The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 21, 2007, 05:10:33 pm

Title: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 21, 2007, 05:10:33 pm
Thought i would share this with everyone.
you know the important document bank statements bills etc that you can't bin but don't want to keep try shredding them and putting them in the compost bin :) it gives the dry matter and air that it needs.

Linz
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Wanda L. Wood on October 21, 2007, 06:42:05 pm
I have always been worried about the type of ink that is used on the paper. In Scotland do they use a vegetable based ink? Here in Oregon, a lot of the ink is not safe, so I do not use it. I think the manufactures should state what their ink bases are.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 21, 2007, 06:44:58 pm
I never really thought about the ink but the paper get broken down in the compost bin not sure about the ink that is used. Never ad a problem with the compost bin it has plenty of bugs in it so can't really be that much of a problem. I would think that if it was a lot of problem the bugs would be able to live in it.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Drystonewall on October 25, 2007, 06:56:52 am
If you have chickens, add their poo and used bedding to the heap too.

Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 25, 2007, 09:48:21 am
i don't have chicken but i now a woman who does lol.
And i go and collect every now and then. Not to bad to have in the back of a car if it is dry. And the where is cold but not so good if the contentss wet and hot out side. Open all windows including the sunroof
lol
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: jan on October 25, 2007, 11:06:58 am
Well there you go, never thought of putting the chicken bedding etc in the composter!!  Doh! ::)
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 25, 2007, 11:10:06 am
It supposed to be the best sh*t around hehe
sorry i counldn't resist that one lol
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Rosemary on October 25, 2007, 07:03:27 pm
Comfrey is a good addition to the compost bin, too. We grow it in the garden but it grows wild around here too. It makes a good mulch too, just laid on the soil. And lining the trench into which you're going to put potatoes.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 25, 2007, 10:16:01 pm
I got comfrey from the highland show this year so am gona try and grow it for compost she says lol
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Judith on October 26, 2007, 09:18:59 am
Hi

If you grow comfrey make sure it is in a place where it cannot try to take over the world - it spreads like wildfire.  Having said that it is a terrific compost activator and rots down really well.  You have to be sure not to put in the roots though as they will just keep growing.  Nettles are also good but make sure the roots don't go in - they also keep growing and are a pain to get out.  Its easy to miss a bit when you spread the compost. We put everything into our compost - old cardboard and newspapers ripped up, the contents of the vacuum cleaner, old cotton tee shirts etc. Anything biodegradable really but nothing cooked unless it is plain boiled veg.  We have never had a problem with rats, although the heaps are home to slow worms in the winter.  We have never worried too much about ink or even thought about it. We don't turn it either - just leave it all for about a year and it all rots down into a lovely black crumbly mixture filled with worms.  We have about 3 on the go at one time and the benefit to the garden and veg beds is astonishing.  Recycled beer (human urine) is also very good but it has to be male RB as female does not have the same effect - something to do with hormones I think.  Just make sure the neighbours  are not around or the consequences could be dire!!!!

Judith
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: carl on October 26, 2007, 09:23:00 am
brilliant, all i need now is a steady supply of beer.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 26, 2007, 10:29:02 am
hehe that could be interesting peeing in the compost lol
anyway .
I have 3 on the good also one is almost ready to go on the garden about 2/3 years old started it when i moved in lol
So very well rotted down it was full to the top but now only 1/3 full so most be in a good spot. The soil is also most ready for it to go on to. The place where it is going is slowly being lined with cardboard as a weed surpressant, I have lots of large bit of card board so i was gona give it a goo, not sure if it'll work, But that is what gardening is all about trial and error, Being an end of a group of terrace in a bigish village my neighbours think i am totally nutty.
I will be having a rearrange in the garden as soon as i come back from doing the family round next week (travelling to wales for funeral duties)
I'll let you all now how I get on with the cardboard and compost.
Linz

Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: stephen on October 26, 2007, 10:41:18 am
have seen quite a few links to Worms when composting has been google'd! here is one of them:

http://www.wormsdirectuk.co.uk/default.php?cPath=21_30

thought some of you might find them a usefull addition to your compost heap! :)
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on October 26, 2007, 11:11:41 am
btw the worms you need for the compost are the worms that hide under pot etc.
So if you move a pot or something and you see lots of worms, there the ones you need to pick up ,run and put in your compost.
lol
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Dan on October 26, 2007, 03:14:15 pm
If you grow comfrey make sure it is in a place where it cannot try to take over the world - it spreads like wildfire.

Ah, you need to get the right variety of comfrey - Bocking 14 is sterile and won't spread, the HDRA do a great little leaflet on it, but there are lots of good resources online too:

allotment.org.uk (http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetables_and_herbs/Comfrey_The_Wonder_Plant.php)
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey)

HTH.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Judith on October 26, 2007, 06:00:36 pm
Sorry Dan, I should have mentioned that.  However, we have the comfrey officinale and it is so much prettier than the Bocking!  It has lovely pink and blue flowers and I really love it but it does spread, and spread, and spread......................  We also have another, low growing comfrey that I cannot remember the name of which has pretty cream flowers tipped with pink sometimes and that really does want to take the world over!  It makes super ground cover in an out of the way place though.

