I need to compost! I have a paper-thin disc in my back, and all the rest of gardening is more than enough to keep that painful, so I figured one of the rolling, batch-type composters would be a good thing -- if they work! I'd rather have a constant, steady supply (as I have a constant, steady supply of waste, of course) but a batch a month would be better than nothing. Any thoughts, suggestions, would be very welcome. I'm afraid doing it the old way (pitchfork/stirring) would do me in.
I'd also not like to do my wallet in, of course. :p
input, please, on composting
I also, can't do the pitchfork thing, so my compost pile turned into a brushpile--which I think is now a possum condiminium. I have sheet composted for the last 4 years which means real heavy mulch (mix of pine needles, leaves, hardwood from bags, grass clippings)...I have really good soil in all of the parts of my garden that are older than 5 years--although one area is still drier than all the rest.
I really believe in organically growing and composting is the way to go. Josephine has a good link to her website--I'm sure she'll pitch in here soon!
Debbie
So, you have a condopossuminium! Cool. I've composted before and made fabulous soil, but that was back when my back could take it. Sheet composting is probably a good idea; it just galls me to think of spending $200 on a plastic barrel, you know? And I could dig little 12 - 18 inch holes here and there for the kitchen waste, I guess. I've read some about trench composting, too, and that sounds good come spring. I really want to do it right and organically. But I'm cheap, too.
I mean, I'll gladly spend the money if it's worth it, but it's a little like marriage, isn't it? You don't know for sure until it's too late.
This message was edited Jun 16, 2006 12:53 PM
You could also look into vermicomposting, if you're not repelled by the idea of earthworms. Can be done inside or outside (or a seasonal combination).
Far from repelled -- earthworms are great. I'll look into that. Thanks, Linda!
You could do it the way we handle it, by the cold method , chek it out.
http://www.texasstar.org/index.php?pg=composting
Josephine.
Thanks, frostweed -- I'm printing it out now. I also got instructions for "cheap & easy worm bin" at whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost and ordered worms from worm man's worm farm. There's no reason this can't be done without spending a small fortune. My garden next summer should be amazing.
Thanks, all! And have a good weekend -- I'm signing out until Monday.
Ann
brigid, I do like Josephine, cold composting. Tried the hot composting but way too strenous, even w/o back problems. Only thing is, it took 2 years before 1st batch was usable as compost. however, I've been working on this a few years now, so each year I will have a good amount available, now that I have a system going.
Hubby absolutely refuses to pay $200 for those barrels you mention. Heck, he refuses to pay $2 for bone meal, which is recommended as as accelerator. His argument: "I am not spending one cent on waste. Let waste work for me."
Good for you Nery, love doing it that way, we harvested one of our bins one month ago and got 17 bags full at twenty pounds each, and we have one ready every year, now that we have the system going. It is just great.
We also have a large bin, where we keep our mulch, so we can use it as needed.
Josephine.
I have both a small turning bin (plastic) that sits right off the ground on a short stand that holds compost tea, run-off from the bin, and a big bin that sets on a stand. Unless you put everything in at once and are religious about turning them, they don't cook. The small bin I've never got to cook; maybe it's too small, or I'm not good at it. The big bin, one time I had enough of everything to put in at once, and it cooked and cooked and I turned and turned. I got compost off that batch in about 3 or 4 weeks. I liked my compost bins made of pallets, but my husband hated them because they attracted roaches. So off they went. My husband bought me the small bin as a surprise, or probably because I had to get rid of my pallet bins. The big one I bought from a contractor for $100. I do get compost from both. Generally I get 2 or 3 batches from the big one, and the same from the small one, in a year. I miss my pallet bins.
I know this sounds crazy, but I just buy compost by the bag. It's pretty cheap, no back breaking turning or waiting. The thing about the tumbler is that everytime you add some green stuff, you have to set back the timer.
brigidlily, that's a great link. We have an old unused deep freeze in an old unused barn that would be perfect. My only concern is that we would get too lazy to bring our food scraps and newspapers up to the pasture. Maybe mobile bins closer to the house would be better. I've wanted to do the worm thing for a long time and this was the nudge I needed, thanks!
Ooowee, welcome to DG fly_girl! It's so exciting to see another member close by (ceejaytown is in The Woordlands, also.)
I have one of those ComposTumblers (the smallest size), and they even tell you that it won't "cook" and make compost as fast. I have also done something that resembles sheet composting, I have some small bins for compost, and I sometimes buy some by the bag. I'm all over the map, but at least I'm recycling my garden waste (and some of my neighbor's, too!)
That is right Mary, anything you can do is a good thing, and if you are recycling all your organic materials, that is the best you can do.
Josephine.
Thanks for the welcome Maggie. Do you worry about mice getting into the compost? Last year I built a compost bin with fencing, (I did not use any kitchen waste). I got tired of turning it, went to remove it and under it was a mouse nest with babies. I left them alone but it was pretty creepy. I had to stop feeding the birds because it attracted roof rats. The Woodlands is a cool place to live, but has a lot of critters, some that are not wanted.
