Making compost.

[tchuklobrau]

Well i spend to much on trash removal, going green in some ways. I want to make a compost pile/ barrel. I figure its a win win i get rid of my spent grains and food waste for free and my hops get food in return. Any one have experience here? other than making a spot for this is there anything special needed? I know i need a mix of stuff like lawn clippings, leaves, my grains, food waste, etc. what else is necessary?

 

[chezhed]

You have to turn it, mix it, maybe provide a little bacteria starter. Unless you leave it in a pile and then you still have to turn it at some point. It's much slower to compost that way. There are numerous rotating drums on the market that work well. We use a Mantis double drum that is elevated so you can just dump into a wheelbarrow underneath. It's next to the greenhouse so each daily visit there, and you give the thing a spin or two.

And the dogs love the drippings at least the one that eats ANYTHING.

 

[tchuklobrau]

yeah so my fat weinner dog will love it. good thin i planned on making it outside the fenceline. You mention bacteria, where can i get what is needed? Lowes? Now my mom had mentioned red worms once heard of that?

 

[chezhed]

I would think a good local hardware store, garden center or maybe Lowe's would have the starter. Some advocate a thermometer and monitoring temp as well. I never use either but Louisana heat needs no help. Our drum came with all that stuff but I've never used it. When I had a wood box frame pile that I had to turn with a pitchfork, I used some starter but since the drum, egg shells and heat, I don't worry about it and now with added warm spent grain.....f'get about it. You can make your own...google it

and yeah I bet the weiner dog will....had one that ate everything...now it's a corgi that follows me out there.

amazing how the ads at the top pick up on this....our Mantis Twin is there!

 

[Pilgarlic]

I've never used a starter. If you pay a nominal amount of attention to getting the basics: green/brown/air/moisture and you monitor temp, all the microbes you need to start and maintain the process are everywhere. Oh, and I use a pile, enclosed by a cheap wire fence. I only turn when the internal temp drops below 90 or so and I'm adding additional greens and browns. I get great compost, fast.

 

[Yooper]

Well, compost is even simpler than all that when it comes right down to it. Given enough time, all organic matter WILL break down. We live in a cool climate, so it probably takes longer to full break down, but we have a fenced in area, and everything goes in there. It's frozen most of the winter, but when it thaws, it can be turned. We don't monitor temperature or anything- just put everything organic in the compost pile and eventually compost comes out.

We never use meat, or stuff like that, of course. Just vegetable scraps, eggshells, lawn wastes, spent grains, etc.

 

[tchuklobrau]

I heard elsehwere no meat why is that? odor? pests?

 

[Yooper]

I heard elsehwere no meat why is that? odor? pests?

Yes, it attracts skunks and the like.

 

[B-Hoppy]

I'm with yooper. All the invisible critters we need are all around us, we just have to create an environment to let them do their thing - just like a sour dough starter. Carbon/nitrogen ratio should be about 3:1. Carbon=brown. Corn stalks, straw, fallen leaves. Nitrogen=green. GRASS CLIPPINGS, lettuce, grass clippings, (basically any thing that turns 'slimy' after setting for a while). Pumpkins, although they aren't green are a great find at the curb after halloween along with bales of straw. Gotta love it, folks go out and fork over a bunch of $$ for decorations, then a week later I get to collect it so it doesn't end up in a landfill. These same folks go out every spring and BUY compost for their gardens????? I guess it's all what you're into. No thermometer but turning the pile frequently helps, also allows you to get EXERCISE which is good for you. This will reveal whether it's too hot or not - it takes time to figure it out. Too much moisture may cause the pile to go anaerobic (think aroma of roadkill), not good. Open the pile up to get some air and dry out a little. Sorry, I love compost.

 

[wrench]

Another reason for no meat is that rotting meat attracts bad microbes that you don't want in your compost. If you're only going to be producing small amounts of compost, I would recommend some sort of barrel tumbler. Mine looks something like this one I found on a quick Google search:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greengardenvienna/3827991429/
I got two barrels off Craigslist cheap. I only drilled holes in the top and bottom of mine, not the sides. I might try more holes for more aeration in those weeks when I forget to turn them - just means faster drying out, too. I had the shop class for a local Voc Tech school weld up a frame from angle iron and a sketch I provided. They did a great job and made two of them - painted and everything. They also reinforced the spots where the axle runs through with aluminum plates riveted to the barrel sides. Mine are black and face south in the winter to absorb heat. In the summer, I need to move them to the shade or the red worms die off. To empty, I tip it and kick a cinder block under the back to hold it at the perfect angle for dumping into a garden cart.

 

[Homercidal]

Reminds me to finish that barrel tumbler I started (too many to mention) years ago...

We started recycling anything the local drop off place would take (once we got the combination to the door and could go on our convenient time), and it's had a very noticeable impact on the amount of trash we send to the landfill. I wasn't expecting that much, but everyone in the house separates cardboard, rinses cans and bottles, and peels the labels off.

I haven't yet started composting for real (got a small pile in the backyard that I haven't done anything with for years) I doubt I could teach the kids to know what to put in there and what not. The barrel composter is basically just for leaves and grass clippings.

 

[40watt]

My compost heaps been way too slow to start. Without some type of manure, it just won't get going. I moisten, turn, and dampen on the weekends. I really wish I had some chicken crap.

 

[sasky7777]

Everyone else mentioned the fundamentals. Aeration C to N ratio, etc. Here is an in depth discussion if you are interested. http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/index.htm
FWIW I prefer the drums for ease of use and less work.

