MAKING MY OWN COMPOST / ALLOTMENT GARDENING UK

[@countrygardensns9262]

Hello Emma. When you have your fire burning well, add chopped up bind weed roots and burn them as well. xox 🇨🇦

[@petro3441]

You can even add woodchip and horse manure on the compost

[@derekcollier7899]

Emma you bring smile to an eighty seven years young faceevery time i see your videos please keep making them !

[@lisalambert7967]

Before u have a fire Emma, if u fry some bacon, use kitchen towel to clean the greesy pan and keep it for a fire starter. I use this method all the time now and it works well to start any fire

[@bluereign]

Coffee shops give free used coffee grounds to gardeners. Starbuck have a special gardener used coffee bag. Ps. Though coffee is brown it counts towards the green as it helps with nitrogen.

[@secretanorak592]

To add some brown to the compost (No pun Intended) use cardboard toilet rolls. I save ours and then use them as a layer in-between green weeds and stuff. They trap air as well so win win.

[@ClaireRousseau]

Adding the stinging nettle feed is a really good idea! Annual weeds like nettle & dock are very good for the compost, they're high in nitrogen and help kickstart the microbial activity. Comfrey is also great if you can find some.

[@johnlahey4989]

Emma Patience is the best tool a gardener can use ;

[@Rosiegardeninginireland]

Oh Emma, you crack me up😂 You WILL get compost..promise😊

[@frankherring3439]

Emma buy yourself a compost thermometer that way you will be able to check the temperature of the heap

[@petro3441]

Hi. I love the time with you on the plot. Its a good thing we are not living close together because time just goes too fast when we are sharing it.😂😂 Your compost looks great. Can add more carton and keep wet and you are perfect.

[@margaretstrayer3075]

Brown materials for composting include dry or woody plant material. In most cases, these materials are brown, or naturally turn brown. Common Brown items include: Fall leaves Pine needles Twigs, chipped tree branches/bark Straw or hay Corn stalks Paper (newspaper, writing/printing paper, paper plates, napkins, and coffee filters) Dryer lint Cardboard (without waxy/slick coatings) Green materials for composting consist mostly of wet or recently growing materials. Green materials are usually green or come from plants that were green at some point. But, this is not always the case. Some green items: Grass clippings Coffee grounds/tea bags Vegetable and fruit scraps Trimmings from perennial and annual plants Annual weeds that haven't set seed Eggshells Animal manures (cow, horse, sheep, chicken, rabbit, but not dog or cat manure) Seaweed You will want to skip composting meat, dairy, and fats. As these items are guaranteed to smell bad and attract flies, rodents, and other unwanted pests.

[@siggiroberts7432]

Hello Emma, adding shredded paper, cardboard, kitchen scraps ( no cooked food ), dry leaves, nettles, and annual weeds will help a lot to make a good compost. Put it into layers and leave it. Don't turn it too often. Let it rott down by itself and turn it 1 to 2 times a year. Bob is your uncle.❤

[@vesiletekas5927]

You can collect your kitchen scraps and add to your compost , the worms love kitchen scraps…😊

[@JamieW-o7b]

Sadly, so do the rats on an allotment site.

[@bevtooth]

​@@JamieW-o7b peelings are good though. Potato, carrot, parsnips etc

[@downtheallotment]

Anything that is not cooked, dairy or meats

[@jaynekennedy8469]

I feel the same as you, better than gym membership and you get something to eat too.

[@stephenmckelvie2032]

Hi Emma, Your compost is looking good. Your doing everything right. Keep forking it over and chopping it up and keeping it covered. It will slow down over the Winter, come Spring, it'll speed up again. Don't worry about percentages. I've been making good compost for over forty years, and I've never layered. I mix it as I'm adding it, just like you've just done. Everytime you add some materials, give the top a quick fork over and you'll be surprised how quickly it'll rot down. Well done, the more you keep at it, the easier it'll become. as your turning it, just keep your eye on the dryness or wetness. Happy composting.

[@gordonholding5621]

Don’t worry about greens and browns. It will all compost, it might just take a bit longer as a colder compost. But avoid putting in weed seeds into a colder compost. Use your waste from cooking. That makes a big difference.

[@isobeltyrer2371]

Hi, I have just read Charles Dowding's new book Compost, very interesting book.

