Green waste compost

[vivienz]

Has anyone tried compost from recyclers of local authority green waste?

 

Because we have really heavy clay soil at the new place, my kitchen garden will be almost entirely no-dig raised beds (I'm trying the methods promoted by Charles Dowding).  I will need to fill these with compost - far too much to be messing around with 40l bags of the stuff, so I'm planning a bulk delivery from the closest green waste recycling plant and I will get a quote on prices next week.  I will be able to start making my own compost in due course as we're surrounding by dairy farms and horse stables, so there's no shortage of raw materials, just time in the first instance.

 

Does anyone have any opinions on the quality of the compost if they have used it?

[CC45]

If its sold as compost then it has to pass certain tests - heavy metal content, germination percentage being two important ones.  If its sold as agricultural soil conditioner then its very unlikely to have passed them.

 

You should be OK with it.

[Russell griffiths]

I would be careful of it being too rich. 

 

We built raised beds at our last place and filled them with all manner of goodies, we grew some really strange veg,

round carrots.....???

on talking to the local old boy allotment expert, it turns out it was all too rich so everything was trying to stay near the surface

 

i did a job for a lady after this and sourced 10 ton of just standard screened soil, she has had a fabulous garden ever since. 

 

I would avoid any screened soil from a skip company it normally has to much glass in it. 

 

Try a local quarry, ours has some lovely as dug screened soil. 

[lizzie]

I had  a truck load of the green waste stuff at my previous garden. It was fine, cheap and served the purpose for me.  Mine was not too rich, I put a layer a few inches deep on all my borders didnt dig it in just covered with bark. It worked well enough by the following spring the worms had done their stuff and it was all good. I would use again..

Edited May 12, 2018 by lizzie

[Russell griffiths]

7 hours ago, lizzie said:

I had  a truck load of the green waste stuff at my previous garden. It was fine, cheap and served the purpose for me.  Mine was not too rich, I put a layer a few inches deep on all my borders didnt dig it in just covered with bark. It worked well enough by the following spring the worms had done their stuff and it was all good. I would use again..

 

I think this is a perfect use for this product, 

but I wouldn’t fill a raised bed completely with it. 

[SteamyTea]

My old Dad used to cut down this large weed every year and take it to the local tip to be composted.  I was up there one time and pointed out his lovely example of Japanese Knotweed.  He said, "Is that what it is I have been taking it to the green waste for 20 years".

I bought him some glyphosate, problem solved, he outlived the weeds but they are probably scattered all over Buckinghamshire now.

 

[daiking]

29 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

My old Dad used to cut down this large weed every year and take it to the local tip to be composted.  I was up there one time and pointed out his lovely example of Japanese Knotweed.  He said, "Is that what it is I have been taking it to the green waste for 20 years".

I bought him some glyphosate, problem solved, he outlived the weeds but they are probably scattered all over Buckinghamshire now.

 

 

Thread drift alert ? but did you see those useless Taffs who decided Japanese knotweed could not be eradicated? Merely ‘managed’?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-43882916

 

which is wierd as there is far less of it about on the riverbanks near my parents house than there was when I was growing up. Incidentally, South Wales.

[Gone West]

10 hours ago, vivienz said:

Has anyone tried compost from recyclers of local authority green waste?

 

Does anyone have any opinions on the quality of the compost if they have used it?

We've used it from the local authority tip and it was fine, much the same as as any bagged compost.

[joe90]

Great heads up, never thought of this, will see if our local council do it. ( mind you I have a ways to go before thinking of growing veg?)

[vivienz]

Brilliant replies, thanks everyone.

I spoke to the firm this morning. Their depot is in Taunton, so it's a reasonable distance on a round trip to north Dorset but it's come in very competitively. About £55 for delivery and the actual compost is £22 + VAT per tonne. I want 2 tonnes, so about £110 all done and delivered. 2 tonnes is about 4 hippo bags or many, many standard 50 life bags. And it's peat free, which is good.

 

We are going to use it for all sorts of stuff but the kitchen garden is just the start. The roof timbers from the old bungalow will be the edging for the beds.