How to re-use old compost - ten useful ingredients

Planting mint

Traditional gardening books often tell you to replace the compost or soil in your pots each year. But if you have more than just a few pots, emptying and refilling all your pots will be a time consuming, messy, difficult job. It will also be expensive. And it just seems a waste to throw it away. So a common question is: 'is it possible to re-use the soil / compost in pots'? The answer is most definitely YES. It will last for several seasons, at least, and perhaps even indefinitely. Learning how to re-use it is really useful if you are growing in containers, so the aim of this article is to help you on your way.

What you need to know...

There is quite a lot of detail and information in this post. If it seems overwhelming, you only really need to remember three things:

  1. Some crops are easier to grow than others in old compost (see list)
  2. After a season of growing, the nutrients (ie plant food) in your pots will have been largely used up. To re-use the soil, you’ll have to add more nutrients (see below for options).
  3. The 'structure' of your growing mix will start to break down over time. For plants to grow healthily, you might need to add something after a year or two to help rebuild this (see below for what you might add). Some media retains its structure over time better than others.

I'll now talk a bit more about each of these, then I'll run through what you can add to rejuvenate your old potting mix. You'll also find more tips on rock dust and biochar in the video with horticulture expert Ben Raskin below.

Salads are one of the easiest crops to grow in old compost - these are in a mix that is several years old. Salads are one of the easiest crops to grow in old compost - these are in a mix that is several years old.

1. Which crops are easier to grow in old soil?

It’s possible to grow any crop in old compost, but some are easier to grow successfully than others. This is because some have quite precise and demanding nutrient needs, while others are less fussy.

Easier crops

Easier crops to grow in old compost include

  • most of the leafy vegetables (lettuce, chard, kale, rocket and most other salads),
  • most root vegetables,
  • beans and peas,
  • most herbs
  • squash and courgettes (zucchini).

Harder crops

You can grow the following in old compost but it may be harder to get a good yield;

  • tomatoes and aubergines
  • chillies and peppers
  • strawberries

Crop rotation in pots

Rotation is not as important in containers as it is in the ground, but it is still a good idea not to grow the same crop in the same soil for more than one year (particularly for fruiting and rooting veg). Two reasons for this: first, it avoids pests building up in the soil; second, different crops take different nutrients out of the soil.  

2. Why you need to add nutrients and how to do it

By the end of a season most of the nutrients in your pots will have been used up - particularly if you were growing hungry plants like tomatoes. (Simple tests I’ve done on my used compost confirm this). This means that to grow healthy plants in used compost, you'll need to add nutrients. There are a wide range of organic ingredients and fertilisers  you can chose from (some of the most useful are described below).

What is best to use?

There is no one right or best ingredient – it depends on what you can find locally or make yourself. You can use just one like worm compost. Or you can use a mix of several. (If you can find them, using a variety is good as each one will add a different mix of nutrients to the soil).

How much to add?

It is hard to be precise about quantities to add as it depends on several things. These include: the size of pot, how old or depleted the existing soil is, what was grown in the pot last season, and what you plan to grow next season (for example, fruiting vegetables like squash will need more food than leafy vegetables like salads). In addition, most organic ingredients like manure or worm compost will vary considerably in strength and what nutrients they contain – so giving anything other than a very rough guide is not possible. In general, though, it is better to add too little than too much as you can always add more nutrients during the season (either to the top of the pots or as liquid feed) but you can't take them away.

It’s not difficult!

Rejuvenating old compost is not really a precise science – it’s more trial and error. Don’t let this put you off. Experiment, observe the results and you'll soon learn what works for you. It might be hard to get superb growth using old compost, but getting good, healthy crops is not so hard.

Note taking / labelling

When you do experiment, label or make a not of what you did. It’s easy, in my experience, to have a very successful pot and then forget what you added (Or maybe that’s just me!).

Soil life

If you want to grow organically, it’s also a good idea to think about how you will add and support soil life in your containers. Soil life is vital because it will break down the organic materials in your soil to release nutrients for your plants.  

3. How to maintain the structure of old compost

After a season or two, the structure of your growing mix can start to collapse. This is due to the organic particles in your mix decomposing and breaking down. When this happens, the air gaps in the soil, which are so important to enable the roots to breathe, begin to disappear. To fix this, you’ll need to add something to improve the structure again - and add air gaps back into the soil. A variety of things will help do this. Medium or coarse grade vermiculite or perlite are two (add between 5% and 20%). Both are natural ingredients (made from volcanic rock) and both work well. However, they’re also high energy to make and costly to buy, particularly in smaller quantities. Two other options are biochar and green waste compost, more below.  

