vegetation, shredded paper, broken up cardboard. It rots faster in hot weather, and very slowly over winter. I use a covering on top to keep the heat in.
I cadged other people's grass cuttings this year because I used them as a mulch around my potatoes, laid on top of wet newspaper in a 3-5" layer. Helped in the dry spell and supressed weeds. I'm going to try this over several beds next year.

[Chef_uk]

I'm really in a mess now with this compost heap. I've started emptying it in to the brown bin (council's website says they won't empty the black bin if soil etc is found in it) and have it half full. I can't put any more in as its heavy as hell and fear it won't get emptied. Furthermore, i've only touched 1/20th of the entire heap so i've got no chance of clearing this out any time soon.

Under the 5 inches of shall we say, mulch, is a 20 inch layer of mud/soil which looks like nice compost. Cutting down like you would on the side of a rock you can clearly see a middle layer of white/gray soil matter which is the ash from winter.

Would it be possible to scrap over from one side until i reach the ash level and just remove the ash layer in to the bin, then put back the top layer? Or would you say the whole heap is contaminated?

[rustylady]

Why don't you turn the whole lot over and mix it together? You say you have a good layer of compost. Mix the rest in with it and hope for the best. Contaminated is a hard word. As several people have said, coal ash used to be dug into gardens.

[Chef_uk]

Hi all, 3 months have nearly passed and the heap has shrunk right down even though i've increased the load going in. The 50/50 mix has certainly helped no end. Working in an RAF kitchen means i already have access to loads of brown waste that i never really thought of (right now the car has 3 giant bin bags full of brusselsprout and red cabbage peelings ready to go on the heap in the morning). I've also added shredded newspapers that was always heading for the recycling bin each day at work.

I've also borrowed some books from the library just to reiterate the information to me and i'm starting to get there. In less than a year our overgrown weed-fill veg patch is now starting to take shape. The plan below shows where we are up too.



I've also received all of next years catalogues over the past couple of days and am now trying to form a structured plan for the following 12 months.

My next planting step is to get potatoes in the ground. Would one length of membrane be a good size for a 1.5kg set of potatoes or is that too much membrane or too little?

[Two_Sheds]

i already have access to loads of brown waste that i never really thought of ... brusselsprout and red cabbage peelings

Sprouts & peelings are green waste, but I know what you mean. If you have sprout stalks, chop them or at least bash with a hammer before adding to the heap: even so, they'll take a year or two to disappear completely

I've also added shredded newspapers that was always heading for the recycling bin

Yes, much better to put them in your heap if you can. You'll probably find lots of red brandling worms (the composting kind) snuggled under your shreddy layers

I've also borrowed some books from the library

Perfect for this weather. Read as much as you can, but expect to find conflicting advice Take it all in, let your brain filter it, and then make your own mind up what you'll put into action

My next planting step is to get potatoes in the ground.

Not yet. They will go in March or April. Work out your planting distance (I allow 15" each way between plants. Don't forget paths so you can get in amongst them to weed) then do the maths for the amount of membrane that you'll need

[Loudbarker1]

This book is really helpful on compost:

How to Make and Use Compost: The Ultimate Guide: Amazon.co.uk: Nicky Scott: Books

[Chef_uk]

Thanks Loudbarker. Will get that after Christmas

Back to the plot for the potatoes. When we placed the weed suppressant on top, we didn't dig out anything or even turn the soil over. Would it be a good idea to do so now (take the cover off, turn soil down to depth of ?, cover on), or is there no need with it being under cover?

[Two_Sheds]

No, don't dig frozen or waterlogged soil. Wait until spring

[Chef_uk]

Ok thanks Two Sheds. Didn't think about the soil being frozen, which of course right now it will be at -10c