Judith
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Wanda L. Wood on October 28, 2007, 03:12:37 am
This is all so VERY interesting , regarding comfrey!! I have a couple questions.

1. We used to live in Bandon, Oregon ( Town was named after Bandon, Ireland) Anyway it is on the Oregon's west coast. We had Comfrey all over there and i used to use it to make tea for bladder infection. I know from the history of Bandon, that the Comfrey was brought to Bandon from Scotland. could you tell me what variety it most likely is? I can not find that out here. It grew to be around 36 inches tall with pink flowers. About a year ago, the United States put out a warning regarding Comfrey. They said it could be very toxic.

2. Also, in Bandon we had Gorst (sp) thorns ALL over it with yellow flowers. I was one of a million that happens to be allergic to it. I love the coast but can not visit only in August and September. Does anyone know the special tea made that helps you NOT to react to the Gorst. I would love to try it, as I do not have an allergy to the Comfrey.
Thanks so much!
A lot of people here in the states put chicken manure on their compost piles. We use only horse and steer. Only because we do not have very many people here with chickens. We hope to be changing that next year.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Drystonewall on October 30, 2007, 06:44:10 am
i used to use it to make tea for bladder infection.
:o I thought Comfrey was poisonous!!

Am off to Google it!

* I'm back.  I was half right!

"This herb is highly regarded for its healing properties but users should note that there have been formal warnings from both British and American regulatory bodies to manufacturers about the toxicity of compounds called pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the comfrey root if taken internally. These substances can damage the liver, affect the circulation and have also been linked with an increased risk of cancer in rats.

The experience of most herbalists is that a tincture of infusion of comfrey leaves is safe and beneficial for conditions such as stomach ulcers when prescribed by a qualified professional and used for limited periods of time (a maximum of six weeks is advisable). Applying comfrey externally in the form of oil, tincture, ointment, cream or a poultice of chopped leaves has not provoked such warnings."
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: welshdragon on October 30, 2007, 09:02:52 am
We have used comfrey for many years for sprains and broken bones with very good results. As for drinking comfrey tea, I have not found the taste particularly nice but by the same token nettle tea is not the most endearing in flavour. Having said that steamed nettles are a regular feature on our dinner plates particularly in springtime as they clear the body very nicely. Nettle roots are nice and they have supposed benefits to those who suffer from enlarged prostrate glands.
We feed comfrey to our chickens and feed chicken muck to the comfrey and it works out just fine. Strangely the pigs leave the comfrey alone - I wonder why?
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Malc on October 30, 2007, 09:14:48 am
I've never got around to trying comfrey, but will definitely look into it.

However, I have been lining potato trenches with torn-up newspaper and shredded documents (wet them first) for years and always get good crops.

I also recycle my beer!

Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Rosemary on October 30, 2007, 06:44:52 pm
So does Dan.
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on November 17, 2007, 01:59:47 pm
can we have a different topic for herbal rememdes?
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: rustyme on December 22, 2007, 09:21:29 am
hello everyone,
                   regarding comfrey and the pigs not eating it....I grow comfrey and feed it to my horses who love it . You have to cut it and let it wilt for an hour or two though as the hairs on it, that can make some people itch a bit, put off some animals from eating it. Once it has wilted for an hour or so the horses really go for it big time and it really makes thier coats shine. I think pigs are the same , they hate the hairs, but otherwise they will eat it very well. You may have to ease it into thier diet though . 
        On the subject of it being poisonous, tests have been done that show it would take an average bloke drinking 40 cups of comfrey tea a day for more than a lifetime , to get any ill effects from it . In other words he would die of old age before the comfrey got to him . No real proof that it is very harmful has been put forward as yet. It is one of those things , if you are worried about it , don't eat it , put it on the compost heap . But it is a very good protein  source for stock feed ,and will supply huge amounts if cut again and again, 5 times a year easily. I am at present , still increasing my comfrey plot . I now have 50+ large plants,(bocking 14),and about the same number from root cuttings this year, ready to go in the bed in the spring. I shall also be able to take hundreds of  root cuttings this season, so will have a good sized bed . Free food for the animals....along with the good old mangles 20lb + each and any spare veg and grains , I hope to be almost feed self sufficient for the pigs when I get them .
 
cheers
 
Russ
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Rosemary on December 22, 2007, 10:47:59 pm
I tried my horse on comfrey but he wouldn't eat it. Maybe I didn't wilt it for long enough. He'd eat it now, I bet, given the lack of grass!
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: robert693 on January 21, 2008, 03:12:05 pm
Many newspapers are now printing with soy based ink. This is not for environmental concern but for the fact that soy ink does not smear and get on a readers hands the way that petroleum based inks do. You should be able to compost this just fine.

Robert
Title: Re: Compost heap/bin
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on January 25, 2008, 01:39:00 pm
ohhh so you can eat them now lol