Compost

[oddoneout]

We have some plants which I think are irises - with reddish flowers. They were here when we came. They have long spiky leaves, which go brown. I have wondered about cutting them off (which I do anyway) and putting them in the compost bin, but I have a suspicion that they'd take a long while to rot, so it might be better to keep them out of the bins, and simply burn them instead. Is this a known issue with this kind of plant?

Irises tend to be in the blue/yellow/white rather than red end of the colour range, so I wonder if they are crocosmia https://www.farmergracy.co.uk/produc...cifer-corms-uk If so then they will rot down fine in the bin (although not the corms in my experience!), but in any case even tough items like phormium will break down eventually, especially if cut up to expose more surface to the decomposition organisms. Any very persistent bits that appear when the bin contents are used can go back in for another turn. Such material can be useful in helping to keep the contents from getting too compacted if a lot of softer stuff is put in. I would draw the line at laurel leaves though...

[gurnemanz]

I have the orange type of cocosmia which proliferates in Irish hedgerows - a non-native blow-in. Quite pretty but can be invasive and I tame them by digging up corms, which I never compost.

I also have the red type in the picture linked to above, which is a big larger and probably more attractive.

[gradus]

We compost Crocosmia leaves and corms/bulbs without any bother so far. They spread quickly and the clumps can easily start muscling in on nearby plants just like the wild Montbretia. There are some very attractive varieties in the red/orange/yellow range which actually need encouragement to spread in our soil, as opposed to their more beligerent brethren.
By the way there are a number of mixed colour flag irises that are predominantly burgundy red or soft pink, as well as some lovely Morris hybrids with mixed colours, increasingly available having been saved from near-extinction.

[oddoneout]

We compost Crocosmia leaves and corms/bulbs without any bother so far. They spread quickly and the clumps can easily start muscling in on nearby plants just like the wild Montbretia. There are some very attractive varieties in the red/orange/yellow range which actually need encouragement to spread in our soil, as opposed to their more beligerent brethren.
By the way there are a number of mixed colour flag irises that are predominantly burgundy red or soft pink, as well as some lovely Morris hybrids with mixed colours, increasingly available having been saved from near-extinction.

Yes, but I didn't think that was what Dave was describing.
I have several different kinds of crocosmia, including Lucifer which has proved less keen on this garden than my previous one and the allotment which is rather frustrating. Emily Mackenzie on the other hand has proved very keen to spread, even in a very nasty spot in the front garden; there are always willing takers for the thinnings as it's so showy.
The corms do end up in the compost but tend not to rot down unless they are old ones, and need taking out when the compost is spread. They don't get eaten by rodents either it would seem; my new neighbours have some coming up their side of my fence where rats digging under the compost heap against the fence in previous years moved stuff, including the corms, out of the heap into that garden (which was a neglected jungle, now being cleared) but then left them uneaten.

[Dave2002]

Indeed the plants do look quite like the cocosmia Lucifer. They seem very hardy, able to survive the winters, and grow vigorously each year. The leaves are green and quite long - maybe 2 feet or so, but later become very brown, papery, and are then quite tough to cut through. I'll put them in the compost if they will rot down, but if it's going to take for ever then it might be simpler to burn them, or take bags to the dump.

[Dave2002]

I wonder what kinds of creatures are OK in compost. I assume that it's not a good idea to encourage mice or rats - but what about smaller things? In the past - not the current compost bins - we once had maggots in a green cone. Currently I think we have ants. Ants can be a nuisance, but in terms of compost making are they a bad thing? I suspect not. Worms of various sorts would be ideal I guess.

Do other compost makers monitor the wild life in their bins, and is that something which should be actively managed?

[oddoneout]

I wonder what kinds of creatures are OK in compost. I assume that it's not a good idea to encourage mice or rats - but what about smaller things? In the past - not the current compost bins - we once had maggots in a green cone. Currently I think we have ants. Ants can be a nuisance, but in terms of compost making are they a bad thing? I suspect not. Worms of various sorts would be ideal I guess.

Do other compost makers monitor the wild life in their bins, and is that something which should be actively managed?

As you say ants can be a nuisance but they are often an indication that the heap is too dry, and solutions are watering, increasing the amount of "green" material in the mix, and putting on a cover to prevent further drying out. My compost making is a target of rats (which is why I don't like having compost making too close to sheds), usually seasonal, but this year they didn't move out in spring. I keep stirring and turning (difficult with the new large containers - rescued from work - I now have as they are rather tall in relation to my height!)with a pitchfork to discourage them. That also helps to mix in the contents of the kitchen caddy with the bigger stuff from the garden. Rats don't like being disturbed and I can accept their presence so long as they don't decide to breed in there. I also keep an eye on the junction of the container and the soil to fill in tunnels where they are coming and going - stray bits of unmade compost material are a clue. Smaller furries are infrequent and transient, preferring to find other hidey-holes around the garden.
Many years ago a heap with a padded hessian cover at the bottom of a previous garden was a regular slow worm nursery, so I had to use another container for a while each year. The large heaps on my allotment were also occasionally so used.

