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activating compost and saving water


buelligan
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I'm sure most here already know about the beneficial use of urine to activate the composting process.  I saw this article this morning and it brought to my attention the water conservation aspect as well.  As a woman (with a non-attached village centre garden), I'm not convinced that this is a route that I will take but some may wish to consider it.[:)]

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/8357134.stm[/url]

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My husband had been wandering down to the bottom shed in our UK garden for years to put his in a plastic bottle, which he then pours on to one of the compost heaps. Only in the milder months, you understand - no central heating in the shed! It's interesting to read that mens' urine is better for compost heaps than womens', due to it being less acidic. I thought we women were meant to be made of  'sugar and spice and all things nice'; turns out it's the men!
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One of the oldest gardening tricks in the book and long promoted by bio/organic gardeners.  I have a 5 litre plastic pot to fill up and use on the compost heaps where I can't just pee into it - we have 5 compost heaps round the garden, in daleks or free standing and it's great to help break down leaf mould.

A few scare stories about not doing it if you're on some medication but my meds haven't effected the compost at all.

In the USA it's called 'Californian Compost Activator' after the Californian Navy Dr that wrote a book on the benefits of doing so back in the 50s. 

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My o/h was brought up in a house without a loo and they thus had a chemical toilet for the main business of the day and urinated in buckets, which my fil then put on the compost heap and then on the garden.  His blackcurrants won first prize at the RHS show one year - reared on my o/h's pee![:P]
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Chancer enthused; [quote]The real prize is the amount of water saved by this method, sadly I dont have a garden in France but my laundry basket does a good impression[/quote]

Hmmm....no matter how much water you manage to save this way Chancer, I really cannot recommend peeing in the laundry basket...[:D]

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I found this [url]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090918-urine-ash-fertilizer.html[/url] this morning.  Very useful for those of us who grow tomatoes and don't wish to use commercial or non-organic fertilisers.  Also this [url]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0818_050818_urinebattery.html[/url] - what would  we (to pun, or not to pun) all do without good old pee eh?![:D]
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  • 2 months later...
[quote user="Hoddy"]Bob Flowerdew calls it 'recycled cider'.

Hoddy[/quote]

My OH just found this again and it looks as if I will be 'doing' it now too.

I always said that it was turning good bitter into larger Hoddy!!

Sorry about all of the <><>< above, but I'm using Chrome at the moment and not sure how to get it working properly on this forum. It's perfect on several others, but not this alkward sod!

I only got a tiny box to trype into too!
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Real men can "re-activate" the compost heap from a distance of a couple of metres even in the recent below zero temperatures.  I have to clamber to the top of a pair of steps and even then only when it is above freezing point. In my defence though I can do that whilst waving to my neighbour........with my free hand.[B]
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Honest, it simply hadn't ocurred to me. Rest assured, I will steer clear of the gardening section again though.[:D]

Here, borrow a couple of mine [:D][:D]

A tip I picked up a couple of days ago on here is to go up to tools and tick [compatibility view]

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