Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all!

My first post. I am a rookie so I’m unsure if this is a daft question! I have just purchased a veg trug as my gardening space is mostly containers as my children are still using most of the garden space!

I bought some burst bags of compost cheaply at my local plant nursery and thought this would be excellent to fill my trug with as well as a few pots. I have now noticed the compost is crawling with ants! I don’t know if this is a problem? I really don’t want to waste the compost! I’ve mixed in some coffee grounds to one of the bags but otherwise left it all as is.

Many thanks

Welcome!
Ants arnt necessarily a problem like slugs - for example they don't eat your crops but if you're worried about them I find one of those Ant Bait Station discs available from hardware counters in supermarkets will generally kill them off within 24 hours. Just keep them covered if using outdoors in case it rains.

Welcome to the forum amydon!

It is definitely not a daft question as the ants are out big time this year. There are lots of options, disturbing them regularly will encourage them to move on, as will watering the nests regularly & if lucky you will see them vacating the nest with carry eggs. Issue with these is they will just relocate, but as you have children eradication might be a better option. Even is not the biting ones, they are extremely uncomfortable when they crawl up your jeans leg or into your shoes.

The compost is fine to use & if you choose the disturb route then just empty it out on a tarp, so the whole colony is exposed.