Back to compost please

Give it a shot, Victor!

Here's my approach: If it will biodegrade, it goes in the compost. That includes not only poop from meat-eating animals, but the meat eaters themselves if I find them lying around dead.

I'm also pondering the concepts in "Humanure."

Yes, Humanure - that's who I've been talking about.

Victor - where is the cruel or unusual punishment with composting MIL? I could grasp the citrus idea before the MIL treatment being outlandish. :-)

No, Pirl, you misunderstood. The cruel and unusual part was if she re-seeded and sprang up all over!

Hahahaha!!! Too funny....

Okay in goes the bread.... yippeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Can't wait to fill up the new composter!!! Yup I am a composting dork LOL

Oh, this is too funny! As a MIL myself, I think I'm going to be pretty careful about antagonizing my SIL--particularly as I walk past his compost heap. . .
Has anyone else been reminded of that scene from one of my most favorite movies, Fargo, when Carl disappears into the shredder-chipper?
--Emily

I missed that movie but I, too, am a MIL and though I don't say a word I don't like his compost pile. He's a terrific father and a wonderful husband........and he cooks! I couldn't ask for a better guy for my daughter.

Now I understand, Victor! Hope she didn't subscribe to DG recently.

Pirl, I've searched looking for more info on nightshade plants and compost so I can understand this. I haven't been able to find anything. Can you point me to some info on it?
Dave

Try this - I came across this little teaser from the Washington Post garden writer. Look at the second question and see what he says about composting no-no's. Interesting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080500747_pf.html

Ralph Snodsmith. Online at gardenhotline.com

Just email him and ask about it. PLEASE include your zone - he's insistent on it even though your question is not about a specific plant. Also, PLEASE sign your name. He won't respond to unsigned mail. He's such a nice guy, so smart, so helpful. I'm sure he'll tell you not to use any member of the nightshade family.

We cross posted, Victor, but I'm glad to see another vote for not using them.

Thank you Victor and Pirl!
I wrote Ralph Snodsmith for more info. (I'd like to understand why).
In my trying to research this, I found out that herbicide can survive composting and that nightshade plants are more sensitive to this and/or "carry" the herbicide through the composting process more readily than other plants. Makes me glad I don't use herbicides but I still have to wonder about the plants and produce that I buy.

I did research on it and what I found out was that although 160 degrees can kill the virus - not all parts of the compost get to that temperature. Around the edges are notably cooler - under 130 and that won't kill either Fusarium or Verticilium problems.

Over 160 can result in ashes.

Speaking of putting undesirable folks on the compost pile, a few months ago someone posted a picture of a sign that said, "Trespassers will be composted!" I thought it was great. :)

I'm not very scientific about my compost pile...I toss just about everything except meat and poop onto it (including stale bread, cooked and uncooked pasta and rice, greasy stuff, you name it). I don't put known diseased plant remains into the pile, but I'm sure some has worked its way in there anyway. My MIL has a dump pile in her garden where all food waste goes--meat, cheese, you name it. I think it's kind of gross, but her tomatoes always do well. :) My compost piles are also frozen rock solid, I'll turn them when they thaw.

My biggest problem is that I can't get DH to toss scraps into the compost bucket (which sits right outside the kitchen door)...into the trash with everything! I don't know how many times I've fished peels out of the trash can. If anyone has any bright ideas about what to do about this, I'd appreciate 'em. :)

pam

Technically, these diseases are fungal, not viral. Fungals are often tougher to kill than bacterial or viral diseases. At the end of the following link, a method is described that will kill the fungal disease before the tomato is put in the compost. It's called solarization, and involves putting the plant in a black plastic bag and let it cook in the sun. Seems like too much trouble for me - I just wouldn't bother. But some may want to, so here it is:

http://cahe.nmsu.edu/CES/yard/1999/080299.html

Thanks, Victor. Just the smell of bagged grass is repulsive enough, especially after two months, so I wouldn't be bothered with that method either.

Well, Ralph Snodsmith was kind enough to get back to me right away. I'm very impressed that he got back to a total stranger on the same day I wrote to him. I could see why you are such a fan, Pirl. His response:

David: They can possibly be infected with Verticillium and Fusarium blight that might inoculate the compost with the problem. So, I just don't add them to the compost pile.

Ralph Snodsmith

I will change my habit.

Thanks, Dave, for another Ralph Snodsmith vote. He's on radio Sunday mornings 8 to 10 on WOR in NY. He is always a gentleman and has the patience of a few saints.

Does piling up snow around your compost bin actually insulate it? I figured it might insulate it but then there might not be enough air getting to it???

In winter there's very little (if any) action taking place. Ours are frozen solid. I'd advise you to stay indoors, cozy and warm and look at more clematis photos!

Grrrreat idea pirl!!!!! LOL

I have just become "obsessed" with compost lately....LOL

It's understandable. March 2nd is screaming out for spring to arrive. We may get a taste of it tomorrow.

