Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts
Monday, 9 September 2019
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Tales of compost by Gloria Nicol
Gloria Nicol's loam sweet loam | Life and style | The Guardian:
At the first sight of blossom something happens to me. The sap starts to rise and I become seriously overambitious. It has happened so often now that I know the signs; of course this year will be the one, the one when I grow absolutely everything. Hope and enthusiasm is all well and good, but reality means remembering to plant the seeds.
So to begin, some tidying up is required. To make space to plant a container grown quince tree I first need to move the compost heap. As a lazy but dedicated composter I avidly collect my kitchen waste, add it to the pile but then do very little else. I learnt early on that kitchen scraps alone can make for a slimy result, so I add plenty of egg boxes, cardboard and crumpled paper along with fruit peelings. Apart from that, I know I should turn the heap every now and again to help the aerobic process along and encourage faster decomposition, but I don't. My method falls somewhere between aerobic and anaerobic, by adding enough cellulose the breakdown takes longer but the eventual outcome seems to be the same. Apart from one little detail; there will be lots of seeds in there too as the advantage of turning the heap regularly is that it helps the heap to heat up and kill the seeds lurking within. So I'm just going to have to pick out the seedlings as they appear as penance for my laxity.
My well rotted compost unearthed from the bottom of the heap had the enviable look of a fine tilth, black and friable, just like you buy from a shop! I could spread it on the raised beds, but don't think it will go very far, or perhaps it would be best used to make my own seed compost, as there will be plenty of seed sowing needs doing if I am to achieve this year's target to grow absolutely everything.
Seed compost doesn't need to be nutrient rich as the seeds come with their food requirements already built in. Seed compost is only meant to give the seeds the start in life they need for the first few precious weeks before being potted on or planted out to a more particularly suited environment. The main thing is that the compost allows some drainage so seedlings have the oomph to germinate. What else does my seed compost need? All the books use the word 'loam'. Making loam entails stacking turf, grass side to grass side, and leaving it to rot down for a year or two, but a two-year wait isn't going to help my 2012 planting schedule. So is loam not just soil? The field behind my house has molehills springing up all over the place, so I decided to collect some to use instead. The moles have done the sifting and aerating for me. One thing to note here: you shouldn't collect molehills from land you don't own without permission.
So I've mixed my compost with molehill loam and added in a handful of sharp sand to keep it nicely opened up. If I had leafmould or coir I might be tempted to include some of them too. Molehills also come with a fair share of seeds, so to give my seedlings the best start in life I bake seed compost in the oven to be sure it is sterile and free from weeds. To do this, place compost in an oven proof container in an even 10cm deep layer, cover with tin foil and bake at 80˚C for 30 minutes. Or alternatively a microwave will do the job (cling film instead of tin foil) for a few minutes on high power. Be warned, it makes your house stink.
'via Blog this'
At the first sight of blossom something happens to me. The sap starts to rise and I become seriously overambitious. It has happened so often now that I know the signs; of course this year will be the one, the one when I grow absolutely everything. Hope and enthusiasm is all well and good, but reality means remembering to plant the seeds.
So to begin, some tidying up is required. To make space to plant a container grown quince tree I first need to move the compost heap. As a lazy but dedicated composter I avidly collect my kitchen waste, add it to the pile but then do very little else. I learnt early on that kitchen scraps alone can make for a slimy result, so I add plenty of egg boxes, cardboard and crumpled paper along with fruit peelings. Apart from that, I know I should turn the heap every now and again to help the aerobic process along and encourage faster decomposition, but I don't. My method falls somewhere between aerobic and anaerobic, by adding enough cellulose the breakdown takes longer but the eventual outcome seems to be the same. Apart from one little detail; there will be lots of seeds in there too as the advantage of turning the heap regularly is that it helps the heap to heat up and kill the seeds lurking within. So I'm just going to have to pick out the seedlings as they appear as penance for my laxity.
My well rotted compost unearthed from the bottom of the heap had the enviable look of a fine tilth, black and friable, just like you buy from a shop! I could spread it on the raised beds, but don't think it will go very far, or perhaps it would be best used to make my own seed compost, as there will be plenty of seed sowing needs doing if I am to achieve this year's target to grow absolutely everything.
Seed compost doesn't need to be nutrient rich as the seeds come with their food requirements already built in. Seed compost is only meant to give the seeds the start in life they need for the first few precious weeks before being potted on or planted out to a more particularly suited environment. The main thing is that the compost allows some drainage so seedlings have the oomph to germinate. What else does my seed compost need? All the books use the word 'loam'. Making loam entails stacking turf, grass side to grass side, and leaving it to rot down for a year or two, but a two-year wait isn't going to help my 2012 planting schedule. So is loam not just soil? The field behind my house has molehills springing up all over the place, so I decided to collect some to use instead. The moles have done the sifting and aerating for me. One thing to note here: you shouldn't collect molehills from land you don't own without permission.
