compost 101 - Page 13

[cera]

:

[Mulvah]

Edited. I succumbed.

[Quirky]

Mulvah, it's not too late! You can pick up a bale or two of straw, which is actually much better than grass for composting because grass tends to mat. Or if you have leaves you can use those too although they do still tend to mat somewhat. It's actually great to have a large volume composter because it will go much more quickly. If you have any kind of ag coop around you, like an Agway, give them a call. Or look on Craig's List.

[notwonamesalike]

I've decided I have a composting addiction.

I have:

1 large chicken wire compost bin.
1 large ceder vermicompost bing
1 large tumbling composter
1 nature mill electric composter

LOLOLOL

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by notwonamesalike

I've decided I have a composting addiction.

I have:

1 large chicken wire compost bin.
1 large ceder vermicompost bing
1 large tumbling composter
1 nature mill electric composter

LOLOLOL

Which one is your favorite? I'm still trying to decide what type I want to build.

[notwonamesalike]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Which one is your favorite? I'm still trying to decide what type I want to build.

They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Worm bin: Pros - GREAT compost - nutrient rich, kid loves it because worms are fun. Easy to maintain. Cons - we generate a lot of compost - so it doesn't handle it all. Can't add yard debris on top of our kitchen scraps because it's for small scale composting. Separating worms from castings is involved.

Tumbling Composter: Pros: Fast, Easy to turn. Great for our grass clippings when we've let the lawn get to long to just fall during mowing. Cons: Small batch composting. Can't continually add stuff or it never finishes.

Electric: Pros: Fast! 2 weeks. Cons: Noisy enough that we keep it in the garage. Smelly. It's hard to figure out the brown to green ratio (only smelly when you open it though - and not a big deal when out in the garage.)

Wire compost pile. Pro's - by far the easiest. I just toss stuff in and leave it. Haven't taken a batch out yet. We were sort of thinking it would be a great holding "tank" for our compost material while we were waiting for a batch to finish in the rotating composter. No smell yet. Cons: Noticed lots more critters (bugs really) in this composter. No biggie.

My favorite though is probably the worm bin. I just love the compost that comes out of it.

[notwonamesalike]

double post...sorry.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by notwonamesalike

Tumbling Composter: Pros: Fast, Easy to turn. Great for our grass clippings when we've let the lawn get to long to just fall during mowing. Cons: Small batch composting. Can't continually add stuff or it never finishes.

Aah- that's kind of what I was thinking might happen. I asked about that earlier in the thread, but no one answered. I like your idea of using the pile as a holding site until you can put more in the tumbler though. Thanks!!

[taraht]

Hi Composters!

My master gardener friend helped me with my first garden this year here in Michigan. I made a compost pile in the field behind my house and composted EVERYTHING because I didn't care if animals helped lower the pile. We never used it on the garden, though... it was just for reducing waste/smells.

Now, I am moving to South Carolina (never to harvest my asparagus or strawberries ). I am realizing that I depended on my friend too much and now have no idea how to garden. I Googled "south carolina organic gardening consultant" and various derivatives there of but no help. Anyone have a website to get me started?

I saw a solar heated composting system online that claimed you could add meats/bones and such. I am looking for the simplest system for trash/smell reduction. Must it be meat free to be used as garden enhancement?

Thanks!
Tarah

[ckmotorka]

Full But Not Cooked?

I've been composting for over a year using converted 20 gal garbage cans with the bottoms cut out and air holes drilled all around them, etc. Slow and inefficient are understatements. I just built a rotating composting bin using a 30 gal barrel and added all the stuff from my "current" can. My bin is almost full. I add stuff nearly every day. The bin will be full long before the compost is fully "cooked." Here's my question: What do I do while I wait for the compost in my tumbler to cure? Short of having multiple bins, what's the answer?

[root*children]

ck - I would add some really hot stuff - like fresh manure of fresh grass clippings, these will heat up very quickly and speed up composting. Other than that, yes I would either add a second composter or have a bigger bin

[ckmotorka]

Thanks!

Thanks for the reply. I had a feeling that was the answer. I guess I'll keep my old (completely inefficient) can in place as a "staging" bin while the tumbler cures.