 

[rustbucket]

altho, i have read that seafood such as the shells of lobster and shrimp and even fish heads can be very beneficial to your compost, those add a ton of nitrogen to the soil... just like how you would bury a fish head under your tomato plants

 

[foyboy]

And, if you really want to do your garden good you make a bucket of compost tea.1/2 bucket of DONE compost ,,,about 3 1/2 gallons of water (no clorine),tablespoon or 2 of molassas,(no sulpur?) and a few airstones and let it brew for 2 days and strain out crap and water ON your plants.You can see them jump! The most unbelievable thing I have ever found for plants. A little goes a long way.

 

[Pilgarlic]

As to the compost tea, if you're interested, take a look at the book "Teaming with Microbes". Upon having read it I immediately brewed and used compost tea, but, even if you don't it's a fascinating read and a revelation of the abundance and interconnectedness of the organisms in the soil food web, nearly all of which are sacrificed by the use of most chemicals.

 

[wrench]

Compost tea can be even easier to make. Take two retired fermenting buckets and drill a bunch of small holes in the bottom of one. Fill this one with mature compost and put it in the other bucket. (If you've see a Zapap lauter tun, this should look familiar) Add water and let it sit a few days. Lift the bucket out and let it drain a bit. What's left in the bottom bucket will be plant-Gatorade. It's also great to put in a garden sprayer to help fend off certain diseases like some mildews.

I've never heard of adding molasses - what benefit does that provide?

 

[Pilgarlic]

The populations of microorganisms in the tea are what give it its effectiveness. You then use it to reintroduce the organisms to foliage and soil. Aeration yields a much, much greater population growth, and molasses serves as a nutrient to the growing populations of microorganisms in the tea.

 

[ChshreCat]

For a starter, I just used a shovel full of dirt. That should have everything you need.

Also... I had one bin going and needed a second one and came across a great idea. I just went down and bought a large, black plastic trash can with a snap on lid. Drilled holes in the can all up and down the sides and bottom. A couple bungee cords make sure the lid stays on during the turning process. That's the best part... the turning process. Since the can is tall and round you just kick it over on it's side, roll it back and forth a couple times and stand it back up. Compost is turned.

 

[glenn514]

Somewhere, I read that if the compost has LOTSA grass clippings in it, it is beneficial to ADD nitrogen to the mix by throwing in a few handfuls of 10-10-10 or something similar. Apparently, the decomposition of grass clippings actually uses up nitrogen in the mixture.

I have had a sealable plastic "bucket" on my kitchen counter for almost twenty years. The kids learn pretty quickly that apple cores, banana peels and the like go in the compost bucket. When it's full, I simply walk out to the compost bin and dump the bucket.

glenn514

 

[Homercidal]

One fall the kids "helped" by loading a lot of pears into a black plastic bag and left it by the tree. It was too heavy to pick up without tearing the bag so I left it for them to take care of. They never did.

Fast forward to the next summer and I decided I better take care of it. The bag was extremely brittle by then, but after peeling away the top portion, I found a load of black, sweet-smelling loam inside. The pears had composted themselves!

And that's the end of the story.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Homer, we're hobbyists. Whether it's homebrewing or composting, there IS NO END OF THE STORY. Chuckling...

 

[ChshreCat]

Somewhere, I read that if the compost has LOTSA grass clippings in it, it is beneficial to ADD nitrogen to the mix by throwing in a few handfuls of 10-10-10 or something similar. Apparently, the decomposition of grass clippings actually uses up nitrogen in the mixture.

If you want to add nitrogen to your compost, there's a much easier way. I've done it many times. Especially if I've had a few beers and the kid's tying up the bathroom.

Works quite well!

 

[tchuklobrau]

Almost funny my pennysaver came to my door last night, lo and behold there is an article in it about composting. called 47 things you would never consider as compost. so I thought id list a few and see if it helps any one. Pet hair, paper napkins, lint, pine needles, matches, chicken manure, old herbs, sawdust, weeds, hair clippings, tea bags, stale bread, leather, pea vines, old beer(I personally never have any ) wool socks, dust bunnies, nut shells, toast, and many more.

 

[Pilgarlic]

I successfully compost paper, pine needles and sawdust. Like so many things, you'll find much conflicting information. I've yet, though, to see anyone say you shouldn't pee on the compost.

 

[glenn514]

And fireplace ashes! Shredded newspapers...especially those using soy-based inks...are very biodegradeable. My Dad died when I was 16...I am now coming up on 65...and he never, ever, NEVER "threw out" a blade of grass or a dried up leaf. In all my adult years, neither have I. I like coffee...and coffee grounds are a wonderful addition to compost! And when we had dogs, since I knew they were 100% healthy, the dog poop went into the compost bin, too! It always amazes me on trash collection days in the summer, how many homes "throw out" perfectly good organic waste like grass clippings, yet they go to the greenhouse and spend money on "fertilizer." Doesn't make much sense.

glenn514

 

[rniles]

Pine needles are good if you're composting for rhododendrons, azaleas, blueberries or any plant that likes more acidic soils.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

4 old pallets make a nice (free) bin for your heap. Don't buy anything, with maybe the exception of a good manure fork. Don't worry about "starters" or green to brown mix. Just dump your compostable trash in it. Mix it now and then, once a week will make it go faster, but it will do it's thing even if you never mix it. If it smells bad add a 1/2 inch of soil. Peeing on it helps, but isn't necessary. If you add a lot of leaves at once it would be good to mix them in. It's also a good idea to have two bins (they can share a wall). This way you can fill one, then use the other wile the first finishes.
It will go faster if it's in direct sun, as heat helps it, but also, not necessary. Placement is more important for convenience, after all, if it's a PITA you're less likely to use it.
Most important; your making a pile of trash, that shouldn't cost any money, or be much work.