Direct composting to improve soil in a problem area

You need wet and dry in a compost heap. In my compost bin I use veg and fruit waste plus garden clippings, then add newspaper and cardboard so it isn't too wet. When I used to grow runner beans, I would dig a long trench and throw in all veg waste then old papers. Even added a few old phone directories. Then, in spring, filled it in and put canes up. Had lovely beans.

I too have a compost bin. I put all green waste from garden in plus peelings, not potatoes , and every now and then cut up brown cardboard into small pieces to help with the wet dry system that is required. My problem is that the inside of the bin is over run with ants, there are hundreds of them. I use a compost activator which you sprinkle on every few inches which help break everything down. I thought it might help get rid of the ants but, no. Are they good for compost or should i be worried??

Three autumns back I dug and filled a compost trench.

After I had filled it and covered it over with soil, I left it as a path between rows of veg for the first summer, then planted in it the next.

I put all raw veg scraps in that trench, along with some newspaper, all compostable garden waste, and some layers of grass cuttings too - basically, anything that would have been suitable for a compost heap.

There was nothing in it that wasn't already growing in the garden, so no reason why it should attract any extra rats.

This year, I have sown lawn over that area of the garden, and even after all this time, it's very clear where that trench had been because there is a row of much greener, faster-growing grass above it.

The only thing stopping me from doing this regularly is that my back is no longer up to the heavy work of digging out the trench.

We are clay bound, however by using grit mixed into compost and MR MUCK’S ORGANIC HORSE MANURE COMPOST 7-9 YEARS FULLY PROCESSED AND STERILISED WITH ONLY 2% WHEAT STRAW PER SACK IT’S OUR ( BLACK GOLD) from mrmuck.co.uk - it has worked well, also we recycle most food waste and have produced exceptional compost in simple to erect professional wooden compost bins from gardeningworks.co.uk - but naturally, nothing comes cheap and it does take time...

I have composted for years and years. Have three on the go, one to be filled, one "cooking" and one for use in the garden. All the egg trays, toilet roll and kitchen roll insides go in and layer them so you have a mixture of "greens" and "browns". If you use too much in the way of greens you end up with a slimy mess. Have a small bio bin under the sink and put in teabags, egg shells, all fruit and vegetable peelings. All the lawn cuttings go in as well. I live right on a river and never had a rat in the compost bin, the odd sweet little mouse in winter. Every spring I empty the oldest compost bin and dig into my clay soil veggie patch. Love it!

I've dug and filled runner bean trenches in the past and put in all the peelings and suchlike. Part of my garden is very sandy [and next door have some clay just the other side of the hedge, but with my veg am growing in raised beds, and started them off just putting in stuff I'd normally have composted, veg bits, lawn clippings, have also added lots of lovely horse much, and topsoil and more much and topsoil. If you enrich the sandy soil eventually you will have better soil, and I'm currently using horse muck on top as a mulch and some has been dug in along with some compost. I'm using dalek bins as compost bins, compost from them has also gone in the beds, looking forward to lots of lovely compost from these, am putting my chicken muck in, so far mainly in the bin nearest to the chickens lol. I don't put meat scraps or anything that might attract rats..

Mushrooms compost is brilliant. It usually is sold at reasonable cost per bag as the company have used the nutrients up in it. So it is really a soil structure improver. Put a thick layer on the surface as someone above said. If you have worms they will drag it down into soil. If you don’t you can dig it in at a much later stage. Works wonders with clay soil. You can buy earthworms on the internet but you still need quite good soil for them to be happy. If you build a compost holder out of wood with two separate sides, you can leave one empty, decant first pile into it much later when it’s started to breakdown to aid breakdown of matter. A perfect compost result is almost like rich new soil.

Not having worms is a problem, as they aerate the soil.

Making your own compost in an open compost pile or digging it directly into the soil, is said to attract rats.

It works here, as I have a cat that catches rats,and all the b´niegbours keep cats too, so the rats know better than to come here, but I don't advise anyone to use an open compost bin, or direct composting unless they keep cats or terriers.

You could use a rotating composter. You add veg peelings, grass cuttings etc, water it and notate it every day until full then rotate every day for 28 days and should be ready to use as mulch.

