This is the compost that comes out of one of those big tumbler style compost makers. We tumble for 3 weeks, even though you can use it in 2 weeks, it's a little lumpier then. After three weeks its a better consistency. Then we mix in Peat Moss. We call our creation Com-Peat.
This is the finished product. After adding Peat moss it makes about 1 yard.
The plants love it, and we end up watering less.
So what do you feed into the tumbler? We do not have any grass, just leaves and we found that it takes forever to produce a batch that way. We use it to mix our specialty soils for this and that. My compost is just a big pile.
That is amazingly fast! Yes, I am interested in what you put in too.
Oops....my bad....my DH just informed me that the pile in the pic took about 5 to 6 weeks. He says at 2 to 3 weeks it IS composted but is very coarse. He likes it finer, so does it longer.
For the green part (nitrogen) he uses grass clippings and coffee grounds we pick up at Starbucks.
For the brown part (carbon) he uses sawdust from a neighbor who has a woodshop.
All free stuff.
Our fruit and veggie scraps go to the deer we made friends with.
That's still pretty fast compared to mine!
We make it all the time and fill old mulch bags. At the beginning of spring it goes everywhere.
We've never had a compost pile....how long do they take?
It takes about two years to break down my compost pile but it is all leaves and it is too big to turn. If I had a source of grass clippings I would use our compost tumbler for something but mixing soils but we have none and I am not going to plant a lawn.
What do you use the compost for, mulching deer food? lol
We are actually talking about taking out part of the lawn so we could plant more flowers.
We have a lot of grass.
We grow a lot of our veggies too. And have fruit trees.
So do the deers eat you veggies? We live close to gated community and the state says there are more deer there per sq. mi. than any place in the state. We have a small nursery and the first thing people ask when they get here is, got any plants that are deer proof. For years people feed the deers and now they have tried to put a stop to it and so now they have thousands of deer that are eating everything.
That pic was taken on an especially busy day. Probably before the does ran off all the young males. There are normally only 5 to 6 for dinner.
We plant the front yard in plants the deer dislike, and fence in the back. They nibble on stuff all the time......but they're just being deer. Can't blame them for that.....we moved into their territory out here in hill country.
I'm curious as to why you add peat moss.
Peat Moss rocks in saving on water and acidifying the soil.......but here are some more reasons.
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Save Water.
Peat retains up to 20 times its weight in moisture, and releases water slowly as plants need it.
Aerate Heavy, Clay Soil.
Peat moss allows for proper root growth by loosening and aerating soils.
Bind Sandy Soil.
By adding body to sandy soil, peat helps it retain moisture and nutrients.
Reduce Leaching.
Peat moss reduces leaching of nutrients in or added to the soil, releasing them over time. This will save on fertilizer.
Protect Soil.
Peat moss protects soil from hardening and adds organic material.
Make Better Compost.
Peat moss speeds the composting process, reduces odours and controls air and water in the compost pile.
Peat moss decomposes slowly over several years compared to compost which typically decomposes within one year. It has a reliable pH (3.4 to 4.8); is environmentally friendly and free of insects, weeds, seeds, salts and chemicals, and represents good value (bale compression means you get approximately two bales in one!). It's the ideal growing medium for:
Vegetables and Flowers
Lawns and Lawn Repairs
Transplanting Trees and Shrubs
Composting
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I got that from a web site obviously, but we use it a lot. We make mounds of it and plant our Azaleas right in it. They love it.
I hope I don't sound like a sales rep for Peat Moss, but we have had to learn fast what works here in this alkaline Hill Country soil. Peat Moss works, so we use it.
Thanks! I was just curious as I've never heard of adding peat moss.
The beauty of Texas, and one of the many reasons I love this state, is that it has so many different environments. One size definitely does not fit all here. Peat moss may be good for alkaline soil, but it doesn't add anything to clay soil. If you want to aerate clay soil, add compost and the earthworms and beneficial nemotodes will do it for you. I imagine that's why you haven't heard of peat moss usage here, Stephanie? But one cannot argue that it is working great wonders in that Austin alkaline soil. I sure wish I could make compost like that!
Carla
You can. Just do it.
We make compost the slow easy way, it takes about a year and it works wonders on the soil and plants.
Josephine.
I have a ton of oak leaves to compost every year. To that I add daily coffee grounds and all our household veggie waste. Frankly, I've been shocked at how much veggie waste we have to add. Still, oak leaves are very slow, and mine can take 2-3 years to break down. So, to speed it up, I add other "hot" (green) supplements like molasses and liquid seaweed and alfalfa. Not only do they help heat up, and therefore speed up, the compost, but they are fertilizers, and they attract all the bennies like earthworms. So for me, composting IS fertilizing. I do it all in one shot.
I'm with Carla on the peat moss, at least here in North Texas. There may be a short-term benefit, such as acidifying the soil and water retention. But there are better ways to accomplish that goal. From experience, I can say that new beds filled with peat work great--for a year, maybe two. But in this type of clay, peat doesn't really mix and ultimately washes away, and it doesn't have anything to add in the meantime. Like Carla said, earthworms and other beneficial organisms will work better to break down the clay, allowing it to absorb amendments and create a true native loam.
We have found oak leaves to be the last thing to break down. Amazingly, when we do add kitchen scraps to the mix the fastest thing to break down is banana peels. They are gone instantly.
I think the thing the tumblers do is act like a pressure cooker.......just speeds up the process. The speed is what we were looking for. We had lots of yard and very crappy soil. We wanted veggies and flowers right away so we went with this tumbler. I raised an eyebrow when my DH wanted to buy it.....but it has been worth it. You turn a crank a few times a day, and voila.....black gold!
Well, it sounds like you have found a method that works great for you and that's a very good thing.
We have oak leaves to compost as well. DH uses the mulching mower on them then tosses them in the compost pile. This way, they're already in smaller pieces and break down quicker.
Morganc, do you keep adding to the tumbler after the compost is finished. Or do you fill it up and turn the contents without adding any?
Usually, he keeps adding to it because the contents will shrink and there will be more room for new stuff.
