Compost piles

[vette-kid]

Thanks. Would a bag of black kow or similar be a good way to start off? I'm going to have plenty of clippings, but much less of other items to start off with.

I read that a good hot compost will get around 130-140 deg. So warm, but not rediculously so

 

[DirtMechanic]

I've had a compost pile for a LLLOOOONG time. I do not use any type of meat or dairy except egg shells. Everything else goes in, kitchen scraps like carrot tops and apple cores. And all healthy garden plants except tomatoes. I don't use cardboard because of the glue but many folks do..All composting is, is to cause materials to rot in a controlled way. The secret is moisture. Too little moisture is much better than too much moisture. When you add a few kitchen scraps place some of the compost/soil on top. I try to turn mine over but seldom do. Folks always mention heat. Greens make the heat but in reality heat isn't needed for the rotting process. How does Mother Nature heat up all of her dead vegetation. Sugars speed up the process. I mix a couple of ounces of molasses in a gallon of water. Sometimes I have stale beer or soft drinks that I add. Many folks complain of a foul odor. This comes from too much moisture causing it to go anerobic or they added meat, dairy, processed foods or cooked foods. People also ask about having an impermeable barrier on the bottom. You do not need this although it does make it easier to turn the pile over when your shovel doesn't dig into the ground. If you use green grass clippings scatter them onto the pile and mix them in. Don't just dump them into a pile. Dead leaves the same way. A solid pile of dead leaves takes much longer to rot than thin layers of leaves. It's really simple and very little work plus you end up with the best seed starting mix there is.

I have this thing about getting the whole pile to a pastuerization 140f temp. I have gotten the centers that hot, but the outer sides no. Then at some point even when flipping them around the totality of the pile is not pastuerized, only rotted. Thus when spread out for use, those pesky weed seeds show up.

 

[Chuck]

I have this thing about getting the whole pile to a pastuerization 140f temp. I have gotten the centers that hot, but the outer sides no. Then at some point even when flipping them around the totality of the pile is not pastuerized, only rotted. Thus when spread out for use, those pesky weed seeds show up.

It's, at least for me, almost impossible for the entire pile to reach 140. If one had enough green stuff to keep adding it wouldn't be so difficult. My piles are 4x8x4 and I keep the seeds down by a light raking. When the seed sprouts are about 2 inches high I cover them up with a rake. I always get a bunch of weeds in my garden but my hula hoe makes short work of them.

 

[SQWIB]

Thanks. Would a bag of black kow or similar be a good way to start off? I'm going to have plenty of clippings, but much less of other items to start off with.

I read that a good hot compost will get around 130-140 deg. So warm, but not rediculously so

I think that's a waste of Black Kow, but sure it will definitely work. A good combo of greens and browns with proper moisture will get you going. Don't forget to add some urea, does wonders for a compost heap.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I think that's a waste of Black Kow, but sure it will definitely work. A good combo of greens and browns with proper moisture will get you going. Don't forget to add some urea, does wonders for a compost heap.

Black Kow is pretty sterile because they can get the big piles really hot. Good starter is some handfuls of soil from around the pile. The common decomposition fungi starts first, and is everywhere in soil. Then come a series of other fungi and bacteria which in turn brings worms and insects if the pile is on the ground.

 

[vette-kid]

I'll use some of the used soil from containers as I switch it out. I just harvested sweet potato so I have about 20 gal of soil from that.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I'll use some of the used soil from containers as I switch it out. I just harvested sweet potato so I have about 20 gal of soil from that.

Just a few handfuls will have billions of spores. Spread it around.

 

[trail twister]

I could do a bunch of compost but most things like leaves I just pile in my old garden plot and till once the trees have pretty much stopped dropping.

No way will I ever have lawn clippings as I mow my grass tall and only take off about a third each time and chop those clippings up good to fal back in the lawn.

So what remains is house hold scraps and not to awful many of those either. Egg shells, tea bags, bananna peels, some veggie trimmed ends and bits and pieces of other things. This up cvoming week I will have culiflower leaves I trimmed off.

So an easy composter for me was a platform, 55 gallon steel drum that leaked so wasn't any goot to transport gasoline to our cabin in. Some (4) indrustral caster wheels, 3 hinges and a bolt latch.

Cut a door out add the hinges and bolt latch. Set on casters, fill with house scraps and close up the door. every so often spin the barrel. Since it takes me so long to get enough stuff to fill the barrel even half way i empty the goodies out about every 6 months. I try to do it in the early spring before I turn the raised beds and in the fall and use it to top dress the raised beds.

There are you tubes of simular set ups useing the plastic 55 gallon barrels with a couple different designs.

Al