hi everyone i have just joined up and would like some advice please...i have a large compost heap which we inherited 7years ago when we moved here, in that time we have added grass cuttings and weeds etc but we have never really taken care of it as such, we did try using it a couple of years ago but it was full of snails and slugs and i was really reluctant to put it on the garden in case it destroyed all my plants.....how do other people overcome this problem, it seems such a shame not to use it.
Well one way to sort out the good stuff from the pests would be to riddle or sieve it. You might want to have a bucket of salty water nearby to dispose of the snails/slugs.
I just learnt today that vinegar works on the slugs, snails I just hurl into the back field. In fact I want to introduce a new sport for the Olympics 'Snail Hurling'
The compost heap needs to be turned every now and then, since it is a heap rather than a bin, I suggest using a garden fork. Then you can see what is going on inside it. In a week or so I am going on a course to become a 'compost master' so any info I get I will post.
I am a newbie to gardening since last year and I love it but some things I am not sure of as always had house hold plants, I have a compost which has ear wigs and other things (bugs) which I am not sure what they and they fruit and veg and peelings are all wet, I know the weather is not helping. I also have bad clay soil so I will put normal compost in there is that right and just put it on the top
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hi everyone i have just joined up and would like some advice please...i have a large compost heap which we inherited 7years ago when we moved here, in that time we have added grass cuttings and weeds etc but we have never really taken care of it as such, we did try using it a couple of years ago but it was full of snails and slugs and i was really reluctant to put it on the garden in case it destroyed all my plants.....how do other people overcome this problem, it seems such a shame not to use it.
Well one way to sort out the good stuff from the pests would be to riddle or sieve it. You might want to have a bucket of salty water nearby to dispose of the snails/slugs.
I just learnt today that vinegar works on the slugs, snails I just hurl into the back field. In fact I want to introduce a new sport for the Olympics 'Snail Hurling'
The compost heap needs to be turned every now and then, since it is a heap rather than a bin, I suggest using a garden fork. Then you can see what is going on inside it. In a week or so I am going on a course to become a 'compost master' so any info I get I will post.
I am a newbie to gardening since last year and I love it but some things I am not sure of as always had house hold plants, I have a compost which has ear wigs and other things (bugs) which I am not sure what they and they fruit and veg and peelings are all wet, I know the weather is not helping. I also have bad clay soil so I will put normal compost in there is that right and just put it on the top