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City Compost Pests
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Posted by marathonwoman (My Page) on Thu, Nov 19, 09 at 23:13
| Looking at a property in Mexico with a few "garden areas" and the potential for a rooftop garden. My concern is cockroaches. If I am using a composter am I going to be attracting las cucarachas... What about using compost on the rooftop garden beds. Are disgusting bugs going to be running around on my roof and getting into my house??? Anyone have any experience of gardening in an urban area in Mexico? I love the courtyard gardens, but don't want to contend with yucchy bugs. |
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RE: City Compost Pests
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| I see your post has been here for a couple of days without a response. Probably because some of us are stumped. There is no doubt that bugs will present themselves in any garden environment. In regards to composts, even here in Nova Scotia, during the summer I will find the odd cockroach running away from my 'turnings' of the compost. They love a nice moist warm environment. The first time I saw one, I was quite surprised but have come to accept them as part of what I do. My piles are about 50 feet from the house. On occasion I find them in the sump pit room in the basement entertaining the cat, but as long as they don't make it upstairs or grow into a large population, they don't present a problem for me. If you are going to compost/garden, you are going to have to contend with what you deem to be yucky bugs at one point in time. These two simply come together. You either turn the queasiness of bugs from yucky to 'interesting' as I did and all will be well, or move on to something else. |
RE: City Compost Pests
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| Sadly, while I might be able to reconcile myself to dealing with the yucky bugs, my DH is inclined to climb on chairs and scream when confronted with a large cockroach. I believe I read something about an organic pesticide made from some sort of seaweed that works and doesn't harm plants. I'll do a bit more research and maybe I'll have to try it. |
RE: City Compost Pests
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| I rather doubt having a compost pile will result in much of anything entering your home that wouldn't have done so otherwise. Bugs interested in your home will enter your home, bugs interested in the gardens/compost will go there. Certainly I can't say you will never have an unwanted bug in your home, but I am quite doubtful having a rooftop garden or a compost pile/tumbler is going to make much difference. |
RE: City Compost Pests
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| Using finished compost is unlikely to attract any more bugs than any other soil. Making compost, on the other hand, has the potential to attract critters. That attraction can be minimized by not using food scraps in the process, proper screening and containment, frequent mixing, and heavy use of browns for cover. |
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