reusing compost

[mrbiffo]

Hi can anyone let me know if i can re use my compost
from my containers and large hessian grow bags as i don't have soil only concrete.this is my first attempt at growing anything
and thanks to some good advice from the good people on this sight i have grown some pumpkins tomato s bell peppers
basil and parsly and sweet corn. And i find it such a great hobby.
S0 do i have to throw the compost away which will be a shame and not to mention the waste of money. I was hoping to plant some garlic. so any advice would be most welcome
many thanks in advance
mrbiffo

[Kirk]

Yes and No is the answer.

Really no if the idea is simply to put whatever you have in another container and try to grow stuff in it - you will have used all the nutrients up that was in it.

The Yes bit is you can however put it in a container and add manure to it to replace the nutrients that have been used - I have done this with potato's in containers and should be fine with other veg.

Will say that old/used compost looks darker and better then new compost, so maybe the compost is composting down into something useful.

[Nannysally99]

We re use ours, hubby sieves any roots out and we just re fertilise next year, a lovely crop this year, and no pests. Go for it.

[Bren In Pots]

mrbiffo have a read at this older thread on reusing compost Potstubsdustbins has some excellent advice :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ost_79489.html

[Penellype]

I reuse mine with a couple of provisos. I add blood fish and bone to it, and I tend to top it up with a bit of fresh compost. I also keep a note of what I have grown in each pot, and don't follow like with like. If I've had a problem with pests or disease I chuck it or put it on the garden over winter.

I would think if you give it a bit of feed you will be fine to follow any of your crops with garlic as none of those you have already grown are from the onion family. Have a good dig about before you start and look out in particular for comma shaped white grubs with brown heads. If you find these (vine weevil larvae), throw the compost away.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Good advise above. One thing I would add is purchase new compost to cut seedlings that way you know it is sterile.

[Kristen]

I reuse mine. I think the "all nutrients used up" is a misnomer as that will be the case 6 or 8 weeks after planting anyway - beyond that the plants will be needing liquid feed.

I don't reuse anything if plants are diseased, and I attempt to rotate the compost around different crops.

[arpoet]

I have 2 muck heaps on the go... one this years hos muck and one last years, rotted down for use in the spring. I add all old compost to the one for spring use and fork it in well and leave the whole heap covered until I need to use it. Works well for me.

[mrbiffo]

Old Compost

Hi everyone. i would like to ask some advice on compost.
As i have a small garden and i grow everything in large pots and grow bags for spud
what i would like to know is when i have harvested all my veggies
can i re use the old compost as it seems a shame after all the cost.
so would the kind people of the grapevine shed some light on this matter
many thanks
kind regards in advance
mr biffo
kevin

[Potstubsdustbins]

The short answer is yes. I reuse all my old compost unless it has been associated with a disease or some such.

I riddle it to get rid of old roots etc store it over winter, add a base fertiliser (I use Growmore) and usually a specialist fertiliser dependant on what I am growing in it and away we go.

I only use new compost for seed cutting as it is sterile.

[SarrissUK]

I second that - I never throw any compost away unless I've found disease in it (which, touch wood, has never happened so far(. I sometimes add old compost to my compost bin though, in the hope that it will bring organisms that will help the composting process.

[Jay-ell]

It moves from toms/peppers to cucubits to whatever to bulking up the outside beds - at each stage being beefed up a bit with blood, fish and bone and possibly comfrey leaves as well.

[Snadger]

Just harvested my garlic from large pots. Re-used the compost to sow a second sowing of Spring Cabbage in modules as the birds demolished my first sowing outdoors!

I will use it to sow or plant anything but alliums, and beef it up with BFB!

[Chris11]

Hi everyone. i would like to ask some advice on compost.
As i have a small garden and i grow everything in large pots and grow bags for spud
what i would like to know is when i have harvested all my veggies
can i re use the old compost as it seems a shame after all the cost.
so would the kind people of the grapevine shed some light on this matter
many thanks
kind regards in advance
mr biffo
kevin

You started a thread to ask pretty much the same question back in 2014
And you were given similar advice back then. What have you been doing with your compost for the last 2-3 years?

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ost_82175.html

[damian1225]

After experimenting with it I have found spent compost is not as good as fresh, so I throw mine on my allotment with leaf mould at the end of the year as a soil improver and replace each year.

you can re-use it and it will work but my chillies always seem to be thicker, bushier and more productive with fresh compost, they look weaker and not as dark coloured leaves with previously used, even if I add nutrients too it, it all depends what you want from it I suppose..