Allotments 4 All

hello all....haven't got an allotment, (hope this isn't a problem), but I have been reading this site quite regularly, and have picked up loads of tips for my garden, so thanks to everyone.
I have a question, whenever i take the lid off my compost bin, lots of small flies fly out, this hasnt happened before, am I doing something wrong?
Kathryn

Don't worry about the lack of an allotment, lots of people like myself are only cultivating there gardens.
The little flies are probably fruit flies, perfectly normally in a compost bin.
While we are on the subject of compost, does anyone add shredded paper to there pile, Monty was advocating it on gardeners world on friday, to balance out the grass clippings.

i have just turned over my half done compost pile and it was quite stinky in places (layers) - i probably havent got the mix right of green and dry matter. i have added newspaper before now and only do so on an ad-hoc basis - though i am sure the heap would benefit. but the thing is, i mostly have green stuff and no woody/dry stuff to add. nonetheless, heap no.1 has produced a lovely rich dark crumbly compost mix which will be very useful for next spring (or later this autumn, i'll see what i will get up to) heap no.2 is now turned and rotting down over winter, while heap no.1 is active again.... oh the joys of cmpost science :D

Thank you ...you do look rather young to have an allotment!!!
i add paper to mine, also wood shavings and straw from my rabbit and guinea pigs cages, that is ok, isnt it?

Yes it's ok, it will all rot down  :) I put cardboard in mine too, whole, which adds air spaces between the layers, eg wash powder boxes, pizza boxes (which we have very occasionally) but if I do get cardboard boxes I  just chuck em in as they are, I do take any sticky tape off though.  Newspaper goes in mine sometimes (you can scrunch it up, again to add air spaces)

The flies are no problem, just leave lid off a bit to let them fly away and then come back to the bin to turn it or replenish it or whatever.  I have lots of greens like grass clippings or whatever I tend to lay them on the ground on some plastic etc and let them go brown before adding them to the bin.  I know it's easy to do this on the lotty but a bit unsightly at home (I put mine on a piece of black plastic on the lawn on a dry, bright  day) because grass clippings stink to high heaven, so it gets rid of some of the moisture and smell, before adding them to me bin

i've only had my garden for about  15 months, lived in a flat before then, so this is all rather new to me, my bin has been going for about a year, when do you think it well be ok to use?

It's ok to use when it has gone brown and crumbly and you don't recognise the components, except for bits of eggshell, which are ok.  So when everything is broken down really  :)  You don't have to use all of it, if there's fresh stuff on the top, you can just take the "cooked" stuff as I call it from the bottom, via the trapdoor if there is one

I turn my compost a few times a year by tipping it into a barrow and then tipping it back so it mixes it up a bit.  You don't have to though but it does agitate it a bit and get some air into it.  Don't forget the most important component URINE.  Men's is best but if there's none about then yours is the next best thing.  If you have babes you can empty the potty in there (only wees though mind)  ;D

ha ha...hubby will go along with most of my wacky ideas, but somehow i think he'll draw the line when i ask him to stand on the step ladder and wee into my compost bin... ;D

Er, no  ;D  You get him to widdle into an old container and then decant it into the compy bin.  My husband won't do it either but he's a wimp.  When I'm on my plot and I have to go I always use it  ;D  That's where not throwing anything away comes into its own.  I save plastic containers which soup etc comes in which makes the perfect vessel if you get me drift  ;)

as long as no-one mistakes it for pea soup (sorry)

waaaahahaha  ;D

Thanks for all your tips  ;D

   Must be some size of a soup vessel Wardy    :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
   am already running !!!!!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

The cheek of some folk  ;)