Things you can add to rejuvenate old compost

i) Worm compost

Worm compost is the urban container gardener’s best friend! It’s one of the most useful and best ingredients you can have to rejuvenate old compost. It’s usually rich in the major nutrients, trace elements and is teeming with soil life. I thoroughly recommend a wormery if you have space for one!

How to use it:

Add between 10% (for salads) up to 50% (for squash or tomatoes) to old compost. Take care not to add too much though as it can be very rich (and you can always add a layer on top later on). If you have lots of containers, you may find you can't make as much as you need - but even a little can make a big difference.

Where to find it:

Make your own. You can buy a wormery or it is easy to make your own.

London balcony - a brilliant source of nutrients when growing in small spaces © Sarah Cuttle / Vertical Veg The wormery on my old London balcony - a brilliant source of nutrients when growing in small spaces © Sarah Cuttle / Vertical Veg

ii) Home made compost

If you have a little more space, maybe a patio or backyard, you can make your own compost. Some composters are particularly designed for small spaces – one I’ve heard good things about is the Green Johanna from Sweden.

How to use it

Like worm compost, but it is less rich so add in slightly higher percentages.

iii) Bokashi

Bokashi is a Japanese method of composting. It uses EM (Effective Microorganisms) and needs even less space (the size of a bucket) than a wormery. It is faster than composting (it takes just two weeks), and can be done inside or outside. It can be a good alternative to a wormery if you don’t like worms!

How to use it

The end product of bokashi is pickled, partly composted vegetables. These can be used a bit like worm compost but are less versatile because what comes out o f the bin is not really a 'finished product'. They must be left in the soil for a few weeks to settle before growing in. You can mix 10 – 30% pickled, bokashi veg into a container (then leave for several weeks before planting) or add to the bottom of pots before filling with old compost. As the pickled veg breaks down it will release nutrients and lots of beneficial soil life to your pots.

Where to find it

You can buy bokashi buckets online or make your own out of buckets with lids. You’ll also need to buy bokashi bran. If you’re in the UK, check out the friendly folk at Bubblehouse worms for a supply.  

iv) Manure

Manure is another useful ingredient for reinvigorating used container soil - particularly if you can’t make your own worm compost, or aren’t making enough - or if you have located a convenient local supply! It is teaming with soil life (= good!) and has most of the essential nutrients plants need in moderate quantities. However it does vary considerably in quality. To use manure safely and successfully, you need to check a) it’s well rotted (as a general rule, it needs to smell like garden soil rather than animal poo) and b) it hasn’t come from animals farmed inorganically or fed antibiotics. If you can, try to find other growers who have tried it – and if you’re still not sure, try a small quantity first before adding it to all your containers.

How to use it:

You can mix well rotted manure into old compost, or put a layer at the bottom of your pots (works great in bigger pots), or add a layer to the top of your pots half way through the season (gardeners call this "mulching") - great for hungry crops like squash. If you are not sure how well rotted it is, I would either leave it in a bag (I used to have bin bags of it under my pots on my balcony) to rot for longer or put it at the bottom of a big pot where it can slowly break down. Depending on the manure and what you are growing you might add between 15% (for less hungry crops like salads) and 50% (for something hungry like a squash plant).

Where to find it in the city:

Surprisingly, it can be easy to find in some cities. Look for City Farms. Many are run on organic principles, produce excellent manure, and make it available to the public for a small donation. Also check out riding stables, police stables etc but be aware of the animal feed / drugs issue.  

v) Green waste compost / municipal compost

More cities around the world are collecting household green waste (grass clippings, prunings etc) and converting it into compost, which is often sold back to the general public. Some cities also add in food waste. The resulting compost varies in quality, but can be excellent. If you can find a supply, I urge you give it a try. (More info on municipal compost here). Green waste compost is often fairly rich in nutrients – ideal for rejuvenating old compost. It typically also contains quite large particles - these can be sieved out if you like. Or you can leave them in – as these can help add structure and air gaps back into your growing mix.

How to use it

Mix 15 - 50% into your old compost, depending on how rich a mix you want to make. Or you can add a layer to the top of your containers (the nutrients will slowly work their own way in). It is usually low in soil life – so you should also add something like worm compost or manure if you can.