So I've mixed my compost with molehill loam and added in a handful of sharp sand to keep it nicely opened up. If I had leafmould or coir I might be tempted to include some of them too. Molehills also come with a fair share of seeds, so to give my seedlings the best start in life I bake seed compost in the oven to be sure it is sterile and free from weeds. To do this, place compost in an oven proof container in an even 10cm deep layer, cover with tin foil and bake at 80˚C for 30 minutes. Or alternatively a microwave will do the job (cling film instead of tin foil) for a few minutes on high power. Be warned, it makes your house stink.
'via Blog this'
Thursday, 23 March 2017
How To Make Hot Compost.
Use for compost accelerants like seaweed, urine, woodchips, juice pulp or hay.
Start with a 30cm layer of twigs,
followed by a layer of grass clippings
and finally a layer of manure,
then you can continue adding carbon rich and nitrogen.
As a rule, add 2 parts kitchen scraps to 1 part garden waste.
You need much more carbon based scraps than nitrogen waste.
If you are struggling to find nitrogen and don’t want to add animal waste, urine is a great source of nitrogen.
You might have to balance out the moisture content with something like sawdust or shredded paper.
Keep the ratio of carbon and nitrogen around 25 parts carbon and 1 part nitrogen.
Too much nitrogen and your compost will stink.
Too little and it will be very slow.
The Berkeley method of hot composting was developed by the University of California, Berkley.
Here is the procedure:
Build compost cake, layering a third each of browns (straw, dried grass, dry bracken, wood chip, sawdust, cardboard), greens (fresh grass clippings, fresh weeds, green cuttings, green leaves, seaweed) and poo.
Cover and leave for 4 days.
Turn every other day until day 18.
Anything that was once living can be hot composted, there is not so much need to be precious about what goes in the pile.
The heat breaks everything down and there is no trace of the original ingredients when the composting process is complete.
As in your planting, biodiversity is better for the compost because diversity of ingredients means a wider range of nutrients in the soil.
From:
- http://www.thisweekinthegarden.co.uk/uncategorized/how-to-make-hot-compost-18-day-compost-in-the-uk/
- How to Make Fast Compost, how to make compost in 14 days:
Start with a 30cm layer of twigs,
followed by a layer of grass clippings
and finally a layer of manure,
then you can continue adding carbon rich and nitrogen.
As a rule, add 2 parts kitchen scraps to 1 part garden waste.
You need much more carbon based scraps than nitrogen waste.
If you are struggling to find nitrogen and don’t want to add animal waste, urine is a great source of nitrogen.
You might have to balance out the moisture content with something like sawdust or shredded paper.
Keep the ratio of carbon and nitrogen around 25 parts carbon and 1 part nitrogen.
Too much nitrogen and your compost will stink.
Too little and it will be very slow.
The Berkeley method of hot composting was developed by the University of California, Berkley.
Here is the procedure:
Build compost cake, layering a third each of browns (straw, dried grass, dry bracken, wood chip, sawdust, cardboard), greens (fresh grass clippings, fresh weeds, green cuttings, green leaves, seaweed) and poo.
Cover and leave for 4 days.
Turn every other day until day 18.
Anything that was once living can be hot composted, there is not so much need to be precious about what goes in the pile.
The heat breaks everything down and there is no trace of the original ingredients when the composting process is complete.
As in your planting, biodiversity is better for the compost because diversity of ingredients means a wider range of nutrients in the soil.
From:
- http://www.thisweekinthegarden.co.uk/uncategorized/how-to-make-hot-compost-18-day-compost-in-the-uk/
- How to Make Fast Compost, how to make compost in 14 days:
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Friday, 8 July 2011
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Крапива и удобрит, и вылечит - ДАЧНИЦА
Поливать томаты, капуста, сельдерей, огурцы.
Данная подкормка не применяется для фасоли, гороха и лука.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Comfrey.
Comfrey (rich in potash) or nettles (rich in nitrogen).
I use comfrey in three ways.
The first is simply to add it to the compost heap, where its nutrients will both enrich the whole heap and encourage decomposition. Comfrey has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio - ideal for most plants.
