how do you make compost?

I think most kinds of tiny life are welcome in my compost bins. One of them is really stinky at the moment. Too much soggy stuff I think. But eventually it will all decompose.
They do take a long time to get going sometimes.

I started a compost bin in Sept 2010. It's a plastic bin type, sitting on earth. I've been putting all the right things in - peelings, paper, crushed eggshells, etc but when I've opened the 'trap door' at the bottom recently, hoping to collect some well rotted compost, nothing much seems to have happened. We've been turning it every now and again and I did try sprinkling some 'compost accelerator' powder on it. DH has promised to add some p**, but I don't know what else to try. Only thing I can think of is that the bin is in a shady but sheltered part of the garden. Maybe not getting enough warmth. Also we now have ants in it. Would it be ok to sprinkle ant powder into the bin? Sorry, it sounds like a bit of a disaster but I do want to persevere with it.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Rosie

I'm thrilled to say that my compost heap is doing great! Its a good feeling not to be throwing away all those peelings and apple cores and grass cuttings etc. and to know that one day I'll be enriching my topsoil with it. Thank you all you Gnetters for advice.

About 10 years ago DH, DS1 and DS2 et moi, all went to my sisters in Ireland for xmas. The DSs had a few brotherly pints on the ferry. Then there was drive. Not a lot of room in the back so they took their boots off, to get their size tens in. After half an hour driving in the dark there was an appeal for a comfort stop from the back seat. Pulled into a lay-by. Dss out and back in again. Then a voice as heard "Why have I got wet feet?" Been standing in a puddle in their socks hadn't they.

When I still lived in Wales I had hedgehogs hibernating in my compost heap.

Never before heard of all this peeing. Whatever next am I going to learn on GN.

About 'acid rain' - my son had a lemon tree in his garden, and I mentioned the occasional pee would do it good. BIG mistake. He and his mates would have BBQs in our sub tropical summer, and would not bother going upstairs to the lav, but would use the tree. I should mention it gets dark early here, even in summer, so they weren't scaring the locals.

The poor tree died from overindulgence!

But I don't think you can overdo it in the compost. Once I had rats in my compost bin and would have welcomed someone supplying copious amounts of 'acid rain' on their heads, but my husband declined to volunteer. He's been very dodgy about where he pees, after the time he stopped the car for one, found a convenient brown log to water - and it reared up and hissed at him!! Brown snakes are poisonous, so I reckon he had a narrow escape.

At last! a dry day in the garden - looking somewhat jungly though

The best compost is made if the heap or bin can stand on earth rather than concrete. Worms are essential to compost. Wet newpaper or brown paper (boxes not the shiny ones) help the worms to make a bed and to breed.

My advice is to start of slowly, if you add too much of anything to begin with it will be slow to rot down.

Composting in a great adventure, turning it over or raking around in it to see what creatures have appeared is one of the highlights of my life. I kid you not!

Good luck, please keep us informed of your progress.

They'd just think it was acid rain.

I once had a wasps' nest in the compost heap. Imagine if someone's DH staggered sleepily down the garden to do his duty in the compost heap first thing in the morning....

Jess

Yeh well I don't fancy perching on the edge of the compost bin in the morning or at any other time of the day.

Keeps the neighbours amused !

Yep - my husband would agree, B. Although the heap does not get anointed so much in the winter. He seems to favour early summer mornings.

Also, easier to 'apply', IYSWIM.

Yes. DH does. Male wee is better than female wee, apparently.

Cats do have a way of finding the cosiest spot don't they.
Some folks wee on their compost I understand.

Very true! Perhaps I should try it.....

I think he'd move quite fast if the contents of your compost bucket woke him , butty!

There really is something very satisfying about walking up the path to the compost heat and just lobbing a whole bucket-full on to it. Have to watch out for our neighbour's cat though - as he has taken to sleeping on it!

It works cool as well, jess, just takes longer.

Shredded paper works as well and is really good if things are getting a bit soggy. As long as your com poster is enclosed and you don't get shredded paper blowing all over the garden!
When we moved to this newly built house my enthusiastic DH ordered some works from Wiggly Wigglers and there are certainly lots of little red ones still around 7 yrs later.
If it is working you can feel the warmth rising. Can take a while to get it all working, but then a bit of your old compost will help a new lot to start. Gadzillions of bacteria in every spoonful.

Yes, it was my wormery worms being 'picky' about teabags that alerted me to the plasticity of some. Wormeries are brilliant for potato peelings too which just grew if I put them in my Oxfordshire compost heaps. Nowadays we don't eat many potatoes and those we do eat I don't peel, even for mash.

Bags, now I know why modern tea tastes so awful, if it contains plastic. ! Must go back to loose leaf tea. Worms love tea, they would devour paper tea bags without any trouble in my wormery.

For lots of advice on composting and all aspect of organic gardening - go to Rytons Organic gardens near Coventry, and Google their website.