Composting

[jellyfish10]

Just curious if anyone else on HROT practices this. I was doing some reading and I am wondering if my pile is getting too much air thus retarding the decaying process. I know leaves are a good ingredient to increase heat. This is my first full cycle of composting and I'm curious as to how it will turn out. I stirred it yesterday but everything is essentially frozen. We should be on a warming pattern starting Friday and hope that will jumpstart the breakdown of my pile.

 

[naturalmwa]

I started then gave up, I'm too lazy. What I do now is sometimes called "lasagna composting". I just layer all my yard waste evenly over my veggie garden plot. When I plant in the spring, I clear just a spot/row down to the soil and leave all the waste to act as mulch. In the fall it all gets a new layer. No turning, no transporting around the yard, very little effort.

 

[hexumhawk]

Our city has a composting program that we do.

They provide a garbage style bin and liners and we just fill it up and they take it away. Cuts down big time on our garbage usage amount but the downside is we don't get the benefits of the compost itself.

 

[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by naturalmwa:
I started then gave up, I'm too lazy.  What I do now is sometimes called "lasagna composting".  I just layer all my yard waste evenly over my veggie garden plot.  When I plant in the spring, I clear just a spot/row down to the soil and leave all the waste to act as mulch.  In the fall it all gets a new layer.  No turning, no transporting around the yard, very little effort.   

Very interesting. I am aware of that process but had never heard it called that before. I actually really enjoy it. I enjoy seeing how much material we keep out of the landfill by recycling and composting. For a family of four, our garbage can (smaller offered size) is rarely over half full. My compost is made up mostly of fruit and veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. As the snow melts I will add leaves. I am looking forward to see what kind of soil I can create.
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[Wendy79]

Do you have worms (particularly the red wriggler)? They're really good for getting things going.

There's a guy at NewPi who can probably give you some worms, or get in touch with your local ISU extension office.

 

[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by Wendy79:
Do you have worms (particularly the red wriggler)? They're really good for getting things going.

There's a guy at NewPi who can probably give you some worms, or get in touch with your local ISU extension office.

Thanks for the info.
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[jellyfish10]

I figured that the worms would come with decay. Not true?
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[LuteHawk]

The Martha Stewart School of Composting says,
"If your piles cannot take the heat, then your probably
have an air flow problem."

 

[Wendy79]

You can get some, but you'll have better results if you introduce them.

 

[SEMnHawkifan]

Your leaves aren't gonna add much heat to your pile, they are closer to the carbon element needed. You need an equal mix or slightly higher nitrogen content. My pile's nitrogen comes from our chicken manure. If you are using the heat method to break down your compost, you don't use worms. The intense heat will kill them or drive them out of the pile and all worms aren't created equal when it comes to composting.

 

[sultanofsuede]

good to see this topic (i was thinking about starting a compost thread).

was wondering about how you get one started without it being some kind of eyesore in your back yard. do you have to buy one of those rotating compost barrels? any other options? do you want it far from the house (smell?)? do neighbors have a problem with them?

 

[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by sultanofsuede:
good to see this topic (i was thinking about starting a compost thread).

was wondering about how you get one started without it being some kind of eyesore in your back yard.  do you have to buy one of those rotating compost barrels?  any other options?  do you want it far from the house (smell?)?  do neighbors have a problem with them?

Thank you for the information from the previous poster. Any suggestions on good sources of nitrogen?

My compost bin looks like a big plastic doghouse. It is at our shop out in the country, but I don't notice much of an odor.
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[claykenny]

Originally posted by jellyfish10:

Originally posted by sultanofsuede:
good to see this topic (i was thinking about starting a compost thread).

was wondering about how you get one started without it being some kind of eyesore in your back yard. Â do you have to buy one of those rotating compost barrels? Â any other options? Â do you want it far from the house (smell?)? Â do neighbors have a problem with them?

Thank you for the information from the previous poster. Any suggestions on good sources of nitrogen?

My compost bin looks like a big plastic doghouse. It is at our shop out in the country, but I don't notice much of an odor.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

Vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, and fresh grass clippings are nitrogen sources. Dried leaves, dried grass clippings, straw, and hay are carbon sources. Essentially anything that's green and fresh is a nitrogen source and anything brown and dead is a carbon source.

Generally compost shouldn't have a foul odor. It should smell earthy.

