We have plenty of compost heaps dotted around the place, but are always looking for more material to add to them as we have 10 acres of poor soil.
Obviously space is not and issue.
At work I have an opportunity to take home the green waste, probably a couple of boxes a week and it will be in banana boxes with a plastic bag liner inside.
I was wondering if rather than tipping the bag out on to the heap (NB heap not a bin) if it would break down sooner if I tipped the bag out into the box and gradually built a pile of the boxes.
It might not look wonderful, but would be screened and we have no neighbours for miles so they won't object.
Thoughts?
Composting idea
-
ohareward
- Living the good life
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:48 am
- Location: Ohoka, Nth Canty, New Zealand
Hi Possum. Do you get new boxes each time? I think if you take the tops and bottoms out of the boxes and just use the sides, as you get more stuff, stack the boxes on top of each other. The weight of compost will hold them in place, as long as they were not too high. Where the holes are for the handles would give you ventilation.
Robin
Robin
'You know you are a hard-core gardener if you deadhead flowers in other people's gardens.
To err is human. To blame someone else, is management potential.
To err is human. To blame someone else, is management potential.
Gidday
Well I have two suggestions.
First, with your very sandy and stony soil, if you have the machinery and ability, put in a crop of some sort of cereal like rye corn or something, then before it actually sets it's heads disc it down and let the Good Lord do the composting over the entire area or paddock. I guarrantee that nobody can make better compost than nature.
Second, if you alread have your oplace in grass and don't have the ability to cultivate, just let a paddock at a time to grow ungrazed for a full 12 months then break feed off the remaining grass like with Sabbatical Fallow farming.
Well I have two suggestions.
First, with your very sandy and stony soil, if you have the machinery and ability, put in a crop of some sort of cereal like rye corn or something, then before it actually sets it's heads disc it down and let the Good Lord do the composting over the entire area or paddock. I guarrantee that nobody can make better compost than nature.
Second, if you alread have your oplace in grass and don't have the ability to cultivate, just let a paddock at a time to grow ungrazed for a full 12 months then break feed off the remaining grass like with Sabbatical Fallow farming.
Cheers
just a Rough Country Boy.
just a Rough Country Boy.
-
possum
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 786
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2007 4:24 am
- Location: NZ-formerly UK
Let it grow for 12 months????? Never!! aaaarrrrggghhhh!!!
2 reasons
1. the fire department would be down on us like a ton of bricks, it is an extremely high fire risk here in summer
2. we have a borage problem, it is nasty nasty stuff and even nastier when you unwittingly let it grow for a while because it looks pretty, only then do you find how spikey and prickly the stuff is. Unfortunately as the problem is so bad we are going to have to get a contractor in to spray about 8 or 9 acres to try and erradicate it. The homekill butcher even complained because the sheep were prickly to handle!
The soil isn't sandy at all, it is just full of shingle. The soil between the shingle is fertile, but needs a lot of water.
2 reasons
1. the fire department would be down on us like a ton of bricks, it is an extremely high fire risk here in summer
2. we have a borage problem, it is nasty nasty stuff and even nastier when you unwittingly let it grow for a while because it looks pretty, only then do you find how spikey and prickly the stuff is. Unfortunately as the problem is so bad we are going to have to get a contractor in to spray about 8 or 9 acres to try and erradicate it. The homekill butcher even complained because the sheep were prickly to handle!
The soil isn't sandy at all, it is just full of shingle. The soil between the shingle is fertile, but needs a lot of water.
-
the.fee.fairy
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4635
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 5:38 pm
- Location: Jiangsu, China
- Contact:
Does no-one else think 'Wormery'?!
From what you describe, it seems that the stacked boxes would make a perfect wormery!
From what you describe, it seems that the stacked boxes would make a perfect wormery!
http://thedailysoup.blogspot.com
http://thefeefairy.blogspot.com/
http://feefairyland.weebly.com
Commit random acts of literacy! Read & Release at
http://www.bookcrossing.com/friend/the-fee-fairy
http://thefeefairy.blogspot.com/
http://feefairyland.weebly.com
Commit random acts of literacy! Read & Release at
http://www.bookcrossing.com/friend/the-fee-fairy
-
ohareward
- Living the good life
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:48 am
- Location: Ohoka, Nth Canty, New Zealand
Hey Possum, you could be on to a winner there mate. 
Culinary Uses
Borage flowers and leaves are the traditional decoration for gin-based summer cocktails, and may be set in ice cubes to garnish other drinks.
The flowers and young leaves may be used to garnish salads. dips, and cucumber soups.
Candied borage flowers make attractive cake decorations.
Chopped leaves can be added to soups and stews during the last few minutes of cooking.
The leaves can be cooked with cabbage leaves (two parts cabbage, one part borage.)
Robin
Culinary Uses
Borage flowers and leaves are the traditional decoration for gin-based summer cocktails, and may be set in ice cubes to garnish other drinks.
The flowers and young leaves may be used to garnish salads. dips, and cucumber soups.
Candied borage flowers make attractive cake decorations.
Chopped leaves can be added to soups and stews during the last few minutes of cooking.
The leaves can be cooked with cabbage leaves (two parts cabbage, one part borage.)
Robin
'You know you are a hard-core gardener if you deadhead flowers in other people's gardens.
To err is human. To blame someone else, is management potential.
To err is human. To blame someone else, is management potential.
-
Millymollymandy
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 17637
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 6:09 am
- Location: Brittany, France