Where to find it:

Contact your local recycling centre or local council. Community growing projects will sometimes get it delivered in bulk and either give it away or sell it an affordable price. Some gardening shops / centres also sell it.

vi) Shop bough compost / grow media

As a more reliable (but more expensive) option to green waste compost, you can also buy new multipurpose or potting compost from the shops or online. Use it in a similar way to green waste – mix it in to add nutrients to your old compost or add a layer to the top of your old compost.

vii) Chicken manure pellets

These contain the main nutrients that plants need and are particularly high in nitrogen. Because plants need nitrogen for leaf growth, these pellets are excellent to rejuvenate old soil that you want to grow leafy veg like salads or kale in. Very, very handy this! Use it in moderation (or not at all) for fruiting crops like beans or tomatoes: add too much and you'll get very leafy plants without many fruits!

How to use it

The guidelines on the packaging are a good place to start. In general I add about a handful or two to each window box size container. Excellent for salads.

Where to find it

Available in most gardening shops, often sold in buckets. Make sure it comes from organic reared chickens.

viii) General purpose organic fertilizer

Bought fertilizer can be very useful – particularly if you haven’t got a supply of any of the above ingredients. And, even if you have, it can be useful (in moderation) to help raise nutrient levels. For reusing old compost, you’ll want a balanced fertiliser. How do you know if a fertiliser is balanced? Look for the “NPK” details on the side of the packaging – you want one with roughly equal numbers for N P K (something like 5: 5: 5). I’d generally recommend avoiding anything too strong, try and choose one below 8 if you can. (The number refers to the percentage – so N 5 means 5% nitrogen). A common general purpose fertiliser is “blood, fish and bone”. There are vegan equivalents, too, but you might have to look around for one.

How to use it

Mix it into the soil before planting. The fertilizer should come with guidelines on how much to add - use these as a starting point, observe the results, then add a little more or less next time. You can also add a sprinkle to the top of the soil (gardeners call this a “top dressing”) to top up nutrients as your plants grow.

Where to buy

Online or at gardening stores. In the UK, Fertile Fibre is one company that does vegan fertiliser.  

ix) Biochar

Biochar is charcoal ground fine. It won't add nutrients, but will improve structure and water holding capacity of your growing mix. Biochar needs to be charged with nutrients before you add it to your pots - you can either buy it ready charged or you can add it your wormery or compost heap.

How to use it

Add 5- 15% to your pots to improve structure and water rentention.

Where to find it

You can buy biochar for growers from some gardening shops and online. Coppice workers and charcoal makers may sell raw, untreated biochar to add to your wormery. You can also use artists charcoal or barbeque charcoal, just check that the wood is from a sustainable source. You'll also need to crush it somehow so that it is in small pieces. There is more information on biochar in the video below.  

x) Rock dust

Rock dust is ground up volcanic rock that is rich in trace elements and minerals. It won’t provide plants with their basic nutrient needs, but it can contribute both to plant health and flavour. Soil life also benefits from it. Ben Raskin, Head of Horticulture at the Soil Association, explains more about the benefits of biochar and rock dust in this video.

How to use

Mix 5 – 10% into your old compost.

Where to find it

Online or at some garden centres (the UK stock B&Q stock it).   As I said at the beginning, you don't need all the above ingredients by any means. I listed so many in the hope that one or two will be easy for you find. A good place to start is with what you can find locally. Also, its a great idea to start making your own worm compost or compost or bokashi, if you haven't already.  

What works for you?

If you've successfully re-used old compost, I'd be very interested to hear what has worked (or not worked) for you in the comments below.  

39 comments

Kerri Allen
 

I had great success last year using a technique that was new to me. I read about it in the Garden Organic magazine (http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/). I tried it out on a long, deep container in which I green dwarf beans. I had a layer of old compost on which I put a layer of vegetable peelings and then added another layer of old compost. I repeated this and finally topped it off with a mix of worm compost and old compost. This was left to sit for about 6 weeks before I planted my beans. I had some very healthy plants and a good crop of beans. Apparently you can also do this by layering peelings with old compost in a compost bag and then putting it to one side for a few weeks before using.
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France
 

Hi! I find that my containers are way too full with old roots system to be of any use. So I just throw everything in my compost pile, mix everything up and refill the containers with that mixture. Any thoughts on the matter?
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Valerie F
 

