charles Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Hello,I'm looking for somewhere to buy compost, not by the bag from garden centres but in bulk by the ton. We've a new garden to create out of an area of just weeds and having rotovated it, I would like to dig in as much compost as I can get. We live in the Aude (11) not far from Limoux and Carcassonne.And secondly does anyone know if marc épuisé is useable as garden compost?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 You don't say if you live in the town or the countryside. We found a local farmer very helpful. Stables often have masses of compost free for collection.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 You can also try your local recycling centre/waste conversion plant, not the decheterie, where the dechet stuff goes to.In this area of 23 everybody gets it as part of their tax euros, all you have to do is arrange to pull it away by trailer, not sure what the limit is but I'm told it's substantial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Charles, firstly, hello and welcome to the forum [:)]Secondly, you might want to remove the @ from your username, the forum software doesn't like them (or brackets, or in fact any characters obtained by using the shift button) and gets itself in a terrible pickle if someone tries to use the quote function on one of your mails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillergirl Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Thanks for the heads up on where to get free compost. My nearest decheterie (Beurainville) is just that not a recycling centre so if anyone living near Hesdin knows where the nearest centre is please can you let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Had a look on google and got bogged down with boring dechetterie sites, but it does seem as if Limoux has compost. The trick will be finding out which area you are entitled to pick up free compost from - we have a very small local dump which does has free compost for those resident in the commune so I'm surprised yours doesn't. It is certainly worth asking, and if they don't they will direct you to the nearest one you are entitled to go to, provided it is available. We picked up a load last year and although it's not great for using on its own it was good to mix in and improve our heavy clay soil. Happy gardening in your new home!JanePS I may be having a blonde moment (it would not be the first time), but what's marc epuise (sorry, uk keyboard and can't be bothered with finding the accents)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 MDict says marc épuisé is:Résidu: Marc de café, marc de raisin. Mum used to put used coffee grounds on the compost heap, well mixed in with other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Aahhh, thank you for the translation (not just very tired men called Marc then...seems a waste to put them in the compost....)! I chuck everything in, and reckon it gets hot enough here to compost the weeds too, as you say, well mixed in. A well secured, lidded composter is a must to stop local wildlife and passing dogs getting at it. (chicken wire underneath will stop some rodents too).Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 I've never heard of this free compost deal before - is this a France-wide thing? [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suze01 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Do try a local stables. I collected two car loads of free 'black gold' yesterday from my daughter's stables (I'm feeling it now though!). It's georgeous stuff and completely free. If they're not too far from you and they have the facilites they may be able to deliver a tractor load to you - speak to them nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Yup, tons of the old horse s*** here! Fancy a trip to the Sarthe?[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 [quote user="Suze"]I collected two car loads of free 'black gold' yesterday from my daughter's stables (I'm feeling it now though!). It's georgeous stuff and completely free. [/quote]Please, never offer me a lift in your car. [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I don't have to go far at all. My neighbour's daughter has a horse, just one but it's amazing how much erm, manure it produces. My neighbours are only too pleased that the crazy English (my words not theirs) takes some to put on his rhubarb - they seem to put sauce Anglais on theirs.Shouldn't say 'manure', you should say 'fertilizer'Arrr, it's taken me 40 years to say 'manure'The old ones are the best - sometimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suze01 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 [quote user="Cassis"][quote user="Suze"]I collected two car loads of free 'black gold' yesterday from my daughter's stables (I'm feeling it now though!). It's georgeous stuff and completely free. [/quote]Please, never offer me a lift in your car. [;-)][/quote]Trust me, well rotted shit doesn't smell [:P] (and it was all in large buckets on a rubber boot liner) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Depends what you mean by compost. We get cow s--t from a neighbouring farmer and that works well. There are limitless amounts. Also we use the soiled straw from the chicken house. What kind of soil do you have? Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmaddock Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 It depends on whether you want compost or manure. The local decheterrie (at least mine - and others from reading the thread) does a wonderful compost. They charge me 1.50 € per 'bin' (one of the big black ones). I usually take the trailer along and get them to fill it, but I've seen others down there filling bin liners and putting it in their boot. By far the cheapest way to get hold of it that I've found. If you want manure then, a local stables should be able to help out.Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share Posted February 25, 2007 Thank you Jane and everyone else who responded.Marc épuisé is the remains of pressed grapes and which is produced in large quantities in this area and which the local winegrowers use as a compost for their vines. Since posting my question I've been told that its OK to use as a garden compost as digging in any organic matter is better than none but obviously horse or cow manure would be better. But like manure it needs to be well rotted.Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polycarpe Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Hi Jane, thanks for the tip. I'll see what I can find out.Charles, if you find anything on offer around Limoux or St Hilaire, perhaps you could PM me with details.Thanks,Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Can't help on compost you want.Here in England we have 3 compost heaps, so all our waste from copious amounts of fruit/veg we get through is used.We are to move to an apartment for about half the year, and wondered what we can usefully do with it then. Any ideas?Thanks,Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Possibly a very stupid question but, is it o.k. to put nettles into your compost bin ? If so should you shred and or crush them first ? Like most of us, we have ready supply of the b****rs.Gabe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I would say they are fine to put in the compost bin, provided you cut them before they have gone to seed. Shredding them won't do any harm though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 OK to cut them up by hand but if its one thing guaranteed to jam my shreder its nettles. They have incredibly strong fibres in the stems (rope used to be made from them?) that won't cut but get wrapped around everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I once borrowed a neighbour's strimmer, which got a bit tangled in some nettles and the plastic joint holding the head on overheated and almost fell off!I stuck it back together while it was still molten and took the thing back ...No, that wasn't why we moved to france! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanneclaire Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Can I just put in a word of caution, the compost is not always suitable for putting straight on to the garden, my husband was advised by the man in charge of the tip, where we can get four free bags that we should not put it straight on to the garden. We layer it with our own compost and a layer of fumier, it takes a good six months to become nice and steamy, but all the weed in the compost from the dechetterie will be killed by then. I appreciate this is not what you want to hear, but perhaps with a bit of luck, your nearest dechetterie, has compost steaming well for months to kill all the weeds.jeanneclaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwyncelyn Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 With the good weather here in Normandie I have just emptied all of our compost bins (six and all from re-cycled plastic) I was able to dig it in to the potager and where needed around all of the fruit trees and into the greenhouse beds for the tomatoes. If you are going to garden from essentially a weed infested site where are you going to place the weeds? A. into the compost bin that I am now going to buy and to this I am going to add the peelings from the household the used coffee and tea bags and everything else that is suitable? What happens next? A. In nine months time you have nice compost which is perfectly 'green' and out of waste material and which must be good for the environment.rdgs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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