YAHOOOOOOOOO!! I turned my compost pile after having filled it to the top of the bin during the winter and smoke was coming from it!!!! Yay COMPOST! My question is - should I be adding more stuff to my compost pile at this point or should I just let it completely compost first? I have another pile I have already started so I could always just keep adding to that one. However I do want to get as much compost as I can out of this bin...sooooo???? What do you think? What should I do??

Does "old smokie" (that's a very good thing!) look like compost - it should. If so, do nothing but you can spread it out a day or two before you want to use it to let it cool off.

With the second pile keep adding ingredients! Score one for Dawn! Hip, hip, hooray!

Your second pile will cook faster during warm weather so after you empty #1, start anew.

Dear Dawn:
I'm jealous! I turned my compost heap a few days ago when it thawed out and NO smoke-signals, not even any heat was apparent. I "stoked" it all winter with kitchen trimmings, chopped leaves, coffee grounds, and torn-up newspapers, but nothing had really begun to compost. It was as if everything had just been put in the freezer---which of course, it had! I'm wondering if there's something I should have been doing. . . I don't know; is it weird to think of wrapping one's compost bin in an electric blanket? (only slightly LOL).

Maybe there just haven't been enough "greens" to get things going?

I want to know your secret. Had your pile been thawed enough to start up cooking for some weeks or days prior to March 28? Have you been casting spells? Or slipping some spare MILs into the mix? ;-)


--Emily

Actually I turned the pile about 2 weeks ago once things thawed - the pile was then movable so I really gave it a good turning with my pitch fork...I didn't touch it until today and that is when it started smoking! Wow. This is my first compost pile so please excuse me if I sound overly excited...

pirl my pile doesn't look like compost yet - I can still see a lot of things in there like peels, paper etc...I think it is just starting to compost if that makes sense?? I think it still has a long way to go???

Dawn,
Give it a turn & let it continue. The keep adding or not question is personal choice but if you want pile 1 to be compost soon, leave it and add to pile #2.
Remember (Emily too) it will all be compost. It is just a question of when so don't fret too much.

Great advice Dave and thanks :)

I agree with Dave. I'd be a fool not to! It is cooking and that's an excellent sign.

Emily - do you have one pile or two or three?

Thank you, Dave, you are so right. To everything there is a season, especially compost. Why is it so hard for me to remember that? You'd think as a gardener I'd know this by now? Anyway, your words were reassuring.

Pirl, I have three bins that are in various stages of composting--though not much is happening right now due to the cold. I also confess that I get very tempted to add new stuff when the level of compost drops down in one bin or another as the on-going composting process continues.. I need to restrain myself here and only add to the "newest" bin.

Oh, I am so psyched to get outside and start tossing!! Spring, get in here! (yeah, right, tonight we're having lows in the 20s and gusty winds.)

--Emily

Do you guys put all your Fall leaves into the compost or is it too much??

I'm would but it would be too much hassle to drag an acres worth of leaves. I'd like to get a lawn vac so I can do it. I'm not worried about too much browns.

Okay well I guess I will leave my first pile to do what it needs to do at this point. I will just keep adding to my second pile and hopefully that will start composting as soon as I get enough stuff in it. I also asked our good neighbour to save his scraps for our pile and he said he would. Yay!

Dave - the riding mower has a mulching blade and Jack picks up the fall leaves as he does the last cuts of October and November. All of that is added to the bins and all branches are chipped and added. He collects bags of grass from neighbors to balance it out. Last fall he emptied a completed bin and filled all six with what he collected and chipped. Though it's said that weeds will rot in the heat of the bin we do not add the horrid Aegopodium, Houttuynia, Lamium or the dreaded Celandine. It's just not worth taking the chance for us.

Dawn - You're right on target! You can also ask your local supermarket for a bag of trimmings from veggies, etc.

hey great idea pirl - thanks. These are things I never thing of.

Dawn, near a cow or horse barn? Get their poop. Great to combine with compost.

Pirl when we moved to a yard with much more lawn and my gas, push mower died, I looked at the price of tractors. I made a choice that paying someone to mow was cheaper. Now I don't have to spend half my Saturday mowing my lawn. More time for gardening (which slowly reduces my lawn size). I like this set up. Just need to find a better solution for fall leaf clean-up.

Jack does the mowing and vows to keep on doing it until he gets to another speed limit birthday in three more years. He'll still do the grub control and feedings.

We'll always make compost!

Is it too late to start a compost - bin?

The more I read the dumber I am. The more I read and learn, the more stupid I feel.

Newbie? What is before a newbie?

It's NEVER too late to start in with compost bins. A set of three works best and what's usually recommended.

NONE of us were born with the knowledge we have. We all seem to feel we've done the stupidest things and made the dumbest mistakes. Show me someone who hasn't made a mistake and I'll show you a liar.

What's before a newbie? Someone who's never even heard of DG.

I am wondering if I have just over stepped my bounds with a GH. My head is twirling saying What Have You Done? It could be just the tip of the iceburg.

Everyone does make mistakes, no questions about that!

My husband is building the GH. 3 big pine trees to the south are dropped. The 2 ends are framed. He is not liking me because of the GH. Wait till I tell him, now your are going to have to build a compost bin. I am DUCKING - lol