Very interesting Mark.I do recycle compost by emptying small used pots eg ones that have been growing herbs etc into my green Johanna .this helps to form the "brown layer" and kitchen waste all kinds except citrus peeI the green layer and the final mixture can then be used as fresh compost,from the bottom of the Johanna.Depending on what I am growing this may be mixed with vermiculite,fresh compost etc.I sometimes top it up with fertiliser.
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Chris
 

Hi Mark, Good article. I have a Starbucks up the road from me (who doesn't) They let me take all the coffee grounds I want. So over winter I filled my plant pots with it and it had two bonus' . ! The squirrels left my bulbs alone and 2. no weeds. My bulbs are up already, some have bloomed and it is only Feb. 20. I also have been dumping sweepings from my deck of black oil sunflower seed husks. If they grow I am not concerned. Coquitlam BC has a very large infestation of Chafer beetles and the Crows have been aerating the city boulevards beyond belief. The Crows have returned to me again (I do feed them) But, I am the only person in the neighbourhood that hasn't been infested. Karma maybe. I do look forward to your articles.
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Ida Kero
 

Thank you for a very informative post! I will definitely work on the soil texture in my containers this year. About the use of EM compost: I do not generally leave it for several weeks before planting. Usually, I put the "pickles" in the container, cover with old soil and sow directly. By the time the seedlings roots reach the pickles it is already neutralized with respect to pH. For replanting larger plants, however, one may need to wait a couple of weeks - in theory at least. I'm a bit impatient but my tomatoes don't really seem to mind.
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Asoka
 

Thank you for a great post. I've picked up a few ideas off it. I have been recycling potting mix for a few years now from my flower/veggie pots by mixing it up to my small veggie patch; working the soil up, adding blood and bone and leaving for a week before I replant in October (I live in the Southern Hemisphere). Sometimes I remove the fibrous roots of flower pots, chop them up a bit and add them to the veggie patch but whatever left over is mixed 1:1 with fresh bought potting mix and reused in containers.
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Francesca Hardy
 

Thank you for such a great, easy to follow summary! My aim is to spruce up my 2 year old containers this wkend. Your article couldnt of arrived at a better time, thanks again.
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Lene aagerup
 

I have been studying so much about gardening in small places. I must say, I find your articles incredibly informativ and useful. This subject, about how to use the old soil from the containers, is something I really have been searching for. Thank you so much for sharing.
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Sandra McHargl.com
 

Hi Mark, I gave up on bought potting mixes a few years ago. I was mixing the potting mix with equal parts of reasonable garden soil and home made compost to stretch it out, and discovered that I was getting much better results with more compost. Now what I do is put the compost through a soil sieve, use the fine stuff as seedling mix and the coarser stuff as potting mix. I also add manure (bunny and guinea pig- they "supply" it in easy to handle little pellets) and if it's a large pot, I half fill it with chopped garden waste, keeping a good balance of green and dry, which breaks down into compost by the time the roots get down to it. (So it's a kind of flower pot no-dig gardening.) When I'm repotting, I put the old mix through the sieve and try to re-use the coarse stuff on something in a different plant family to what was in the pot. (Your crop rotation point.) Usually there's enough matured compost in a pot for me to repot the next thing if I use the chopped garden waste to fill the bottom half. If there's not enough I add more fresh compost instead. I'm wondering if we get on the wrong track buying "sterile" potting mixes. I know the intention is to stop plant pathogens from spreading, but sterile means dead, and over and over again the organic gardening movement says we need healthy LIVING soil if we're going to have healthy plants. Particularly with seed grown crops, I've had much better results from the fine siftings with a little manure added to the bottom of the punnet, while my seedlings I grew previously in bought mix tended to come up but then not develop well. When I sift the compost I almost always find worms and centipedes (bitey but our local ones seem to like decent soil) and I've got no doubt if they're in it then so are a lot of smaller organisms I can't see. Very much living soil.
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Betsy Alkenbrack
 

Hi Mark. Thank you for your as usual very useful information. I watched the video and saw a message that I can add rock dust to my wormery. Can you say more about this? How does it help the worms, how much should I add and how often? Thank you.
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Kathryn
 

I'd never recycle compost I've used for strawberries. Far too much risk of vine weevil. Though for long term balcony plantings it is worth investing in a biological control such as Nemesys which should solve the problem. Somehow vine weevils seem to be able to access the highest balconies to lay their eggs in container plants. When compost structure is beginning to break down one can put a thick layer of wet newspaper in the bottom of the pot, then a few inches of the degraded compost, then, if there are any worms around one can alternate layers of old compost and kitchen waste. That way the worms do the restructuring. Speed of restructuring will depend on the number of worms so unless you have a wormery less is often more, then they'll arrange for slow release.
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Naomi
 

