How do I prevent the thousands of weeds appearing in my home made compost when I use it for potting on

it is obvious that the compus is not geting hot enough to kill the weed seeds' what dose your compost consist of ?

I find that there are always weed seeds in my compost. I stopped using it as a mulch after a rockery area turned green within weeks of applying the compost. I now accept the weed seeds and make sure that I dig the compost into the soil. I usually dig shallow trenches for each row of veggie seed and lay some compost in the bottom before putting the soil back and sowing the seed.

that is good BA I do this with sods only I put them upside down a spade deep after a couple of months the worms say thank you and turn it in to lovly soil

Obviously if you don't put weeds in it helps but if you only want it for potting on, could you heat it up? I heard of someone doing it in a BBQ. I once used an old microwave. A better way maybe is to put it in metal trays raised on brick and lite a fire under it.

If you are using it in pots, then a mulch of gravel may be enought to discourage the seeds from germinating. But really the best way is not to put weed seeds (ie seeding weed plants) in the compost heap. Difficult. Or you could try microwaving small amounts, but let it cool down before using...and don't do it around dinnertime!

And I'd add that unless you're using a hot composting aerobic method (which you're obviously not, and most of us don't) your compost is not meant to be used in pots, it should be applied to open soil. And as everyone else has said, no weeds should be placed on your compost heap. Potting compost from the garden centre is sterile in terms of weed seeds and pathogens, and is therefore different from what you produce on your own compost heap.
If you want to start hot composting, which means you can add weed material, you need to build the heap in layers, with nitrogen rich materials about every six inches, in a heap that needs to be 3 feet square minimum, and the same high. The heap must be moist but not sodden, and the whole lot must be turned every 3-5 days and kept covered with something (old carpet, whatever) to keep the heat in, for up to 3 months, by which time it will be ready for use. Personally, I'm tired just writing about it - I'm off to the garden centre for some decent potting compost meself....;-)

I appoliogise for not reading the question fully. I did try using a portion of compost in a potting mix as I reconned that I could separated the weeds from the growing plants easily. It was a lot of work. I buy in seed sowing compost as it is steriled but for potting I make up my own of loam/grit and leafmould. It is not sterile but the weeds are manageable.

I don't know about you, Bulbaholic, but when I first started gardening, I was extremely confused about the term "compost" and didn't realise potting compost was different from garden compost. In the end I got myself a book to clear the matter up, think the author's name was Kitto, and it was a tiny book but it certainly clarified the situation.

Agreed, Bamboo.

can i just ammend your comment bamboo. I put loads of weeds on the compost heap but not their seed heads. a good 50% of my compost heap is weed leaves for most of the year.

Good point, Seaburn - that's what I used to do, use the green, not the heads

i have also been known to pull the nasty roots/nodules off plants such as dandelions and lesser celandine. how sad is that.

Ha ha! Well how sad is it that I cut buttons off old cardigans and keep them (never reused more than 3 in my life), and wash the plastic wrappings round the sausages to put it in the recycling...

Oh no....I recently started cutting buttons off old clothes! But back to compost, so glad you asked this question Stanella because this is a problem I have too. In fact after using my lovely homemade compost of which I was so proud, I had tomato plants growing everywhere in my garden. Alas, I'm not sure I can convince my husband that I need to microwave the compost, what with me already cutting the buttons off old clothes and suchlike......

Do you think it's cos we're all getting older !

We had a friend try to dry some spagnum moss in the kitchen microwave. Stank the house out for days!!!

Ha ha, bulbaholic - microwave's great for cooking fish, reheating stuff and defrosting - I'd steer clear of other dubious uses, myself.
And as for the buttons thing, it can't be getting old, I've always done it - I have the biggest button collection of anyone I know...

As the old saying goes "you've got all your buttons sewn on" Bamboo. Anyway regardless of how many buttons you've got, you're as old as you feel, lol.