Hi folks,

How long does compost take to rot down to something useable on the garden.
I've been building up my compost bin for about the last 6-8 months.

Should it 'look' like the bagged compost when it is ready?


--
Jewelsx

Currently Undergoing Much Needed Restoration
lol

"Jewels" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

How long does compost take to rot down to something useable on the garden.
I've been building up my compost bin for about the last 6-8 months.

....

That depends on how big your compost bin is, and how full it's
been over that period. As you've progessively put more material
into it. Also it won't all be rotted down evenly throughout. Where
the temperature is highest, combined with sufficient moisture -
right in the middle near the bottom will rot quicker than the
outsides or the top layer. Which is why its thought useful
to regularly turn compost heaps to aid the process as most
bacteria work best under warm moist conditions

....


Should it 'look' like the bagged compost when it is ready?

....

Just dark brown and crumbly with not too many discernable
bits of vegetation. i.e lumps.

Although the stuff they show on gardening programmes when
they open the compost bin has probably been well filtered
beforehand. It's genuine garden compost alright - its not
exactly rocket science after all - but maybe filterd through a
1 inch sieve beforehand just to be sure.


Compost as in "bagged compost" is often just a generic term for
what people use to fill their pots with. Much of it is just peat
dug out of the ground, with or without added nutrients, which rotted
down over tens of thousands of years. While the John Innes composts
are based on loam, a combination of sand, silt, and clay, again with
added nutrient. Chosen because it offers the best combination of
both moisture retention and drainage when used in pots and trays.

But neither have very much connection with garden compost at all.



michael adams

....

Jewels writes
Hi folks,

How long does compost take to rot down to something useable on the garden.
I've been building up my compost bin for about the last 6-8 months.

Should it 'look' like the bagged compost when it is ready?

No, it probably won't look quite that good. Well, mine never does. But
it's who world away from the mess that went into it ;-)

Depends what you're using it for as to when it's ready - you can
tolerate a slightly less rotted stage if you're using it to improve your
garden soil compared with using it as an ingredient in home-made potting
compost.

The top won't be rotted down, so it's a question of working your way
down the bin towards the bottom till you get something usable -
everything in it should be some shade of brown. It may still have
partially rotted twigs and thicker stems in it, but they should be
rotted enough to be easy to snap.

It won't rot all at the same rate. I start using it where most of it is
rotted but there's the odd less-rotted bit that I chuck into the next
bin to rot a bit further.

After 8 months of continuously adding to a 4ft x 4ft x4ft heap I would
expect the top 12 inches to be largely unrotted, and I just chuck that
into the next heap, the next 6-12 inches down to be about half rotted,
and again I'd chuck that into the next heap, and the bottom 18 -24
inches to be good to use. A small compost bin may not rot down so
quickly, so the useable proportion will be less.


--
Kay

It depends on what time of year you started. Compost rots much quicker
during the summer months, and may stop completely in the winter. I find it
needs to be moist but not saturated - including a bit of water with your
kitchen waste but keeping the heap protected from rain seems to give about
the right amount of moisture.
I turn the heap once - this seems to be enough. You can put un-rotted stuff
in your next heap. Mine never looks like bagged compost but seems to do the
garden good all the same.




"Jewels" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

How long does compost take to rot down to something useable on the garden.
I've been building up my compost bin for about the last 6-8 months.

Should it 'look' like the bagged compost when it is ready?


--
Jewelsx

Currently Undergoing Much Needed Restoration
lol

"Dimple" wrote in message
...
It depends on what time of year you started. Compost rots much quicker
during the summer months, and may stop completely in the winter. I find it
needs to be moist but not saturated - including a bit of water with your
kitchen waste but keeping the heap protected from rain seems to give about
the right amount of moisture.

I prefer to add a little home made dilute uric acid rather than water from
kitchen waste. But each to his own.
--
Lyndon

I turn the heap once - this seems to be enough. You can put un-rotted
stuff
in your next heap. Mine never looks like bagged compost but seems to do
the
garden good all the same.

"Lyndon" wrote in message
...

"Dimple" wrote in message
...
It depends on what time of year you started. Compost rots much quicker
during the summer months, and may stop completely in the winter. I find
it
needs to be moist but not saturated - including a bit of water with your
kitchen waste but keeping the heap protected from rain seems to give
about
the right amount of moisture.

I prefer to add a little home made dilute uric acid rather than water from
kitchen waste. But each to his own.
--
Lyndon

Yes, we do put some of that in as well!

I turn the heap once - this seems to be enough. You can put un-rotted
stuff
in your next heap. Mine never looks like bagged compost but seems to do
the
garden good all the same.