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Thread: How do I make garden compost ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    Question How do I make garden compost ?

    I just wanted to turn the daily vegetable and fruit waste into garden compost.

    How do I make compost without buying specially designed compost bin?

    How do I help the veg & fruit waste breakdown at a faster rate?

    Can I throw in the grass (collected from the lawn mower) into the veg & fruit waste?

    I don't have tree, so there are no leaves.

    What other wastes that can be compost?

    Appreciate any tips or info..............


  2. #2
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    Aug 2004
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    Inland Canterbury, NZ
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    Does your local council sell Bokashi? It's a really popular method here - the Council service centres sell it in Christchurch. I intend to get some once we've moved.....

    Some info: http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Waste/Compost...Composting.asp

  3. #3
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    Feb 2005
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    Manukau do a Create your Own Eden programme

    http://www.manukau.govt.nz/garden.htm

    heres the info.

    If I remember from my days as a kid in the countryside, my dad used to compost, you need to enclose it somehow to encourage warmth, and you can put all kitchen food waste, like potato peelings etc, and the grass/hedge cuttings. Dont think you can put any meat food scraps in it, cos that may encourage some four legged furry imposters.... I dont remember him putting anything in to help it along, but he may have done...

  4. #4
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    Talking

    Ivy

    Yes you need to enclose the waste in a wooden structure or ready made bin. If you build a wooden square frame, say from 2x4 treated timber, you can cover it with a tarpaulin or thick compost bag weighted down to keep it dry. But keep open slats on a couple of the sides to let air in.

    If you have woody stems like roses, chop them up small before adding to the compost. If you use lots of grass cuttings or leaves, turn the compost weekly other wise it can go slimy. Try not to put many twigs in.

    Don't put any cooked kitchen waste on it, it encourages vermin too. If you put teabags in they break down fairly quickly.

    In the UK there is something called Garotta (sp) which you can add and it is basically dried bacteria or fungus which speeds up the process. I don't know the NZ equivalent yet

    If you have room, have 2 or 3 small bins and they can all be at different stages ie when one is full, leave it, turn it regularly, and start a new one with the next lot of waste.
    Hope this helps.

    Deborah

  5. #5
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    Sep 2004
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    north of Wellington
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    We've got a worm bin.
    It's great!

  6. #6
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    Apr 2005
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    I bought two green plastic tub like lighthouse shaped composters from the council over here, they have a removable lid. Was going to leave them but if I clean em up i could bring them with us. Hadn't thought of it thanks.

    Someone once said that not to put too much grass in at once, sorry forgot the reason. I think it goes soggy very quickly. You can even put in eggshells. Anything that once lived i believe.

    Grow some comfry, if you can get it thats a good accelerant. (spelling?)

  7. #7
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    Here's a page with a HUGE list of things you can compost!!

    http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm

    As Driver said, not too much grass - alot of people tend to use compost bins as grass bins - all this will do is leave you with a stinky slime which is no good for anything. Keep plenty of variation of ingredients and you'll be fine.

    Oh, and my grandad used to swear by pee'ing on it!!

  8. #8
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    Thank you Moorf I'd agonised over how to put that without offending/putting people off their dinner.

    Peeing on it gives the heap nitrogen and uric acid and pee contains other trace stuff and also dampens but not soaks the waste. Phew!

    D

  9. #9
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    Hmmm, now if I remember rightly my grandad said that women weren't to pee on it - not sure if that's something to do with the composition of ladies wee or if it's just a practicality (and aim) thang!

    And don't you also need to wee on lemon trees to make the fruit grow better??

  10. #10
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    As you drive down the leafy streets of New Zealand and look into back gardens, you'll see immediately who are members on this forum!!!!!!!!!!

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