Spent compost

[bluecar]

Hello all.

I've just cleared the greenhouse out and was about to put the used compost (that had the tomatoes in) in the household green bin when it occurred to me that there must be a better use for it - mulch, compost heap, use it again (with new nutrients) etc.

What are your thoughts?

Regards

Bluecar

[bluecar]

[Flighty]

I'd put it on the compost heap.

[Ellen K]

Just chuck mine on any bare soil in the garden.

[grannyjanny]

I save it for when I haven't got any browns for the compost bin, so many greens going in ATM.

[Tee Gee]

I use quite a number of containers for patio plants and ring culture in my concrete based greenhouse.

To save on potting compost I riddle my spent compost and fill the bottom third of my containers with it, then I top off the containers with new compost!

Sometimes I throw a handful of general fertilser in with it but not always as I find that the fertiliser from the new compost leeches into it, plus as with all containers I feed them more than I do to plants in the border soil it becomes more enriched.

Still on a saving note I often alter these quantities by filling the bottom quarter with farm yard manure, the next quarter with spent compost then top off with new compost!

So basically I use it as a bulking agent!

[realfood]

I reuse this year's tomato bags, next year for peppers, salad crops, herbs etc. Never have any problems.

[bluecar]

Thanks for your comments.

I'll certainly be making better use of it now.

Regards

Bluecar

[BarriedaleNick]

I tend to use it to bulk out things like carrot beds - being on clay carrots struggle a bit and they dont like too fertile a soil.
Either that or I add manure/chicken poo and reuse!

[bluecar]

Thanks BarriedaleNick.

I was hoping I could use it again with added nutrients.

Bluecar

[Garden Manager]

Use it as a mulch. If its not too rooty and pest/disease free then reuse for spring bulbs/bedding in pots. Compost bin if no other use for it. Absolute last resort in green waste bin or to the tip - only pest ridden compost should be thrown away really.

Wouldn't reuse it for young plants/seedlings or particularly sensitive or hungry crops, tomatoes for example.

Hope this helps.

[bluecar]

Thanks GM

[Jokerman]

I keep all mine and put them in a bath ready for next years carrots. :)

[bluecar]

Do you add any nutrients to it Jokerman?

[Jokerman]

Nothing. But I only use it once. So this years tomato compost will be used for my carrots next years. When that has been used I just use the remains as a mulch. I have never had any luck with carrots direct into the ground but the last 3 years this has worked perfectly in the bath.

[bluecar]

Hello Jokerman.

Thanks. Three years use seems a good return.

Regards

Bluecar

[Pescador]

Mine goes in with the spent hops and barley on the compost heap, brilliant stuff.

[Garden Manager]

Spent compost is good to have if you grow veg in those large sack type beds you get from Marshalls. Good as they are they take a lot of filling so having some old compost is a handy filler material. I have a few of these beds in addition to my main veg beds and most are filled witg spent compost with some fresh added to the top every so often. Works well.

[Fork]

The spent compost from my tomatoes gets thrown onto my plot when my winter digging is complete and then gets worked in next spring.

Some area's on my plot are very shallow, half a spades depth at most so every little helps.

[chriscross1966]

I use a couple of trailer-loads of council compost each  year.(total about a ton, costs me 15 quid a trailer load)... about half a trailer load goes into pots as I'm potting on plants (I start everything off in modules, and plant out plants, even for things like carrots and parsnips, adn I sell a lot of tomatoes etc at boot sales come spring), most of the rest of it goes into the greenhouse borers to replace the top few inches.... what I dig out form there used to go on wherever the potatoes were that year, as they're the same family of plants generally (mostly solanums)...  this year though the greenhouse soil will go to help fill the raised bed I've established as an allium bed, as my plot has a white rot problem I've had to get creative to try adn get past it.... so if I keep one bed sterilised for onions and only use it, topping off from the greenhouse each yearthen as long as I'm careful about allium weeds on the main plot and use the garlic-watering scheme folks have found that seems to work then hopefully by the time the wood on the allium bed rots out I'll have cleraed the main plot of rot...