Topic: My 'harvest' today

[Georgie]

Hey, Lord Steve, I demand to see a pic of your compost too!   ;) 

Hi Wardy.  No, I've not tried manure compost but with such a small garden (and no lottie) it would be tricky.  I do have a small turf pile (coming on nicely) and some leaf mould in a black bin liner (almost ready) though.   ;D

G xx

[Lord Steve]

Hi Georgie! You did ask ... so here goes!

Here are a couple of pics of my harvest. I was rather chuffed as it is my first ever batch of compost. I think it has turned out ok.







I will sieve it when I am ready to use it (what do you do with the larger twigs etc? Do you chuck them back on the compost to break down in more time, or do you throw them away?).

Well done with your compost, again - it looks very professional sieved in the tub trug!!

[Georgie]

Oh Steve, that loooks fab.   ;D  Just chuck the larger bits back in the bin, they will get there soon I promise.   :D

G xx

[Lord Steve]

Thanks, Georgie!

[Roy Bham UK]

 ::) May sound like a silly question, but why do you have to sieve it?

[windygale]

HEY roy just checked out your website (your lottie) nice going, loads of beds and gravel path will help with controlling weeds, keep up the good work,
All the best
windy  ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

;) Thank you Windy, much appreciated :)

[Garden Manager]

::) May sound like a silly question, but why do you have to sieve it?

Well you dont have to sieve it Roy, you could just use it on your beds and borders as it is (good for bulking up/improving poor soils). However if you want to use it as a potting compost  for example then it probably needs sieving (or riddling) to get rid of the large lumps.  Which of course can then be put back in with the next batch of compost.

Hope this helps.  :)

[wardy]

Your lotties look great Roy.  Very tidy and organised.  They look brand new lotties.  Are they?

I like the idea of making the beds off the path.  Very clean lines Roy which I can onkly aspire to.  Mine is all higgledy piggledy and disorganised.  Just like me.  It's a pig to navigate round though and it's gonna change! Not sure when exactly  :)

[Roy Bham UK]

;) Thanks Richard and Wardy. Yes they are brand new, well no they are revived very old lotties, (My Dad used to have one many years ago), the council is selling off half of it  and we have what's left, it was closed for over two years through vandalism, then a brand new steel fence erected and the council sprayed and ploughed a big chunk for rent, still not full yet.

I'm not sure I like the paths now as the weeds still grow through the wood chip and it is looking very untidy, I may either let the grass grow and keep strimmed or just keep hoeing the tops off.

[aquilegia]

beautiful stuff Georgie! I can't berlieve you sieve it all - that's dedication! I haven't got the patience for that!

Harvested some of mine at the weekend too. not sure how long it took as I've rather lost track of it all! I now have about 200l in bags ready to use! Plus three more bins of semi-rotted stuff and about another four or five bags full of fresh stuff.

I love compost - no matter what my other harvests are like I can always get a decent crop of compost!

[Georgie]

Hi Aqui.  I have to sieve it because I use it in my pots bit I don't mind, I find it quite theraputic.  I've got my eye on one of those rotosieves now, mind, might put one on my Christmas list.    ;D

G xx

[Robert_Brenchley]

I used to sieve it when I made my own compost, nowadays I just put half-rotted leaves straight on.

[wardy]

Oh well if we're all showing off our home made compost here's mine from my Compost Machine.  This lot is only the bottom third and it's filled me barrow a big rubber trug and a gardening sack  :o  It wants sieving to get all the twigs out but it was too wet so I'm drying it off a bit first.  Well that's the plan so it makes it easier to sieve.  Tried it yesterday and it just stuck  :(   It's a toss up now though what the best use for it is as I don't want to waste it.  It must all be used wisely.  It's got loads of eggshells in it so I suppose I could use it on my new brassica bed which is sitting patiently, growing weeds, waiting for Dobies to deliver  :)

[Garden Manager]

Oh well if we're all showing off our home made compost here's mine from my Compost Machine.  This lot is only the bottom third and it's filled me barrow a big rubber trug and a gardening sack  :o  It wants sieving to get all the twigs out but it was too wet so I'm drying it off a bit first.  Well that's the plan so it makes it easier to sieve.  Tried it yesterday and it just stuck  :(   It's a toss up now though what the best use for it is as I don't want to waste it.  It must all be used wisely.  It's got loads of eggshells in it so I suppose I could use it on my new brassica bed which is sitting patiently, growing weeds, waiting for Dobies to deliver  :)

Is that wire basket what you use as a sieve wardy? I just have a small bought one from the garden centre. No wonder i dont have the patience to do vry much seiving!

[wardy]

That wire basket is one of many someone gave me, the racks too, I have some in my wardrobe so does my OH and two more lots in the shed. Fantastically handy (Ikea) Some folk just give owt away!
I used it to try and sieve out some of the sticks and twigs before a final sieve with my plastic garden sieve.  The plastic sieves I find are a bit fine but my wire one has disintegrated.  Must get a new one.  The compost was too moist to sieve through the plastic one so I thought I'd leave it to dry off but since then it has poured it down. Drat!  Typical  >:(

[Georgie]

Looks good, Wardy.   ;D

G xx

[wardy]

Thanks for complimenting my mixture.  Got two more bins the other day so even more of the lovely stuff.  My considerate OH has gone off to buy me a metal sieve - isn't that kind?  So I can spend the day sieving as I don't really want twigs and sticks all over me beds  :)  The leaves had clumped together a bit so they went back into a newly started bin.  I think composting is therapeutic  :)

[Georgie]

I see Monty Don is singing the praises of composting in his column in Amateur Gardener this week.  I wonder if he's seen this thread?   ;D  ;D  ;D

G xx

[wardy]

Yes I watched it and I enjoyed it.  I thought Monty was very enthusiastic and upbeat  :)

Been sieving all day with plastic sieve.  Long job but quite a pleasant mindless task on a lovely sunny morning.

Here is the finished result and all the sticks etc put back into new bin