Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Popular questions about composting

posted in advice category on 2008-06-17

Well another great week of dry and sometimes hot weather which facilitated good progress with our landscaping projects. At this time of year, everyone seems to either want a new garden or work outdoors. Yes it can be nice but also very uncomfortable especially when it becomes very hot. There are reports doing the rounds of a slow down in activity, I’ve even been contacted by some suppliers who tell me phones are so quiet, they thought they were broken! I must admit I see no evidence of any slow down, on the contrary we are turning away projects on a regular basis, it does annoy me but we are operating at full capacity, heavily committed and thus the disappointment to our web enquiries. We are very excited about some really interesting projects over the coming months and more details will be provided later. We will also be adding more features to our website to make it easier, better and hopefully more enjoyable for visitors to access our Showcase of Landscape Projects. Before I go, I would like to answer some popular questions about composting.

My Compost decomposes very slowly. Why?

The compost process requires material, water and air. If the heap is too dry, the process slows down. Simply add some water. Introduce some air into the composter by turning contents over with a fork. During very cold periods place some polystyrene or old carpet on top of the compost inside the bin to help retain heat.

Will my composter attract vermin and flies?

If you avoid adding cooked food and meat, your composter will not attract rats or foxes. In the summer you may find fruit flies hovering over your composter but they pose no health hazard. If you really don’t want them, simply cover compost heap with a thin layer of soil and they will disappear within hours.

Will my composter smell?

Provided that you do not add large quantities of grass cuttings, a compost heap does not smell. The problem with grass is its high water content and lack of structure. This can cause a slimy heap. To prevent this, tear up an old newspaper and add to the pile when you empty the grass box, but remember you are trying to achieve a good mix of different ingredients.

Can I add weeds to the composter?

Yes you may but many would recommend that you avoid weeds to composter for fear of dispersing weed around garden.

Do I need to add an ‘activator’ to my composter?

If you have included a good all round mix of high nitrogen (grass, plants, vegetable cuttings) and high carbon (dried leaves, hedge clippings) ingredients in your composter, you should not need to add an activator or accelerator. The most important role of most is to add nitrogen to the heap, which stimulates bacterial activity. Animal manure is a good natural activator (but do not add cat or dog faeces), and there are of course proprietary activators/accelerators available from your local garden centre.

Happy gardening.