Compost advice

[LouiseParticipant]

Hi Charles, just putting up the new polytunnel and looking for advice on the best organic compost to use for the initial set-up as the prices seem to vary a lot.

Also, is multi-purpose compost suitable or should I be looking at the potting and container compost?

Many thanks

Louise

[charlesModerator]

Organic compost is hard to find, unless you know a friendly organic farmer or organic stable.
Your question suggests you know little about compost, which I mean in a nice way, I don’t have time to answer all the issues here, best buy one of my books or watch a video and also read through the site, put compost in the search bar etc.

[LouiseParticipant]

Hi Charles, thanks for the reply.

Just to clarify, the reason I am asking is because I have calculated that I need to be buying in the region of 4,000 litres of compost – from my research, I have found the price for buying this quantity of organic compost seems to range between approx £250 to £800 – that is quite a vast price range. It is also a lot of money to spend so my preference is to source a product that is tried and tested – I don’t have the experience, having only ever grown a small handful of vegetables in pots up to now. From what I have read through the forums and the books, people have had varying degrees of success with different composts.

So my question was not asking anything in-depth about composts – more just if there was any recommendations towards certain makes/companies.

On a different point, I currently compost my own horses manure. I have now fostered a rescue from the RSPCA but this pony has an extremely high worm count and so have had to put him on a cocktail of different chemical wormers to address the problem – I have avoided using this manure on my compost heap – are you aware if there are any implications of using manure on a compost heap from a horse that is being wormed??

[Don FoleyParticipant]

Hi Louise,

Can I ask how big your beds are?

Don.

[RandAParticipant]

Where are you based, you may find getting green compost from the local council a bit cheaper than you have mentioned.

[Don FoleyParticipant]

Hi Louise,

By my calculation 4000 ltrs would roughly cover a 10’x 28′ tunnel to a depth of 6″. Are you sure you calculated correctly or is it in fact a good sized tunnel?

Don.

[CleansweepParticipant]

According to my reading up upon the background, drugs used to treat animals for parasitic worms are likely to kill unrelated species of worms, which are totally different in almost every aspect.It seems the drugs will break down over (indeterminate*) time and are in such small concentrations to not become a threat. Best advice would seem to be:
Stack seperately. Turn at intervals. Observe brandling activity. When they appear to have reached all parts of the heap ,and to still being alive(!), then allow them to complete and they will withdraw. generally compost would then be allowed to ‘mature’ under a cover (till the woodlice move in!, Charles may have other criteria?)
*2-3 years?

[Author]

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