Super-composting

[fluffygrue]

So.. I have an immensely overgrown plot, taken on in Spring. I either need to regularly burn the weeds, or take them home with me and stick in my green bin, or I was wondering..

..what are the chances of being able to compost them if I start a rather large compost heap and try to get it very warm? Does anyone here compost weed seeds/perennial weeds? If so, what do you have success with?

(Drowning them in water butts is not an option, as I can't afford about 20 of the things, which is what I'd need..!)

[fluffygrue]

[jennym]

I compost everything - just bung it in a big pile - its almost sacrilege to burn them or give them to the council  ;D
Everything dead will rot down in the end, honest!

[grawrc]

How long do you leave them for Jen?

[billyish]

can i put teabags on my heap ?

[grawrc]

I do.

[tricia]

......and coffee grounds, including the paper filter.

Tricia

[katynewbie]

 :-\

I have adopted the double whammy approach. I have two heaps made of pallets which were left by the previous plottie, have no way of knowing what's in there so I am leaving them for a year or so.

I have four plastic compost bins of various sizes and these are my elite bins!
I put all the really evil stuff on the pallet heaps (now known as "The Stacking Heaps") and all the good stuff in the plastic ones.

Evil is: Couch, Thistles, Sticky/Twiggy stuff etc
Good stuff is: Vegetable peelings from home, tea bags, coffee grounds, cardboard, paper, straw, annual weeds, plants which have gone over etc

Don't know if thats the right way, but it works for me!

;)

[angle shades]

I agree ,all the weeds go in bin,with manure and kitchen waste,grass,etc,etc/shades x

[OliveOil]

I even put my hoover bag in the composter - after ripping it up and removing whatever isnt 'paper' or dust LOL

[supersprout]

Hi fluffygrue, I'm 'clearing' a new plot too and scything the weeds down, covering with mulch and then black plastic. By-pass the compost heap! (ducks) ;D

[amanda21]

I do a two-part approach, although it's my first year so don't know if it will work yet.  I had to Dalek bins when I first started which I bunged everything in, then my parents had a new patio and the slabs arrived in a brilliant purpose-built crate which I nicked once empty and now use this for my weeds.  I'm never sure what is an annual weed and what isn't so I just bung all weeds in the crate.  They seem to rot down quite quickly into a black gunk.  The dalek bins get the 'nice' stuff.