Thanks for the discussion. When I was living in the States, my concern with charcoal / biochar was the additives. I'm not sure if that's a problem on this side of the pond. What I've done with soil from prior plantings is to incorporate it into the compost pile, both within and on top of the pile. While that does mean I have to replace the growing medium within the container, it definitely give my compost pile a great boost both from a volume perspective as well as capturing the viable nutrients that remain in the old soil. In addition, many soil-borne diseases will succumb to the heat of the pile. It would depend the pathogen as to whether or not heat would work.
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Wendy Davie
 

Thank you very much for this informative article. My partner and I use wicking beds extensively, from small pots to our largest 3mtrs x 500ml, so the relevence of re-using compost is enormous. Adding nutrients rather than changing the soil is a necessity.
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Julie
 

great information! I replace my soil in pots after about a year. I have just started adding coffee grounds to the mix too. Good nitrogen additive ..
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Pekebun
 

I'm a Bokashi "fan" and do something similar to what Ida is doing. IF it is a big pot with 40% bokashi in the middle, I'll let it rest for 2-3 weeks before potting a large transplant like a 12" tomato plant in a 6gal pot. Anything smaller with less bokashi, I'll just give it 2-3 days for all to settle then start using it. So far they've all worked out great.
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Pekebun
 

My other way of using Bokashi ~ & it all began as an experiment. Over 2yrs ago I got a bin with a cover, drilled a few 1" holes in base & sides and buried the bin in the ground then used that as your bokashi bin, growing tomatoes & other edibles around it.
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Rob
 

Every year I take all the compost I have grown my vegetables, herbs etc in and mix them into the compost pile bit by bit with all the normal material used to make compost over a year. The wildlife inside the compost usually takes care of any issues. All the pots i have grown in are cleaned and sterilised to prevent spreading any problems. I have more than enough compost created to suppy the following year without waiting for the combination of old and new to be ready, I also have a forest floor style compost to create seeding compost for me. Eventually I will have more compost than I need , but by then I will scatter a portion of it over my lawn for winter( already throw a few handfuls every winter) and then let it the rain soak it in and feed the lawn ( which provides me with wildflowers for the pollinator and good grass for ... composting :)
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Kate
 

Useful info., thanks. I've a small veg. patch and I also grow stuff in containers, using mostly compost from my local skip, which the council gives away for free. I also have a compost bin, just the one, and I used to compost fruit and veg. peelings and so forth, with good results (eventually), but unfortunately after my cat, who used to patrol the garden, died, rats moved in to the bin, and in a small garden I really didn't want them. So reluctantly I stopped recycling the fruit & veg. and only composted garden waste like grass and hedge clippings. The rats moved on thank goodness. But I miss composting my kitchen waste. So, I will now try a bokashi bin (never heard of that before) as I think that could be a good solution for me - enabling me to recycle my fruit & veg waste while minimising the rodent risk. I also re-use old compost by the way, putting the stuff that's very root-bound into the compost bin, and splitting the looser stuff between pots. In very large containers I just take some of the top layer of old stuff out and top it up with fresh. I've grown marrows and potatoes successfully that way. Buying new compost is simply too expensive.
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alfie
 

i made a wooden slatted frame work 3 ft sq with a small gap in between each slat to breath started off with grass cuttings adding loads of apple chopped and vegi pealings i cant belive the results thosands of small red worms in bunches and when i add any cuttings the next day gone have i over done it or is this ok for use in my greenhouse
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Ellen
 

Another great article Mark and some informative comments too - thanks again. I dislike wasting compost and the price of commercial composts can really add up. I use an organic liquid seaweed tonic on my leaf crops and they thrive on it! Ellen
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Anneke
 

If possible, collect as many pine weevils (any life stage) and release them in your nearest Japanese knotweed stand. There these 'pests' can help control the knotweed. Won't on its own eradicate the knotweed ofcourse, but might help keep em in control
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Rod
 

The Europeans call them "night crawlers" they generally like the top 4" of organic soil and leave for new cooler damper areas at night. Some feed the hedgehogs, early or late blackbirds or even foxes. Some return to the wormery. Some just go down into cooler bedding - one reason some compost bins have holes in the base.If the womery is indoors an LED light can help deter them from walkabout. Hope that helps a bit.
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Rab
 

