Gardening / compost related question

Neil & Sue · Post by **Neil & Sue** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 15:03

Hi - I'm not much of a gardener but do maintain compost in one of those green bins (in my London garden) and seems to work fine with little intervention. I'm mosly approaching it from a 'avoiding putting unneccessary waste in the landfill' rather than 'this will be great for my potatoes'.

However I'm wondering if it will be as simple as that in the PO or is it generally too warm? the french garden is quite small with not much shade kicking about.

Neil

john · Post by **john** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 15:07

Neil & Sue wrote:However I'm wondering if it will be as simple as that in the PO or is it generally too warm?
Neil

Not today,it isn't Neil. It's absolutely FREEZING.

You can certainly buy those bins here. I saw one in both Auchan and L Merlin only last week.

Neil & Sue · Post by **Neil & Sue** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 16:09

Thanks - that's a bit of a turn round - I was just mowing the lawn here in London in a t-shirt!

(emptying the grass cuttings made me think of the question)

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 17:04

I have also seen these bins, I suppose it depends on your surroundings. As our house is in a wooded area I would not like to risk having a compost heap just in case of fire. As it is the mairie and the chappie in charge of the lottisement come round the properties every year and check that the land is clear of undergrowth and no trees are within 2m of the house. Our neighbours had a visit from the police as they had supposedly not cleared the land before the allocated date. They were very nasty too!

opas · Post by **opas** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 17:53

A couple of years ago , around the time our village households were provided with the yellow recycle bins(for tetra pack.cardboard ,parer etc) we were offered compost bins at a reduced rate, about 10 euros I think, we didn`t take up the offer as we had no room, I wish i had now as I have a separate potager.
Perhaps is you ask at the Maires office you could aquire one through them.

Marguerite & Steve · Post by **Marguerite & Steve** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 18:05

Neil & Sue wrote:Thanks - that's a bit of a turn round - I was just mowing the lawn here in London in a t-shirt!

(emptying the grass cuttings made me think of the question)

Hi N & S

We too have glorious weather been 16 degrees today...grass already cut, looking good...

Jungle Jim · Post by **Jungle Jim** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 21:06

We tried a composter bin but it became unbearable in the summer. Flies smell etc. Changed to burying the stuff regularly in shallow trenches ( as recommended on Gardeners Questiontime). Works a treat, everything is processed in 4/6 weeks - even chicken carcasses!

Our plot is quite small, garden is fenced and cats, dogs etc don't visit.

Jungle Jim

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 21:46

What you really want is a covered but ventilated wooden composter with access at the bottom to get the compost out. Keep it away from your kitchen window and add soil and compost bacteria in layers. You need moisture too as the bacteria can't live in dryness.

I don't understand the issue about fires and compost. The heat of a compost heap is around 40 degrees max and moist. Have you ever tried setting light to it?

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Tue 01 Apr 2008 23:34

Weldom sells a good "composteur" in two sizes 400 or 600 liters for a reasonable price. We recently bought the 600 liter version.
Seems they have 4 branches in the PO though I never visited any
http://www.weldom.com/front/magasins/f_ ... asp?dep=66
As we now (in our new place) still have a garden of 800m2 - even though smaller than our old one in 66, we have room for it in a corner well away from any risk of odours..

Neil & Sue · Post by **Neil & Sue** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 13:12

Thanks all for your responses - looks like a few options there and I am hoping to have a chance to try them all out after we move out there in July....am looking forward to changing the location from 'London and Corsavy' to just 'Corsavy'!

Marguerite & Steve - glad the lawn is looking good but get your jumpers back out, it's going to be very cold this weekend!

Neil & Sue

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 17:42

This may sound a silly question, but I have a terrace, and have got a lot of nice new pot plants for it, but I really need some good, rich compost for the pots. All I can find locally is specialised fertiliser (for roses, fuschias, etc.) There is a garden centre just a few km away, but I don't have a car, and don't think I would be popular travelling on the bus with a load of pooey stuff, even if I could lift it. When I had a large garden in Cornwall, I would get rotted horse manure delivered by the ton - clearly, my new neighbours would lynch me if I did such a thing here. What do other people use, and where can I get it? I would really like some delivered, but I tried my old favourites,. Bakker, and they didn't sell it.