[@dianakenney2963]

I always put a layer of mature compost as an encouragement for the process to start. Plus your pile looked dry, you need water for a good decomposition. Good luck

[@lesleyannehall8040]

As you said, I’d try tackle the old compost heap a bit at a time over the winter. A pile of stuff you don’t trust to burn and salvage what you can from the rest. Must most urgently…buy a new bloody fork 😂😂😂

[@juliewhite2688]

Bindweed can be composted according to Charles Dowding as long as your material is varied with other greens. You can also put bindweed in a bucket of water and feed your compost with the liquid.

[@stephaniegee227]

The compost piles are looking good! And when you make your fire, don't forget to have some water on standby...just in case!

[@rosemarymurray8256]

It's like I told you get some coffee grounds and put some grass as well as shredded paper

[@christinephillips2069]

When adding weeds to your compost take the roots off first I never add couch grass to my compost lawn clippings are fine and kitchen veg scraps are. Coffee grounds and tea bags are too but make sure tea bags have no plastic or you can tear them first x

[@jaynekennedy8469]

Dead tree leaves count as brown, also wood chip (not too much), shredded paper. Wood ash is supposed to be good in making compost too. Looking good! You will definitely end up with compost Emma.

[@Gardenofglory-l6v]

Hi Emma yea I’m making my own compost also, great job Emma continue on your journey ❤❤

[@janesauer1063]

If you get slow worms in your area be carefull turning and chopping your compost. They do like sleeping in a nice warm compost heap.

[@lovecara1]

The greens and browns for compost are two types of materials that you mix together to create compost: green materials are rich in nitrogen, while brown materials are rich in carbon: Green materials These are wet, recently died materials that still have some green or other life colors in them. Examples include: Grass clippings Fruit and vegetable scraps Coffee grounds Tea bags Manure Brown materials These are dry, older, woodier, long dead materials. Examples include: Wood chips, shavings, or sawdust Straw or hay Dead leaves Twigs Cardboard or shredded paper Wood ash Eggshells A good rule of thumb is to follow a 1 to 1 ratio of green compost to brown compost. However, you should balance the ratio based on what you put in your compost bin, not an arbitrary ratio or percentage.

[@paulineellison9047]

any slugs and snails u fine put them into your compost heap to eat stuff there

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

Great idea! x

[@rosepetal45]

The nettle "tea" will act as an activator by adding lots of microbes 😊

[@AskMaryleena]

Im also on the journey of learning howto compost. Here is what I've learned so far... Compost browns are dry, carbon-rich ingredients in a compost pile that provide carbon (i.e. energy) to the microorganisms breaking down all the greens and food scraps. A good mix of browns and greens in your compost pile is about 4:1 browns (carbon) to greens (nitrogen). Brown material examples: Dried leaves, cardboard, printer paper and newspapers, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, egg Cartons, wood branches, hay, straw, sawdust and woodchips

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

Super helpful, thank you! x

[@colrunswild4adventure781]

The crow they studied was old and died in year 17, or it would've held a grudge for 18 years. 😅I believe a lifespan of a wild crow is about 8 years. This crow must have been in captivity, and that is why it held a grudge for so long. They're very clever creatures.My mum used to rescue them, and when she's released back into the wild, they'd always seem to come back and find her. When I was growing up, we always had them hopping around the garden.

[@StevenCollins-u4m]

Great job emma - compost looking good. I add torn up egg boxes to mine (not the shiny paper though) - it's a great 'brown' material. I add all my spent tea-bags and egg shells, and kitchen veg waste as well. It does produce some amazing black gold eventually 🙂

[@traceypotts9425]

Good start on the compost bin can't you get your hands on horse manure or organic chicken manure pellets sprinkle a hand full between each layer of green waist don't forget to water now and again also put a large cover over the top to stop it getting too wet and hold heat in hope this helps speed things up for you it works well for me😊

[@gardeninjake]

Emma dear, if that bird landed on your hand, you would have a complete come apart at the seams moment.

[@ausfoodgarden]

Compost is looking good, but you need to chop things up smaller to speed it up. And the 50/50 should be more 60 Carbon(brown) 40 Nitrogen(green). Regardless it's going to break down into compost. The rest is just tweaking it to speed up the process. I run everything through a mower to chop it up before I add it to the bin. Keep it moist too. All those invasive weeds I drown in a bucket for a couple of months. It gives me a weed tea to add to the garden and the leftovers are fine in the compost. Cheers!