A comprehensive and very useful article, just what I needed. Many thanks.
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Sue
 

Brilliant! I am trying hard to grow vegetables for friends and neighbours and this year was moderately successful and hugely enjoyable. I want to improve and you have given me hope. Thank you.
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AndyMJ
 

This infor is invaluable.More by luck than judgement my cylindrical compost ben is alive with worms. The way I have worked it up to is to start this years compost bin off after emptying with some worm carrying compost form last year and then add green waste and than then a layer of manure horse and cow available,I also from time to time add old used shop brought compost to the mix.Seems to work but time will tell. After reading this article will try and add some perlite/rock dust as well. I notice that on TV. Monty Dom has flecks of white in his compost perhaps this is pearlite/rock dust?
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Jennifer
 

What can you do with used compost from potato bags? I had a good harvest of potatoes at my first attempt with bags but noticed a few potatoes had rotted away to just a soggy skin. I understand the advice is not to reuse it if there has been rot. But how do you throw away possibly contaminated compost? Or can you reuse it? I have a small garden without a corner where I can throw it and our green waste collection people specifically ask us not to include soil/compost. There is far too much to attempt to sterilise it in an oven.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Hi Jennifer, You definitely don't need to throw it away. You can either use it in the corner of the garden or re-use it for growing in next year. If you add some fertiliser it will be great for growing things like salad, courgettes and beans in containers. I'd recommend not growing potatoes on it again. BTW is it possible that the potatoes you found with rotted skins were the original seed potatoes? They often look like how you describe at the end of the season. Mark
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Amudha
 

We have just started using our first batch of homemade/recycled compost. We had a large amount of used compost. We put it in a large, open compost bin and added kitchen scraps to it throughout the year. We collected autumn leaves, shredded them with our lawnmower and added this to the compost bin. We turned it regularly. The compost is now dark and crumbly, with only a few large bits of old kitchen scraps, which I pick out before use. We have started to use it for this year's crops. We have also bought a second bin, and are adding kitchen scraps to that one. The hope is that this years crops will do well with the compost we started to refresh a year ago, and the compost we are refreshing now will feed next year's crops. Lets hope it works.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Excellent initiative, Amudha. The food scraps will add nutrients and the leaves will add wonderful microbial life. I hope your plan works well, do let us know how it goes!
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Barrie Griffiths
 

Hi Mark...the manure I use, is just the shop brought farmyard type 👍👍
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Thanks for sharing your recipe for re-using compost Barry - it's always great to hear another example of something that has been tried and tested in practise. Can I ask what sort of manure you use and where you are able to source it?
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Barrie Griffiths
 

Hi, i grow lots of veg in 50cm containers year after year very successfully. All we do is in spring time, is replace a third of the last years spent compost, with a mix of fresh compost and manure along with, 2 handfuls of both growmore and chicken manure, works a treat..
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Sarandha Tyagi
 

Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your tips to reuse the old compost, find it really useful . Sarandha
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Sara
 

Hi is it 2 handfulls of grow more per pot of old compost? Also I'm growing vegetable for the first time I have tomatoes in 35 cm pots no fruit yet how much growmore would I need to apply or do the tomatoes need another fertilizer? Thanks
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

Hi Sara, I haven't used Growmore so I'm not sure - and the amount will depend on the size of the pot. Have a look at the instructions on the side and try to work out roughly how much Growmore recommend - then make a note of how much you add and observe how the plant grows. If you have two pots you might, for example, try one handful in one and two in the other - and then compare results. There is an element of trial and error and experimentation with this type of growing. For your tomatoes, I'd also recommend getting a liquid tomato feed to feed them with.
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

you're most welcome, so glad they are helpful. There is more info in my book, The Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening.
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Nancy
 

I have a large open compost bin xone 9 Texas. Each winter I add all the neighbors leaves a few bags of cow manure a bale of peat moss 1 bag bone meal bag blood meal and a little lime. This is all turned weekly. Only 2 years doing this works great on all my veggies. I have 40 25 gallon grow bags. Replace 1/2 each season.
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Anne
 

Is the potato with the soggy skin not the actual seed potato(es) you planted?
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Mark Ridsdill Smith
 

I confess I'm not entirely sure what potato you are referring to, Anne, but it is common for the seed potato to remain as a soggy skin.
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