PaddyFrog · Post by **PaddyFrog** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 19:10

ML,
Around the area near you have two or three pony/horse riding sites.
You may be able to get a small amount.

But during the warm summer it will attract every type of creepy known to man.

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 19:24

Yes, this is what I thought. So I am really looking for a (non-stinky) alternative. Where I used to live, there were so many poo smells, nobody noticed another one! What do other people do who don;t want to offend?

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 20:02

Mandy,
If you want compost, that is terreau. All the supermarkets have sacks of it.

However, if I had no car, I would buy a granule or liquid fertilizer and add it to the pot plants every week or as it says on the packet. Basically you don't need compost or horse muck for house plants. Modern chemicals in handypacks will do the trick.

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 20:16

No, they are not houseplants, they are mini trees and shrubs in small tubs on the terrace and balcony. Thanks for the name of the stuff - I haven't seen any at the local Super U.

I wouldn't think of putting poo in a houseplant pot (although my cats would disagree with me on that, given half a chance.)

Santiago · Post by **Santiago** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 20:31

The terreau + fertiliser will work for shrubs in pots. I do it for olive and lemon trees. Put a bit of soil in too (if you have access to any).

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 20:38

I have a beach two minute's walk away...plenty of sand, no access to soil, though.

rbg · Post by **rbg** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 21:53

I envy your green fingers. Everything I plant dies a slow and painful death .. except for a hardy ole lemon tree out the back which yields a few juiceless hard as a rock yellow excuses a few times a year.
How do ye do it??

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Wed 02 Apr 2008 22:14

Poo, poo, and more poo! that's what concerns me about not wanting to stink the whole of Barcares out! Most things will flourish given fresh air, water, and shelter from the cold and wind (and not forgetting the poo)- the thing I can never manage is house plants - I dread being given one of them, all lovely and glossy, because I know that after a week in my TLC it will be three grey twigs and a memory.

sue and paul · Post by **sue and paul** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 13:32

From next Wednesday, Aldi have Terreau Universel on offer in 50 L bags

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 14:01

.. er.. when I click on that monster link I get the response

Windows Live Hotmail
Le futur de MSN Hotmail est arrivé !
Créez gratuitement un nouveau compte mail
avec 5 Go de stockage, plus de sécurité, et
plus de simplicité !

Inscrivez vous

Aide

???

sue and paul · Post by **sue and paul** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 14:54

thanks rog. i did try it out, and it seemed to work i'd like to delete it, how can it be done now? sue

john · Post by **john** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 14:57

Sue and Paul are right. Lidl,Aldi and their chums seem to be falling over each other to see how cheaply they can flog 50l bags of potting terreau just now. The least costly I've seen is 1€39,but others may know better.

ML,your problem seems to be the lack of a vehicle to transport said bags in. Hiring a taxi sems a little extreme,but either that or asking for a lift from someone nearby appear to be the only feasible solutions if you wish to purchase some.

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 15:01

On the other hand, if I get on the bus with a binliner full of horse poo, at least I will have the place to myself...

sue and paul · Post by **sue and paul** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 15:06

have edit/deleted the link to aldi. another idea would be to buy a bottle of liquid feed - engrais universel

john · Post by **john** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 15:07

Mandylou1960 wrote:On the other hand, if I get on the bus with a binliner full of horse poo, at least I will have the place to myself...

ML you have not overburdened us with info as regards the size of this "terrace". Anything more than a few m2 and you will require the combined output of an entire stable,as opposed to the bin-liner you've suggested.

Now forgive me if I'm wrong,but the local bus(empty of other passengers or not) will not be much of a go-er if this is the quantity required.

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 15:11

Mandylou1960 wrote:On the other hand, if I get on the bus with a binliner full of horse poo, at least I will have the place to myself...

You mean like Three Men In A Boat and the Cheese Story?

Mandylou1960 · Post by **Mandylou1960** » Thu 03 Apr 2008 16:33

oh, it is only a few m2, and I reckon on 2 binliners/empty buses. No Roger, I haven't heard that one - enlighten me please!

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