The second way is to spread the leaves as a mulch beneath, say, your tomatoes. This acts like any other mulch - slowing down evaporation of moisture and suppressing weeds - but because the leaves rot quickly, it also enriches the soil where the surface roots are.
Comfrey as a mulch - avoid using flowering stems as these can root.
I use comfrey in three ways.
The first is simply to add it to the compost heap, where its nutrients will both enrich the whole heap and encourage decomposition. Comfrey has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio - ideal for most plants.
The second way is to spread the leaves as a mulch beneath, say, your tomatoes. This acts like any other mulch - slowing down evaporation of moisture and suppressing weeds - but because the leaves rot quickly, it also enriches the soil where the surface roots are.
Comfrey as a mulch - avoid using flowering stems as these can root.
5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden. Comfrey.
Simply soak a one part comfrey leaves to three parts water, let sit for a week and strain the rich tea. Use it as you would any liquid fertilizer for your tomatoes, cucumbers, squash or root crops. In fall, as the flowers die down, cut the plant completely back and chop it up. Add it to your compost where they’ll add a rich store of essential minerals.
5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden: "5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden"
5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden: "5 Uncommon Herbs for Your Garden"
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Green manure | Plants | Gardening Blog | Talk | BBC Gardeners' World
Green manure | Plants | Gardening Blog | Talk | BBC Gardeners' World: "There are a few green manures to sow now, suitable for a range of soil types:
1. Grazing rye (Secale cereale) improves soil structure. Sow from August to November and dig in the following spring.
2. Winter field bean (Vicia faba) is good nitrogen fixer for heavy soils. Sow from September to November.
3. Mustard (Sinapis alba) is a brassica, so should not be followed by other brassicas in your crop rotation, as this can lead to the build up of diseases such as club root. Gardeners in the south can still sow it now, but those up north should wait until spring.
4. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is good for loamy soils and fixes nitrogen. Its flowers are a great food source for bumblebees. Again, gardeners down south can probably get away with sowing it now, those up north should sow winter beans instead."
1. Grazing rye (Secale cereale) improves soil structure. Sow from August to November and dig in the following spring.
2. Winter field bean (Vicia faba) is good nitrogen fixer for heavy soils. Sow from September to November.
3. Mustard (Sinapis alba) is a brassica, so should not be followed by other brassicas in your crop rotation, as this can lead to the build up of diseases such as club root. Gardeners in the south can still sow it now, but those up north should wait until spring.
4. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is good for loamy soils and fixes nitrogen. Its flowers are a great food source for bumblebees. Again, gardeners down south can probably get away with sowing it now, those up north should sow winter beans instead."
Friday, 11 March 2011
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Как приготовить компост (для чайников).
Существует несколько способов приготовления компоста, но какой бы вы ни выбрали, есть общие требования.
- Место для компостирования должно быть в полутени.
- Почва под ним должна быть хорошо дренированной.
- Все составляющие требуют обязательного измельчения.
- Смешивать нужно свежие зеленые растительные остатки (ботва, трава) с сухими отходами (солома, опилки, ветки).
- Компост должен быть постоянно умеренно-влажным (как отжатая губка).
Friday, 25 February 2011
Компостер из поддонов.
Compost bin from pallet.
Место для компостирования должно быть в полутени.
Почва под ним должна быть хорошо дренированной.
Огородите 2–4 кв. метра стенками из досок, железа, шифера, метровой высоты.
Стенок может быть три – без передней. А может быть и четыре, но передняя должна быть съемной: перегной приходится перелопачивать и подбирать. Завершает конструкцию лист пленки, шифера или рубероида, накрывающий компост сверху: дожди не должны вымывать питательные вещества. Заодно “крышка” уменьшит испарение влаги. А влажность тем лучше, чем стабильнее. Если куча прикрыта и в тени, ее практически не приходится поливать летом.
Как разобрать поддон./How to disassemble a pallet.
Высокие грядки из старых поддонов./Raised beds from old pallets.
или....
Почва под ним должна быть хорошо дренированной.
Огородите 2–4 кв. метра стенками из досок, железа, шифера, метровой высоты.
Стенок может быть три – без передней. А может быть и четыре, но передняя должна быть съемной: перегной приходится перелопачивать и подбирать. Завершает конструкцию лист пленки, шифера или рубероида, накрывающий компост сверху: дожди не должны вымывать питательные вещества. Заодно “крышка” уменьшит испарение влаги. А влажность тем лучше, чем стабильнее. Если куча прикрыта и в тени, ее практически не приходится поливать летом.
Как разобрать поддон./How to disassemble a pallet.
Высокие грядки из старых поддонов./Raised beds from old pallets.
или....
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