Does anyone know anything about gardening?

the year thing is a nice annual cycle for me, let the heat and the animals do their thing through the summer then empty it and spread it around during the winter when digging beds and getting old dead stuff out , old autumn and winter pruning and rubbish clearance goes into an empty compost heap ready for the worms to go to work

i always have nicely riddled compost in rubble sacks to use so i don't need to rush the compost, i'm sure down your way it'll be done pretty quick and after a few seasons you'll have plenty available so you'll just fall into an annual cycle

I thought worms couldn't survive in compost barrels? Good info, I'll keep all that in mind...

I get a lot of grass cuttings and then there's all our kitchen waste, which doesn't amount to a great deal but it'll all add up... Don't want to attract rats so figured a barrel would be the best solution, thinking maybe a box with a flip lid might suit us better...

Is it worth giving kitchen waste a quick blitz in the blender first then turning that over with the grass cuttings/garden waste...

We've also been offered a couple of hens, thinking about taking them... #thegoodlifedownunder

chicken shit is awesome fertiliser for the garden

... and the eggs and stuff

They are also a magnet for rats.

Their food and eggs attract rats, not the chickens themselves...

I know.

#countryboyatheart

@dancing james has one of those thermal compost things.

From looking at them I wonder if you could insulate a barrel composters for the same outcome.

Or try one of those little indoor bokashi bins someone posted recently.

magnet for rats

great band name right there

I won't need insulation here, coldest it gets is ~10°c at this time of year... Just trying to figure out the quickest way to get good compost; barrel, worms on a heap/in a box... I don't wanna throw away stuff we can use instead of buying compost from the shop (which isn't bloody cheap!)...

Grass cuttings are not the best stuff for compost as they can suffocate the bin, so to speak.
My elderly lady neighbour (RIP) used to swear by urine on her compost. Though I never looked to see her do it I assumed she poured it from a bucket rather than squatting on the top of her compost bin. Still it is easier for gentlemen to do it when the urge arises.

"Always put a thick layer of course brown material at bottom of bin for aeration. Tip #2: Let grass clippings dry out for a couple of days before composting. Tip #3: If your bin is stuffed full of grass clippings, turn the pile (use a compost aerator tool) every few days for very fast results". From below.
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/grassclippings.html

Not an expert, but I think you need pretty high temperatures. At night you might not be able to maintain it, even if it is hot. Iirc it's also about consistency of temperature. But that is for those superdooper thermal ones which will break down bone, etc. in 30 days. Ask Dj about his.

The other thing to look at is half burrying a painted chest freezer. One of the R4 gardeners questions presenters does this.

Basically if you want it fast I'm pretty sure you ideally need small pieces and high temperatures.

The reason it is good to piss in the compost heap is it contains nitrogen. This is also the reason chicken and all bird shit makes good compost because birds un like mammals have shit which includes urine.

Rarely does a GQT go by where someone doesn't talk about Bob Flowerdew pissing on his compost heap

When I pull borage or dandelions up I mash them with a spade then seep them in water for 3 weeks. The smell is indescribable but tip it in the compost bin and the heap heats up like buggery, the worms bang on the bin lid for more.

Can any kind person identify the plant in the centre of this picture for me please? It's most likely a vegetable seed that's survived through my compost bin. Thanks

Looks like cucurbit leaves so maybe cucumber, courgette, pumpkin, squash or gourd of some kind.

Thanks :) I guess I'm just going to have to wait to and see what it produces

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That's exactly what they've turned out to be. Starting to flower now and looks lovely.

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I've got a stump I want rid of. It's about 18 inches in diameter, and cut down to a few inches above ground level. I know stump grinders exist, and I could get a chap to come and get rid of it that way.

I've already drilled lots of long holes (c.30 cm depth) into it for wood lice to live in. I was wondering if there's anything that I could use to pour in those holes to speed up the process? I know stump killer exists, but it's pretty pricey.

Everywhere on the internet just suggests fire. I'd usually embrace that but the stump is right next to our boundary fence which is also made of wood; this in turn is quite close to my shed, and the neighbours conservatory, all also made of wood.

I can imagine that some of the alternatives I've seen (significant quantities of salt) would probably pollute the ground too much

Copper kills trees, might be worth driving a few copper nails in, all depends how quickly you want it gone.
Could always hire a mini digger and have fun digging it out...

I'd get a stump grinder around for a quote. The amount of fucking about and likelihood of personal injury are probably not worth the money you'd save.