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Need to sterize my compost!
Sat 7-May-11
7:38 pm
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maria

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Hiya, we are quite happy to compost and be left with oodles of great compost, HOWEVER, when I plant the seedlings what comes up drives me mad!!, what is a seedling and what is a weed!!! recently I have been nutering 1 good dozen plants to find out they were 'weeds;! embarrising but Im a learner gardner, sometimes i could cty not knowing what is and what isnt!!!

Can any one help please in readiness for next year!!!aarghrunawaydohwave

Sat 7-May-11
7:52 pm
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3ravens
West Virginia

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The only 2 ways I have heard of is to pour boiling water through it, or bake it in the oven. If you do the boiling water bit, save the water, let it cool and use it to water  already established plants so as not to waste the nutrients. Baking it will STINK! surprised I'll ask some friends for the correct temp, and get back to you.

Sun 8-May-11
10:30 am
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kayerunrig
lincolnshire

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this is my drastic way of doing it .....empty compost bin on to ground in spring ,pile all garden waste stray bits of wood and usually scrounge a couple of pallets and have small wood bonfire on compost , wait till cool then shovel back into bin or into empty salvaged bags , do shovel in the ash as well adds wonderful potash to compost

Sun 8-May-11
10:32 am
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Toffeeapple
North Bucks

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Are you allowed to have fires in gardens still?

I'll try that again!

Sun 8-May-11
10:35 am
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kayerunrig
lincolnshire

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lol...nope but were a long way from civilisation here

Sun 8-May-11
11:08 am
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Toffeeapple
North Bucks

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That's alright then! 

I'll try that again!

Sun 8-May-11
12:46 pm
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danast
Argyll, Scotland

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wave  I have a friend who painstakingly sterilised all his old compost in an old microwave he got specially for this purpose.

Old teachers never die, they just lose their class

Sun 8-May-11
3:55 pm
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maria

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thanks guys, mmmmmmmm old microwave it would take ages for the amount we use, the oven not sure about that! boiling water? need a lot, bonfire ontop of the compost,, maybe, havent found the ideal answer yet.      Does any one else have this problem??what_the_heckconfusedyawn

Sun 8-May-11
5:54 pm
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JoannaS
Latvia

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I have an old tin bath that I will use to sterlise compost in. The idea will be to put the compost with in the bath and cover it to stop water evaporating and heat it over a fire. Haven't tried this yet as we haven't had the right compost for seedlings.

Mon 9-May-11
3:39 pm
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maria

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cheers Joanne, still chilly here!!wave

Mon 9-May-11
8:22 pm
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JoannaS
Latvia

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Perfect!cheers

Mon 9-May-11
8:33 pm
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mike.
Coventry

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I have tried sterilising compost in the oven, and yes it can be a bit smelly. I filled the metal trays which had previously contained oven-ready chickens, covered in foil and baked for a couple of hours at around gas mark 2. It worked ok for seedlings but given that when I bought compost for starting seeds off in the propagator, a £2-3 bag lasts me a whole year so it really isn't worth it for me. I think it's worthwhile if I need bigger quantities for plant pots

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Tue 10-May-11
5:32 pm
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maria

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Thanks bobquail together we 'will crack this problem' ( our sharps, combination cooker must have overhard my conversation to himself, saying to use the microwave,) last night the smoke bellowed out of it, must hasteamchampagneve burnt out, havent got time to take it to be checked!!!

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