Acidic Compost for Blueberries
Blueberries are an acid-loving plant. Although they grow in a wide range of soil types they prefer a soil that is pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Using acidic compost for blueberries can help in providing the…
How Often Should you Turn Compost? | Is Turning the Key to “Black Gold”?
Knowing how often to turn compost depends on a number of factors such as size, the composition of the pile, and the composting process you are using. This means there is no definitive answer and you…
Tomatoes and Lavender at Risk This Summer | Threat to Plant Health
The UK’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has become deeply concerned that tomatoes and lavender plants could be under threat from imported pathogens and pests this summer. The organization has flagged up that the with increasingly warmer…
Why Does my Compost Smell? How to Stop Your Compost Pile Smelling
When you start a compost pile, you may notice that initially, your compost starts to smell bad. This is normal as you begin breaking down your organic materials. In fact, it usually indicates that your compost…
Compost Not Heating Up | How to Make and Maintain a Compost Pile’s Heat
Your compost not heating up is usually down to one or two factors that, not being right, “throws off” the decomposition process. This is because composting is a science, and when the science is ignored, the…
Can You Compost Corn Cobs? | How to Compost Corn Waste
Corn cobs, being an organic material will compost. Indeed they contain many nutrients that are beneficial to your soil. There are though a few factors to take into consideration that will impact largely on the length…
Are Coffee Filters Compostable? | Be Careful What You Compost
Are coffee filters compostable? Is a question that is asked a lot. The short answer is yes, generally speaking, most coffee filters are compostable. The bigger question is whether you should compost them as many contain…
Are Teabags Compostable | The Answer is Complicated!
Are teabags compostable? The answer is currently probably no, particularly with bigger brands, but things are changing and there are some tea bags that are compostable. It all comes down to the brand and the composition…
Yogurt in Compost | The Do’s and Don’ts of Adding Yogurt to Compost
Yogurt, as with a foodstuff, is considered organic material and can be added to your composting pile. Whether it is a good idea to put yogurt in compost is a different question as there are several…
Banana Peel Compost | Debunking Myths
Banana peel is another organic material that you can compost. It can take longer to breakdown and possesses less nitrogen than most other kitchen scraps but the skin of banana contains some useful nutrients, although is…
A Guide to Ericaceous Compost | How to Make and Use It.
Ericaceous compost is a compost specifically developed to be acidic in nature (have a pH level below 7) with most commercially available ericaceous composts having acidity levels of around pH. Ericaceous compost is used predominantly to…
Putting Vinegar in Compost | Is Vinegar Good for Soil?
There is a basic rule of thumb that anything that is edible can go in the compost. Vinegar, being a food condiment, falls into this category so yes, putting vinegar in compost is okay. The bigger…
Green Material for Compost | Putting the Right Material in your Compost
Green material for compost is the “magic sauce” that all compost piles need. While almost all materials will eventually decompose to make compost for brown materials this process can take many months or even years without…
Can You Compost Rice?
We often get asked the question “can you compost rice?”. The short answer to this is that yes you can compost both cooked and uncooked rice. It has a carbon to nitrogen ratio of between 1:30…
Brown Material for Compost | Where to Find More Brown Materials
Brown material for composting plays a vital role in the composting process. They generally provide the bulk of the material that goes into the composting pile. Whilst if just left they will naturally decompose on their…