Is there anything that shouldn't be living in my compost?

[swd12422]

I am in the desert SW. I have a compost tumbler, not an open pile. I am totally new at this and have no clue what I'm doing....

So a few months ago I posted here b/c I discovered roaches in my tumbler and was totally grossed out. I was reassured that roaches are fine, they help break things down. I've since done a lot of reading and know that flies are no good. Cool, I don't have flies.

Tonight I saw what looks like maggoty worms in there. I'm in the desert. We do not have earthworms (not a lot, anyway) like most places. It was NOT an earthworm. It was a beige color with pronounced sections.

I'm cringing at the idea of growing my food in maggots and roaches. Please, somebody, tell me what happens to all the bugs who are working so nicely in my tumbler now, once I sift my compost out. (OMG, is my screen going to be full of maggots and roaches when I dump my pile out and sift it???)

I am not cut out for this...

[kcstar]

Originally Posted by swd12422

Tonight I saw what looks like maggoty worms in there. I'm in the desert. We do not have earthworms (not a lot, anyway) like most places. It was NOT an earthworm. It was a beige color with pronounced sections.

I'm cringing at the idea of growing my food in maggots and roaches. Please, somebody, tell me what happens to all the bugs who are working so nicely in my tumbler now, once I sift my compost out. (OMG, is my screen going to be full of maggots and roaches when I dump my pile out and sift it???)

I am not cut out for this...

Are they black soldier fly maggots? Those are clean and also help break things down. Depending on who you read, some say it means the mix is off (too moist, I think). But in general, they break things down FAST. I've had them a few times in my trash can bin.

[swd12422]

I just did a little searching around and found some pics. Yes, I believe they are black soldier fly larvae. (I found an illustration of all three stages, and I thought I saw some puparia a week or two ago, so that would make sense...

Thank you! I'm glad they're considered beneficial. Now, about avoiding actually dealing with them when I sift my compost... Suggestions? Are they safe to just dump into the garden bed, or will they eat the plants?

[swd12422]

Originally Posted by kcstar

Are they black soldier fly maggots? Those are clean and also help break things down. Depending on who you read, some say it means the mix is off (too moist, I think). But in general, they break things down FAST. I've had them a few times in my trash can bin.

Yes, they are breaking things down so fast the bin is near empty! We don't have grass (although a neighbor does, and we can use their grass clippings sometimes), so all we put in are kitchen scraps. We have a small family (just DH, me, and our toddler) so it's hard to keep a good size pile in there. What can I put in for bulk to keep things going? I can't believe everything we've put in is either still whole (like corn cobs and a few random things that have been added in the past few days) or GONE. There is hardly any usable compost in there, and where a month or two ago the bin was half-full, it is now barely 1/4 full. Ideas?

[plantnerd]

The insects will kind of naturally dissipate once the compost is ready. After they've broken down the big stuff the bacteria and fungi will really get going and the compost will "cook" and get too hot for them anyway. A good active pile can reach 150 degrees or so in the center- too hot for the bugs.

As for the shrinkage, most of the water in the materials will get used up by composting organisms and that reduces it, as well as the fact that some of it goes into making bigger bugs and broken down stuff will settle together more.

For bulk you need dry leaves/sticks/brown paper shreds (anything brown and dry) to add carbon. IT will be hard to get good compost without a ration of at least 2:1 brown to green(includes kitchen scraps, green grass, weeds, etc.)

[swd12422]

Originally Posted by plantnerd

The insects will kind of naturally dissipate once the compost is ready. After they've broken down the big stuff the bacteria and fungi will really get going and the compost will "cook" and get too hot for them anyway. A good active pile can reach 150 degrees or so in the center- too hot for the bugs.

As for the shrinkage, most of the water in the materials will get used up by composting organisms and that reduces it, as well as the fact that some of it goes into making bigger bugs and broken down stuff will settle together more.

For bulk you need dry leaves/sticks/brown paper shreds (anything brown and dry) to add carbon. IT will be hard to get good compost without a ration of at least 2:1 brown to green(includes kitchen scraps, green grass, weeds, etc.)

Good to know, thanks. As for adding 2:1 brown to green, I had read that before but it didn't work for me. We are in a very dry climate, so even mostly green gets dry now and then. When I added a bunch of brown (shredded paper), it did NOTHING so I was hesitant to try it again. If the pile is dry enough that there is dust blowing after I turn it, that's too dry, right?

[plantnerd]

Way too dry. You will need to add water to moisten it, the organisms that make comppost need water to survive. If you are trying to conserve you could use grey water that is not soapy and just sprinkle it in with a watering can. Too much soap will kill your critters, so be careful with it. I imagine you could even use pee water from the toilet- the urea breaks down into ammonia/nitrogen...

Just think of it like an ant farm or something. To compost you are really just growing a huge community of critters that eat the waste and poop out compost. They will need care and feeding like any other creatures.

[swd12422]

That's what I thought. I had some breakdown early in the summer, but noticed when I turned it it was very dry/dusty, so I started sprinkling water in there and that's when all the critters showed up. Then it finally started raining, and everything got very wet. I think it's back to a "normal" amount of moisture, but there don't seem to be as many critters in there, and there's definitely a need for more bulk.

If I add browns to it, I'll also need to add water. Are you saying that's more effective than just sticking to mostly/all greens and not needing to water?

[kcstar]

Sorry to take so long getting back to this thread. There's also just three of us right now, and DS is a toddler. I started adding the cardboard tubes from paper towels and toilet paper rolls to my kitchen compost, to help with browns.

I have a separate bin for the grass & weeds, but I haven't been quite brave enough to mix the two yet. I have bermuda grass, so I've been told that even the heat of composting isn't enough to kill those seeds.

[swd12422]

Thanks, kcstar. I think I've got it rebalanced again. Hoping to see more critters in there again soon!