 

[unIowa]

Originally posted by naturalmwa:
I started then gave up, I'm too lazy. What I do now is sometimes called "lasagna composting". I just layer all my yard waste evenly over my veggie garden plot. When I plant in the spring, I clear just a spot/row down to the soil and leave all the waste to act as mulch. In the fall it all gets a new layer. No turning, no transporting around the yard, very little effort.

How do you keep you soil PH in line doing this?

 

[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by claykenny:

Originally posted by jellyfish10:

Originally posted by sultanofsuede:
good to see this topic (i was thinking about starting a compost thread).

was wondering about how you get one started without it being some kind of eyesore in your back yard.  do you have to buy one of those rotating compost barrels?  any other options?  do you want it far from the house (smell?)?  do neighbors have a problem with them?

Thank you for the information from the previous poster. Any suggestions on good sources of nitrogen?

My compost bin looks like a big plastic doghouse. It is at our shop out in the country, but I don't notice much of an odor.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

Vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, and fresh grass clippings are nitrogen sources. Dried leaves, dried grass clippings, straw, and hay are carbon sources. Essentially anything that's green and fresh is a nitrogen source and anything brown and dead is a carbon source.

Generally compost shouldn't have a foul odor. It should smell earthy.

I appreciate the feedback. Right now, my compost is orange peels, Apple cores, banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, strawberry tops, cauliflower stems, carrot peels, potato peels, pepper scraps, pumpkins, corn husks, and so on. Is there anything to avoid?
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[naturalmwa]

Originally posted by unIowa:

Originally posted by naturalmwa:
I started then gave up, I'm too lazy. What I do now is sometimes called "lasagna composting". I just layer all my yard waste evenly over my veggie garden plot. When I plant in the spring, I clear just a spot/row down to the soil and leave all the waste to act as mulch. In the fall it all gets a new layer. No turning, no transporting around the yard, very little effort.

How do you keep you soil PH in line doing this?

I don't know that I do, I don't pay any attention to PH except when it comes to my Hydrangeas which I dump acid on to turn them blue. The tomatoes and summer squash seems to grow fine however.

 

[SEMnHawkifan]

PH in compost is usually pretty neutral but can very due to what's being put into it. Most leaves are neutral to alkaline but oak leaves are very acidic as well as pine needles. I've never used it, but there's actually compost booster sold in garden centers that I think leans towards more nitrogen which gives it the boost to get your pile cooking. Everything can be composted but avoid meats simply because of the animals they attract and it takes a long time to breakdown. Also, the smaller the pieces that are going into the pile, the quicker it heats and breaks down. Your grass clippings have to be picked up right after cutting for a nitrogen source, otherwise after a day or two, they are then your carbon.

 

[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by SEMnHawkifan:
PH in compost is usually pretty neutral but can very due to what's being put into it. Most leaves are neutral to alkaline but oak leaves are very acidic as well as pine needles. I've never used it, but there's actually compost booster sold in garden centers that I think leans towards more nitrogen which gives it the boost to get your pile cooking. Everything can be composted but avoid meats simply because of the animals they attract and it takes a long time to breakdown. Also, the smaller the pieces that are going into the pile, the quicker it heats and breaks down. Your grass clippings have to be picked up right after cutting for a nitrogen source, otherwise after a day or two, they are then your carbon.

Great information. Thank you.
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[jthawk]

I just print HROT threads once a week, crumble the pages, and throw them into my garden. It has never looked better
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[jellyfish10]

Originally posted by jthawk:
I just print HROT threads once a week, crumble the pages, and throw them into my garden. It has never looked better
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What you did there...
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[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

Been curious, how did this work out?

 

[funksouljon]

I do. Any time I cook all the veggie waste goes into a can that gets emptied several times a week. Plus coffee and eggs. Almost everything goes in and then I just ensure it is moist and turn it, chop it up with my shovel. I have 2 boxes I made of lumber, adjustable height that stack on themselves as I fill. rotate and every couple of years take the older one and blend it into the garden soil when I plant. No smell, never mess with measuring ph etc. I do water it sometimes to make sure it doesn't dry out. otherwise, just leave it alone.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

Fresh grass clippings will get your compost heating up, that’s why you can’t put up hay when it’s too green or wet. It could burst ito flames.

Keep it moist and turn it over occasionally and keep adding diverse ingredients and you’ll have solid gold compost before you know it. Red wrigglers will help starting out but good compost piles draw in the native worms pretty easily.