I always worry about that but in my compost years I have never had any critters. ants, maybe.
I hope others will post as to whether they get dwellers in their compost bins
Nothing like that. My cats keep the mice away. However, occasionally critters come by during the night to dig through my pile. Looking for grubs and even earthworms to eat, I assume. Coons, maybe?
We haven't seen mice in ours, but there is a lot of " fawna " you might say, insects that feed on the organic matter and help it break down, compost is not sterile, and if it were, it wouldn't be any good, you do have to learn to live with other living things, and get along with them. All this happens during the decomposing process, by the time the compost is finished, it is crumbly, odorless, loaded with nutrients and beautiful.
The only thing that we have found as we dig and take out our finished pile is an occasional soil snake, but very rarely.
Josephine.
since snakes freak me out, I immediately went googling for a soil snake. didn't find much, other than all sites said harmless.
I've never had one but now I'm gonna be antsy about it. Snakes scare me, period.
This message was edited Jun 18, 2006 10:10 AM
Well I am not fond of them either, I usually let my husband move it to another spot, and it quickly disappears. Please don't worry about it, they are harmless.
Josephine.
Josephine, I looked at your website and I wanted to let you know that your garden philosophy touched me. What a beautiful way to express yourself and morals.
My sister in law has been encouraging me to start my own compost and I am now saving my pulled weeds and deadheaded flowers in a certain spot in my back yard. I don't really know what I am doing, so the explanation on the cold method was helpful to me.
Debbie, what do you mean by sheet composting?
Heavy mulching in mixed material layers. basically composts in place where you want it. Works as well as a compost pile.
Yes mice/rats/ and apparently oppossums all live in compost piles; because they do in mine. No kitchen scraps used.
Ms_merae, thank you very much, I am glad that you liked my garden phylosophy, I truly feel that way, and try to live accordingly. Good luck with your composting.
Josephine
Debbie, sheet composting works fine too, as evidenced by your beautiful and healthy plants, but I suppose that you wouldn't be able to use your larger plant materials unlessyou shred them first.
I also feel that using the kitchen materials is a very important part of recycling waste, and it should be done as much as possible.
However, sometimes it might not be practical for one reason or another, and anything that can be done to incorporate organic matter into the soil, is a wonderful thing.
Please, don't get me wrong, I think you are a super organic gardener, full of energy and great ideas.
Keep it up, my friend.
Josephine.
Josephine--I do shred big stuff and do take out stuff like lettuce leaves etc. I just avoid big, tempting things like potato skins and cucumbers which rats/mice love; or else I bury them deep and all around which tends to baffle the critters. I've used layers of shredded lettuce leaves in early April as mulch when I knew it would be too bitter to eat. The TX stars are thanking me with beautiful blooms for it too this year.
By the way I have an MS in geology with the emphasis of my master's being pleistocene soil structure in Southeast Texas.
I can do most things in the garden but can't do a lot of the motion of leg down on shovel to dig (jarring type motions). This is due to hip replacement. That has forced me to ceate soft, loamy soil. Sheet composting just works easier for me.
I just very much agree with the organic approach. I think we have to think of ourselves as stewards of the land. After all, our kids will inherit our homes and gardens.
Debbie
I just have some difficulty on occasion getting enough organic material (OM) to have a good size pile (I need so much compost!). But I rounded up quite a few bags of leaves (I'm a leaf-thief when I have the nerve) to go with whatever greens I come up with. And this past winter I got an invite to the big bat cave north of SA for their annual guano harvest. I have enough bat guano for quite a while! Very hard work but well worth it. I put a little in the pile and use some for fertilizer or amending soil.
My sweetie runs his mulching lawnmower over the leaves and then throws them away. Since he catches them in a bag, he's agreed to give them to me instead, and his grass clippings as well. He thinks I'm crazy. Of course, I think he's crazy, too, so we're even. Once you get set up, it takes so little effort to compost, and it does so much, garden and yard.
I've got my super cheap worm bin set up, just waiting for my little friends of the vermiform persuasion to arrive. And considering how best to set up the cold compost pile. Y'all are great -- by spring, I'll have it all set up and working like a teeny tiny farm should.
Our friends and neighbors know by now that we can use all the leaves they can give away, so the bring them to us, or call us to come and get them. We also make the rounds the night before gabage pick up, with all that and the large ammount that we generate, we are well supplied.
I used to fret that I didn't have enough garden waste to do much composting, to get very much out of it. After I started thinking about compost though, I was amazed at how much my own yard generates, plus when you can finally convince the neighbors that you are serious about wanting their leaves, lawn clippings, etc, there is sometimes more than I can keep up with (for the size of my yard)! Leaves, "catching" lawn clippings occassionally in a bagger, weeds, trimming back plants, annuals that are finished for the season, plants that didn't make it, etc, can really add up. Add your table scraps, and you're good to go!
I really need to re-do my little nook where I have my composting going on, need to enlarge the piles. I have bags of leaves and pine straw piled against one side of my house, don't have room for them in the compost area yet. But they are breaking down some, even in their bags while they're waiting their turn.
:-)