So yes I do keep an eye on what is in the bins and do a certain amount of management. In happier times hedgehogs might have been in evidence and would need to be taken into account (timing and tools) when emptying the bin.

[Dave2002]

As you say ants can be a nuisance but they are often an indication that the heap is too dry, and solutions are watering, increasing the amount of "green" material in the mix, and putting on a cover to prevent further drying out.

Apart from being a bit of a nuisance - particularly if one gets ants on one's hands - do ants really do any harm? Don't they just help to break down the material - or is it best to discourage them?

What about other creatures? I mentioned maggots - which don't smell nice - but again - do they help with decomposition?

[Serial_Apologist]

Apart from being a bit of a nuisance - particularly if one gets ants on one's hands - do ants really do any harm? Don't they just help to break down the material - or is it best to discourage them?

What about other creatures? I mentioned maggots - which don't smell nice - but again - do they help with decomposition?

Only of meat or other dead animal tissue, I would have thought - which is why I was surprised to read of your having them in your heap, Dave.

[Dave2002]

Only of meat or other dead animal tissue, I would have thought - which is why I was surprised to read of your having them in your heap, Dave.

Really don't put meat into the current bins, though maybe bread with butter does get in. That particular one with the maggots was a green cone - previous house, which according to the instructions at the time could take in meat and kitchen scraps. I don't think ants rely on meat etc., as there are plenty in the lawn which is well away from the house, and I don't feed that with pieces of meat

Also a few years ago I tried growing potatoes in bags. Some of those were good, but one bag attracted ants, so furtling for the spuds was a bit painful.

[oddoneout]

Apart from being a bit of a nuisance - particularly if one gets ants on one's hands - do ants really do any harm? Don't they just help to break down the material - or is it best to discourage them?

What about other creatures? I mentioned maggots - which don't smell nice - but again - do they help with decomposition?

The presence of nests in the compost is because it is a nice dry easy to work medium in which to establish a colony. If there is fruit in the heap I sometimes find ants going after it ( and they are always quick off the mark to get into the kitchen compost caddy outside the back door)but they don't set up a colony as a result - once the food source is gone so are they, so I don't know that an ant nest is a major part of the decomposition process.
I have found caches of maggots occasionally in my heaps but they were the result of a crittur coming in from outside and dying there.

[ardcarp]

Only of meat or other dead animal tissue, I would have thought - which is why I was surprised to read of your having them in your heap, Dave.

I know some people do put any food scraps into their compost. But to avoid unwanted intruders (eg rats) surely it's best only to put uncooked vegetable matter, plus green clippings from the garden (preferably not weeds with seeds) into a heap. A certain amount of paper and corrugated cardboard helps with texture, and the best thing of all is volume. That helps the compost to heat up a lot which should deter unwanted guests. Tall compost bins are a god idea, filling up one...and keeping it topped up....before starting to fill the next.

[oddoneout]

I know some people do put any food scraps into their compost. But to avoid unwanted intruders (eg rats) surely it's best only to put uncooked vegetable matter, plus green clippings from the garden (preferably not weeds with seeds) into a heap. A certain amount of paper and corrugated cardboard helps with texture, and the best thing of all is volume. That helps the compost to heat up a lot which should deter unwanted guests. Tall compost bins are a god idea, filling up one...and keeping it topped up....before starting to fill the next.

The standard advice is only put uncooked food scraps in the bin, and no meat, dairy etc. Since rats will happily eat the uncooked scraps I'm not sure just how much difference it makes in practice and I include all the veg scraps whether uncooked or not - as previously mentioned I routinely get rats in my compost heap and I don't think excluding those items would make any difference; I have never put things like meat or dairy items in the compost, and any bread or pasta bits are accidental - not least because glutenfree is blooming expensive so waste has to be avoided! If I were catering for a family I would consider one of the alternatives that claim to be able to take food waste of all kinds, but as it's just me and I am careful with my food prep and management the quantities are so very small it isn't worth agonising over.

[Dave2002]

The standard advice is only put uncooked food scraps in the bin, and no meat, dairy etc. Since rats will happily eat the uncooked scraps I'm not sure just how much difference it makes in practice and I include all the veg scraps whether uncooked or not - as previously mentioned I routinely get rats in my compost heap and I don't think excluding those items would make any difference; I have never put things like meat or dairy items in the compost, and any bread or pasta bits are accidental - not least because glutenfree is blooming expensive so waste has to be avoided! If I were catering for a family I would consider one of the alternatives that claim to be able to take food waste of all kinds, but as it's just me and I am careful with my food prep and management the quantities are so very small it isn't worth agonising over.

So what should be done with food scraps? OK - one could simply put them into a refuse bin - SOEP model [Someone Else's Problem] - but are there responsible ways of getting rid of unwanted food waste without just assuming that someone, somewhere else, will do it?

That kind of issue was a concern which prompted us to try the green cone, and also a wormery. The wormery was great for a while until all the worms escaped when the tap was left open.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I think only local authority type food waste processors can safely decompose cooked / risky - vermin attracting food, apart from a sealed wormery (Give it another try and leave the tap closed?).
Your local authority obviously doesn't do a waste food collection.