Can you buy a garden composter in Doha?
By fresh start •
I know it may seem a daft question, but I would really like to make use of kitchen waste and make some compost, just like I used to do back in the UK. I am lucky enough to have a small patch of garden here in Doha, and it would really help the soil/sand to get some compost on it.
So does anyone know if it's poss to buy a compost bin in DOha or do we have to order it from overseas??
Many thanks
Hello- definitely composting is possible in Qatar. A company called Turba Peat now owned by another company, has been now doing composting on a big scale in Shahineeya (at Al Nakheel), and on the biggest scale in the world in Al Messaied. To get over the high summer temperatures dig into the ground, and shade the compost heap with trees or a pergola, surround with bushes, and keep it moderately damp. Both plastic and metal containers need to be kept in the shade as these will magnify the heat of the sun. Also I think to reduce the heat, decrease the proportion of nitrogen rich fresh materials (the fire of the compost heap) and increase the carbon rich dry materials (the fuel). Add soil organisms that you find in nutrient rich flower or vegetable beds such as worms, earwigs, cockroaches, and woodlice (all spotted here in Doha). The ants are usually present everywhere! If you can't find these, Qatar University nursery has a compost heap with these organisms and it is working very well. The compost heap keeps sinking as it gets broken down by the organisms and new material can be continually added!
As for ready made plastic composters, try Rehab street shops and nurseries (road between the Selwa Road and Haloul Street, not far from Doha British School) or look online.
Happy composting!
I'll see if I can find someone to answer that question. There is a gardening club in Doha - I'll make contact with them and see if anyone can answer this
Thanks Jackmohan for the DIY tips!
Will let you know of progress
This is obviously NOT me, I don't smoke..
I have heard that it gets too hot here to compost. I was a composting fan in Australia and the U.S. and checked into doing it here. Apparently the piles/bins would get so hot here that it would kill off the the composting process. As I recall, the temperature of the interior of the composting pile shouldn't get more than 140F (ish), but it would get much much hotter than that here just from the ambient heat. It's worth verifying this info, of course, but having composted before it does make sense to me. Good luck though - and let me know if it does work!
Jack has said it all - its just going to be bit harder here keeping it wet as its more dryer then the UK where your trying to do the opposite and keep the compost from getting too wet!
Make a bin at home...I dont think you will be able to find any compost bin here in doha!!
Punch/drill/(or by heat using hot screwdriver) holes in a Plastic garbage can (available in carrefour). The microbes that actually do the composting need oxygen to do their work.
Chop plant debris into small pieces and place them inside the garbage can. Ideally, you should use 50 percent green material and 50 percent dry, but you can use shredded newspaper for the dry material if necessary. You don't need to fill the can all at one time - just put in the plant material you have on hand.
Spray water over the chopped plant material inside the can, until the material is damp but not soggy.
Put the lid on the can.
Mix the plant material inside.
Add more plant material at any time.
Keep the compost about as moist as a wrung-out sponge by spraying it with water when the plant material begins to feel dry.
Harvest your compost after one month.....wonder if rodents will be attracted to the can and make hole for themselves...if so use a metal can...
.......there is also a receipe that can be used with sprinklers made of milk, banana, ghee, jaggery etc...if you are