What would 1 "part" leaves be to 1 "part" meal?

[loydbrawn]

Hello,I started a wormbin and am now also starting a compost pile. Il be using a 43 gallon compost tumbler to compost. I used an online c:n ratio calculator to help me figure out the correct ratio of stuff to use. I have some rabbit and alpaca manure so I want to compost that for the worms. I know they are 'cold' manures but I still want to compost to kill pathogens and all that bad stuff. I picked 3 parts alpaca manure,3 parts rabbit manure,1 part alfalfa,1 part wheat straw,1 part green leaves and 1 part dried leaves to give me a 25-30:1 c:n ratio. I have some finished horse manure and leaf compost already done composting that I will add to the bin to help get it started.

So my main question is how do I figure out what an equal "part" of alfalfa meal is to a "part" of fresh leaves? Should I go by weight or the space they take up? So each "part" could be a pound? 3 pounds of each manure and 1 pound of each of leaves,alfalfa meal and wheat straw? Or should I go by the bucket? 3 buckets of each manure,1 bucket each of leaves,alfalfa meal,and wheat straw? How do I figure out what a "part" is? Any info is appreciated,have a great day

 

[Marck]

When I help a friend with her hot compost she measures the brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) with rough estimations by volume. She does go back later with a thermometer to make sure the temperature is hot enough. If not she will make adjustments. She also buys alfalfa meal to use as highly charged green material, which surprised me. (I only compost free stuff...). I wonder if anybody does measure his or her compost material by weight. He or she would need to have a large scale. That classic 30:1 C/N ratio is by weight, but I can assure you that is not how my friend fills up her compost bin.

Personally I'm a 'lazy' cold composter, since I have the space for it. Actually, a good part of my garden waste ends up as mulch, either bed mulch or path mulch. I do put my hottest material (animal and high-carb plant kitchen waste) in my municipal green bin.

Yes, I lift up my cold compost pile now and then, to retrieve some of the best compost, but a lot of it stays in place enriching the nearby soil and giving the slender salamanders some habitat.

I haven't had a problem with pathogens, but then I rarely have any dangerously infested garden waste, and would likely green-bin it if I did. There are studies showing that time and ecology of a cold compost also eliminates many pathogens, albeit more slowly.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yes by mass (weight) and the easiest is a forkful of this and a forkful of that so you can feel it. Your hands will inform you close enough for that kinda stuff. Also you can water in between layers and make the pile start of fast. Since an area sort produces the same thing every year the journey to learning what works is short.