Topic: increasing compost

[aquilegia]

Any ideas on how to increase the amount of compost I can make?

I already add to my bins: veg peelings, etc, grass clippings, suitable weeds, prunings, etc, autumn leaves, egg boxes, brown cardboard. (I'm weary of dyed card due to the chemicals).

I grow green manure where I have room (which isn't a lot!)

The only neighbours I know compost their garden waste themselves. I don't want to ask others in case it's got chemicals in it (I grow veg and ornamentals together, so can't just use it on flowers).

I use old potting compost as a mulch or dig it in.

I get manure when I can, but as we don't have a car, it's tricky.

Council compost is too far away.

I don't want to buy compost for digging into/mulching the garden!

[Baccy Man]

Humanure is the obvious option but many people are fecophobic so they refuse to compost their own waste though oddly they are happy to eat British produce grown in fields sprayed with other peoples waste material given to famers by sewage processing plants.

[caroline7758]

Do you have a "real" brewery near you? I get spent hops which make a good mulch (not many nutrients so not so good for digging in but does improve the soil structure),and they are ready bagged so easier than manure.

[chriscross1966]

Do you have any friends that are contract gardeners?... they have to pay to dispose of waste so they're generally more than happy if someione wants to use certain bits of it....

chrisc

[aquilegia]

Beccy man - my initial reaction is one of too many logistical barriers. We don't have room for a compost toilet. But I wonder if that's a rationalisation of fecophobia? I would be happy to use it if it was supplied like chicken manure pellets!

Caroline - no breweries that I no of. Will have a look.

Chrisc - no.

I wonder if I could get any spoiled fruit and veg the green grocers are going to throw away. Will see...

[Baccy Man]

A composting toilet doesn't have to take up much room, essentially a bucket with a toilet seat for a lid & a container full of sawdust for cover material is all that is required indoors, the contents are transferred outdoors to a compost heap until it is ready to use. There is loads of info on the humanure website linked to above & you can download the humanure handbook to read at your leisure.

If you live in an area which has been invaded by starbucks then they have a corporate policy stating they must give used coffee grounds to anyone who asks for them it's a scheme called "grounds for your garden" you don't have to be a customer & you can have as much used coffee as you can carry assuming nobody else has got their first. If they say they don't save the grounds then remind them it is corporate policy & ask them to start doing so. If you are very lucky then you may find a store with a lot of customers that nobody collects from like the one in New Street station in Birmingham where you could pick up several kilos of coffee grounds per day.

[grannyjanny]

If you have an independant greengrocer they may give you some that they would throw away but I think supermarkets have to log it all before returning it. Do you know anyone with guinea pigs or rabbits? Their waste & hay/straw helps make lovely compost.

[aquilegia]

Beccy - I didn't realise the toilet was that easy. I thought you had to leave it in there for some time or it dropped into a big pit or something! I didn't manage to find the bit about how to do it on your link. I wonder if Mr Aqui would go for it?

Will ask starbucks. I'm sure there is one in town.

Grannyjanny - their are two proper greengrocers here. I just have to get the guts to ask! Don't know anyone with pets (other than my neighbour who composts it herself) but I wonder if the pet shop would give me it? Although I'd have to make sure it didn't have cat and dog poo in it as well!

[javahart]

Obviously the lack of a car  makes this a tricky one for you.  Are there any other allotmenteers you could get to help out/share the winnings  ;D

Viable sources

Mushroom farm - great for 'used' compost
Farmyard manure
Coffee shops
Grocers
Parks & gardens - although they may reuse their clippings
Council - our's drop off woodchip at the lotty
Horse stables

[Baccy Man]

A pdf copy of the humanure handbook can be downloaded here.
http://weblife.org/humanure/pdf/humanure_handbook_third_edition.pdf
Chapter 8 of the humanure handbook deals with how the toilet is built & the waste is processed.

Alternately you can find instructions on how to build a composting toilet here:
http://humanurehandbook.com/humanure_toilet.html
& basic instructions to use it here.
http://humanurehandbook.com/manual.html
http://www.humanurehandbook.com/downloads/toilet_instructions_both.pdf

[redimp]

Stick an ad on Freedcycle offering to take away green waste.  Select the respondants that offer the right mix off stuff and are not too far away and then take it from there.

[Digeroo]

I was told at Garden Organic recently that they colour used for printing now are non toxic. so I was persuaded to put in more cardboard and paper.  But I have found that it does not seem to breakdown very fast and so my compost was full of pieces of cardboard and paper which I cannot get the spade through.  I had now buried it so I hope it breaks down in the soil.   I put in tissues and kitchen roll after use.  

In some areas it is possible to get recycled compost delivered.

I do rather resent the waste of a good asset being flushed away. ;D  The girl guide latrines of my youth were very simple affairs:  Tent, hole, box, seat, bucket of sawdust/soil and a bit of a whiff.  I'd never head of e-coli infections in those day. :o

[goodlife]

In my grans smallholding...there is no flushing toilet...never has been..
and all the wood ash is saved for "flushing"...small scoop of that and it helps with smell issues too..I said help...but if you were to do just in bucket scale...even a bit of soil does same thing..but you will still need to deal with acidity..lime you cannot used untill for finished product...so if you would go this route..save any ash..
As I'm not going to run to home every time "nature" calls..I dilute wee and use it for potted plants...and anything solid..well..I do have small pit where those go with layer of wood shavings and ash..each pit is then covered with soil...marker on top and left at least for a year before it is touched..and neighbours are not any wiser...

[nilly71]

I've been thinking of growing extra crops just to use for composting. I have also asked the local green grocer for any of the leftovers after they trim the veg for their shop but they said most of it comes allready prepared.

Neil

[Digeroo]

I have been growing mustard as a green manure all winter, and my bean rows are now covered in phacelia.  Both are now rather big for raking in so will be going in the compost bin.