[@James-fw1zd]

If your compost pile Is covered, don’t let it dry out 👍

[@Mike_in_Thailand]

I've always been told that you should aim for 3 parts brown to 1 part green by volume when making compost, which should give you around 30 parts Carbon to 1 part Nitrogen (greens generally have lower amount of nitrogen than browns have of carbon)

[@justtus]

A great way to turn your compost is to buy a auger attachment for your drill, you'll thank me later :D

[@AnthonyCarter-g2o]

We used to collect the green grocers off cuts to add to the compost.Add some soil .And you can get accelerant sachets from the Soil Association.You are doing a great job 👍

[@dawnskeates9898]

Loving your blog, I look forward to every episode 🙂 I use layers of kitchen scraps that I collect in a large lidded container and layer this with used coffee grounds from a local cafe and cardboard. Had amazing compost from this, rots down really quickly too 👍🏼

[@R1chiesART]

All you have to remember is knock off all soil from the roots. Everything else you are doing is perfect. Just keep turning it over raise the temperature.

[@Jammie21245]

First one! 🎉😂 Hi Emma lovely compost! Thanks for the tips.

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

Glad you found them useful 😊

[@vesiletekas5927]

You can add shredded or chopped cardboard and some wood chips as brown material

[@JamieW-o7b]

Cardboard is often made from recycled materials which may be contaminated. Also some are treated with nasty fire retardants!

[@hellewellejus9163]

you are amazing. I am following you from Denmark. I have also become addicted to compost. It's just before I dream about it at night. It's a fun hobby that others don't understand 😅

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

Hello! I totally understand it now, I'm obsessed! x

[@jacquis-j9606]

Hi Emma I find slow worms love my compost heaps, so watch when turning. Also I add coffee grinding from my local cafe, wood ash, torn up cardboard, my hens bedding plus peelings from my kitchen ( rats and mice shouldn’t bother about them) as well as my garden clippings. You are going to be amazed at what it turns into. Is like magic. Loving your channel.

[@beverley1539]

Hiya Emma, Thankyou for sharing. Take care🐝🇨🇦

[@juliefowkes9796]

You should add all those convulvous roots to your fire. Dead brambles as well.

[@caughtintime2464]

I am composting for the first time this year. I put my kitchen scraps in too but not onions, garlic or citrus fruit as I read that you should not put these in. All my garden waste goes in plus my neighbour saves her peelings for me. I am going to ask my daughter for some wood ash as she has a log burner.

[@annetteperks]

The compost bay is looking really good.

[@paulinebyrne1321]

I put in my comost veg peels, cardboard, coffee, grass, dead veg plants. The first year i make compost was like Christmas day presents so excited.

[@beverley1539]

Hiya, agree with the coffee grinds. Years ago a gardener would come into the restaurant and collect from us win for all. 🐝🇨🇦👋🏻

[@dereknash3638]

I notice you have lots of leaves on your plot, as well adding some to your compost , fill your old shop bought compost sacks turned inside out so black on outside with leaves, punch sack with fork to create air holes, leave for approx year keeping them moist, and then you will have bags of leaf mould great for sowing seedlings or putting on your beds. You can add couple of hands full of compost maker each time you add leaves.

[@robinroseberry]

Thank you !

[@cachv3808]

That is a great compost pile. I am sure you will get lovely compost in a few months. About 7 months ago, I put a square raised bed that only measured 60cm on each side and also 60cm high. I threw in garden waste, whatever was available. I didnt strictly pay attention to the green/brown ratio but I guess it was roughly 50-50 like your approach. Right now, 7 months later, I can see almost finished compost that I can use in pots this spring (down in New Zealand)

[@chriscrouch449]

Hi Emma your compost is looking good to me

[@HopeFCharity]

Emma, winter onions and garlic need to be deep. They could do with some cover for protection.love your compost heap

[@mysteryquilter]

Hi Emma I have really got into Bokashi composting.I keep a sealed bucket at by the back door for my kitchen scraps and put Bokahi bran in with them. Then after a few weeks I transfer it to another bucket next to my compost heap. After another couple of weeks it's all 'pickled'. I bury it in with the rest of my compost and it really speeds everything up because of all the good bugs. You can even put cooked food in there.