Jeannie99, you mention the different soils but you don't mention whether the areas get differing sunlight. This may have an effect too.

A direct compost trench is great if you are doing this say in the autumn and filling a trench with lots of garden waste giving it time to rot down over winter. You say you dug 6 inches which I don't think is deep enough, certainly not if you were growing vegetables. It sounds a bit fiddly to be digging a random little hole now and again and probably less effective.

It sounds like you may have ericaceous soil in the non clay area and if so it would be great for growing blueberries. Maybe test the soil and check what plants etc prefer that soil and grow accordingly.

Compost bins shouldn't be put on patios. They are best placed on soil that way when the garden waste is breaking down the nutricious juice will drain direct to soil. Putting chicken wire under the base of the bin between the soil and bin will prevent rats rummaging if you do have any in the area. Obviously there are areas that have more of a problem but not all are affected by the problem.

Haven't read all the replays but it sounds like the soil needs some well rotted manure in it to add structure to it.

I agree with what Justonavice says.
Buy yourself a large plastic compost bin.
As well as vegetable kitchen waste ,soft garden waste and grass cuttings add cardboard and torn up newspaper or old bills.
If you want to shred it - fine.
I don't bother.
If you have access to any nettles-I take a big black bag to a local park and fill it ,that is great to add to make compost.
Buy some comfrey.
It will soon grow
Brilliant to add to make good compost.
Do add horse manure-well rotted.
My bin is packed full of tiny little worms
When I get the compost out ,it smells lovely.
I usually sieve it before using it and get rid of any twigs or stones that may have made their way in
Good Luck.
Like Monty Don I love my compost bin.

I've hesitated to grow comfrey in case it seeds itself and spreads out of control - does it?

Our compost bins are on concrete, we emptied them recently as they never seemed to look very healthy, they were both full of ants and the backs had been chewed out , presumably by rats or mice. Previously they had been standing on soil and the rats just came up through the underneath. It looks as though nothing will stop them.
My Grandfather always used the trench method of composting, 2 spades depth, then filled it in as he went along, but we had been there a long time and the ground was good, we are on soil that feels like rock with tree roots everywhere, so too much like hard work, so we have raised beds.

I'm rapidly going off my compost bin.........

Chewbacca ?
I found a 10 inch ceramic tile in my compost bin, which is odd, even for me.
VGC though, I’ve cleaned it off and am waiting for inspiration to strike.

I made great compost by putting grass cuttings and weeds etc. into an old green bin. I don't pit an food waste in it. The following spring - lovely compost. I add it to the soil, dig it in fab-u-lous.

My husband has just had a compost bin delivered. He did not tell me the make and it is not yet unpacked. However it will make compost in 3 months out of Kitchen waste combined with news paper, cardboard, or wood shavings in layers. he is hoping to use it for compost instead of ordering sack for potting up. This is one of the places to view options
diygarden.co.uk/best-compost-bin/

I have tried the compost bin tactic. Result was rats living in it. They can gnaw holes in anything ? I hate rodents. Influx of foxes seem to be keeping them down. But I’m still scared to go anywhere near it.

I lifted the lid on my bin once and a shiny brown rat was having a bit of a wash, he looked at me as if to say’ close the lid please , it’s chilly’ so I did, he looked very healthy...... now if it had been a spider, I would have slammed the lid down and ran for it.

Nooooooo Oopsadaisy!

Compost bin going tomorrow; can't abide rats. And if I saw one close enough to see it was having a bit of a wash, I'd pass out. Eurgh.

Oh Chewie he was soooo cute. My neighbours kept rats when I was a kiddie, they would run up your sleeve and sit on your shoulder, clever.

I’ve got 3 compost bins made from pallets and regularly get mice but have never had rats. I never put anything cooked in them. When emptying the bins I always do it gradually to give the mice warning and time to relocate!

He was not cute Oopsadaisy; it was a RAT, ergo: vermin. shudder-

Pet rats are not like wild rats

The only good wild rat is a dead rat. They carry disease such can kill people.
We know someone who died from Weil's disease