[@DavidMorris-gg9lq]

Been adding small lumps of charcoal as well to create biochar. I make charcoal in my log burner

[@rickc6726]

Hi Emma, great vlogs! Crows - if you get two pieces of 2" x 4" cut to a length of about 20cm. Clap them together quickly and it will sound like a shot gun being fired (but not so loud) and will help to scare them off for a while. (But mind your fingers!! Compost - I add a bit/sprinkling of soil also to help the process. Garden fork - please can I come and straighten the tines for you! It drive me potty! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@28tv.]

Wow Video

[@LucRom-kz5uw]

Fantastisch Good work Emmas you the best te moostuin te onkruid wieden opruimen compost thans te video Top week 🌤🌿🌾🍂🧤🧣☕️🌡🌾💧☁️❄️🦺👍

[@englishfield3333]

The crow was warning you about something, she could see something you couldn’t, probably a stranger on the allotments? They will know you and be a friend to you because you are kind to them and have food, so they’re looking out for you

[@JohnDenton-p4j]

Snip the top of the onion sets an it should grow

[@46FreddieMercury91]

I remember the old way of making compost. Add a layer of plant material, layer of sulphate of ammonia, layer of plant material, layer of lime and continuously repeating

[@kelly2791]

It's probably a good idea to "just try" since you can't solely rely on the seasons anymore...

[@ANDYANDKATIESALLOTMENT]

I would say just fill the bin as you are doing but then just leave it to do its thing for at least 3 months. Then turn it just the once.

[@chrissiehart22]

Human pee helps break down compost! Rats and mice love compost at this time of year as nice and warm. In the summer I've even had a snake. So be carful.

[@samscrazylife07]

Before you out the nettle thing on i was gonna suggest putting it on it

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

Haha! x

[@samscrazylife07]

@emmasallotmentdiaries beat me too it hahaha love watching the vlogs helps with my little yard I don't have much growing space but have managed to grow a few things this year

[@joanneb3524]

Dear Emma: Perhaps your father wasn't as mischievous as the children of my neighborhood in the 60's, but we pretty much set anything and everything on fire when we were kids. The most epic was the time we talked Jr. Nelson into stripping down to his tidy whities, in Winter, and we lit the whole pile of clothing and shoes on fire and then took off on our bikes. But yeah, anything not bolted down was fair game, taken to nearby "Jack Rabbit Field" (an empty plot of land) and burned. It's an industrial park now.

[@jennyb473]

Sad to say my foray into making compost and leaf mould is over as of today! I did mine in black bin bags and because of this inclement weather a load of rats have decided to make them their home 🤮 it’s absolutely gross and I am really upset. Next year all the leaves etc will be mixed straight into the soil and it can break down over the winter….lazy girl compost is how it shall be known 😎

[@mogensdanielsen]

👍👍👍👍❤❤❤

[@allanwilson2742]

Hi Emma, I'm not trying to be funny but it has been said if pour urine on your compost heap it accelerates the the breaking down.

[@allanwilson2742]

Have patience with Einstein. Just sit and hold the food in you're hand.

[@tinabutler-c7r]

An old man at my allotments said onions won’t start growing until the temperature drops below six degrees. So maybe it’s been too mild for your onions to grow 😊

[@emmasallotmentdiaries]

That is true! Hopefully they'll grow after this week then! x

[@tinabutler-c7r]

@ 👍😋

[@JamieW-o7b]

She could have me eating out of her hand, but not mealworms! Hey ho! ;-) Grass cuttings or horse poo to generate some heat will speed the breakdown!

[@forgingandurbanfarmingatt4745]

Get the 💩 in there!

[@OmarFawcett]

The compost looks a bit dry. Put a watering can full of water on it to help the soil microbes and worms with the decomposition. 👍 Also, if you mix a bag of animal mature in that will help a lot. ( lots of microbes in the mature)

[@FoodThymeAndGarden]

[@sonicworm8249]

I know the procedure for this way of composting. Don't want to stick my opinion where it's not wanted so respond to this message if you want my 5yrs composting experience

[@sonicworm8249]

One thing I can tell you is the 50/50 green and brown isn't by volume or weight. 1 hand full of sawdust is worth 500 yes 500 handfuls of green, but don't get hung up on that, if it smells, add cardboard

[@jaynekennedy8469]

Perhaps the middle onions are more exposed than the edge ones so have been colder 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@megank7235]

modern human 🤣🤣

[@lucrom1097]

Fantastisch Good work Emmas you the best te moostiun te compost the opruimen thans te video grootjes ✔️👍☕🍁⛅🌿🌾🧤❄️☕🧣🌡️🔥🎽🌨️-1