composting

Do any of you know about compost bins? I am just starting a compost bins and piles; throwing all of my peels, etc.. into it. Do you know if we can throw corn cobs into the pile? I am freezing a lot and cutting it off the cob, not quite sure what to do with them besides throwing them in the garbage.

Hi Karen, good girl, love to hear about folks doing their own composting, nothing better for your garden soil than loads of home made compost and all chemical free to boot.
Yes you can use the cobs, they will take a bit longer to compost as do all sort of woody/hard stems, but if you can be bothered, chop them up a bit or run them through you food blender to rough cut them, don't pulp them, you can also add shredded news paper, lawn cuttings but add layer in between these lawn cuttings so that air can circulate the bin, the contents from you vacuum cleaner, tea bags and coffee grounds,
weeds so long as you don't add the roots or any seed heads, egg shells, seaweed if you wash the salt off as it is rich in nutrient's, banana skins and all fruit/veg waist, UNCOOKED, the fluff from the tumble drier vent, you will be amazed at all the things you can add as you go along, just nothing man made or cooked or you will attract mice etc. after a few months, you can empty the bin and turn your contents to speed up the proses however I don't bother as I just take the spade and remove the bottom stuff as it decays but most folks do this after say 3 months and again another 3 months till it is ready, it looks nice brown earth when it is ready, if it smells at all, it ain't getting enough air flow between the layers, that's when your old torn up newspapers come in handy, just don't add too much of the same thing all at once, good luck, you will turn into a compost bore to all your friends, great eh, ha ha ha. Weenel.

Thanks for the info. I was afraid I'd have corn growing out of my compost bin! I'm hoping this will work out well, not only for the garden but it'll cut down on my garbage too! I never thought about vacuum cleaner bags or dryer lint though. I doubt we'll get much seaweed here in Iowa, but I'll throw that in too if I ever come across any! LOL. I'm really anxious to see what it'll look like in a few months. Thanks for the info./Karen

I was just wondering if they would let us take seaweed off the beaches here. I'm guessing not, since you're not supposed to take rocks. There sure is a ton of it on our beaches, though. I wish I liked bananas! The home made compost sure looks and feels different that what you can buy in a bag at the garden center. I never knew that about lint and vacuum bags, either.

Now, not to start a controversy, but I do put cooked stuff in the compost pile, and I've never had varmints (in the compost, that is). Regardless, a useful notion in composting is to pay attention to the ratio of "greens" (any fresh and moist plant matter, regardless of color, such as kitchen scraps) to "browns" (any dried up plant matter, including shredded paper and straw). A little "black" stuff--meaning soil--adds good bacteria. The big mistake I made when first composting was to use way too many greens in relation to browns. The pile went anaerobic (no air in there, as WeeNel said), and yikes did it stink! I think about a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio is about right (greens to browns). Frequent turning keeps it aerated, but if, like me, you'd rather do other things, a generous quantity of browns will also do the trick.

We ate boiled lobster tonight and I was wondering if I should have added the shells....but decided my dogs would probably be all over it, so they went in the trash. I don't think I generate enough kitchen scraps to do compost properly...my pile is made up of mostly oak leaves. I just get my good compost from my father in law and hope that one day my pile will turn into something useful (other than be the eyesore it currently is, lol)

The lobster shells would probably attract a lot of cats!

Grab a bag of aged and milled cow manure from the Supermarket throw it into a wheel barrow or large container....mix a cup of garden lime through it.... then put it all into a large a garbage bag.Tie it up and leave in the sun for a couple of weeks and you will have a beautiful rich compost.....I call this instant compost....this recipe was given to us by our most popular gardening show and it works great! :)

You can also use shredded newspaper (take out the colored ads), grass clippings, pine needles, leaves, veggie peelings, egg shells, and yard wastes. NO MEAT or DAIRY, it attracts varmints. Animal manures except dog and cat. The ideal ratio approaches 25 parts browns to 1 part greens. Judge the amounts roughly equal by weight. Add water so the pile can work. If you have no access to manures and want to "jump start" your pile. Add 10lbs of the cheapest high protein dog food you can find and water throughly. I recommend you google for further information on composting. Good luck on making your own "black gold" :)

If you were able to smash up the lobster shells, then you could have added them to your compost pile as they are full of calcium, you can add the soil/old compost from your potted plants when they die or need re potting, here in the UK, we are also not allowed to harvest seaweed from the sea, however, the stuff washed up on the shore as far as I know, is OK, you have to wash it in a bucket a few times to get rid of some salt, or lay it out in your yard and hose it well a few days, then add it to the compost bin to rot down it is really good for the garden, however, if you are making trenches for the veg plot, after washing, you can lay a layer on the bottom of the trench and nature will rot it for you and the plant roots will not go that far down for a good while, the next year, when you dig the veg plot, you will distribute it even more. mushroom compost if you can find it is excellent too as is all animal manures except domesticated pets etc, feathers, from old pillows or duvets, all need to be added in layers between other things for it to decompose faster but if you look around at all the waist you gather in a week that is NOT man made like plastic etc, then you will be surprised at all the things you can throw into the compost, saving the environment, saving you time and money getting rid of it and your garden will be all the better for it, also if you only find one pat of cow manure, you can make plant food with this by hanging it in a sack or old cloth, tie the top, and hang it into a large container for about 2 weeks, it will smell foul, but keep a cover over the container so this can ferment, once a couple of weeks have passed, you take some of the blackish water out, dilute it till it looks like tea, then you can water this onto your plants, same way with bundles of those dreaded nettles, it is a great feed for plants, dont include the seed heads or roots from the nettles as you dont want to add the seeds to your beds, there are so many great organic things for the garden that is at hand, you wont need to buy compost again, warning, I never use this home made compost for starting my seeds as it has not been sterilised and just may hold some soil born diseases that growing plants can withstand, but not tiny seeds, good luck, you will all soon end up compost experts and become quite obsessive re your pile. best of luck. WeeNel.

Ahhhh ...nothing warms a gardeners heart in the Winter than a steaming heap of compost! I find that the horse manure seems to really heat things up! you can feel the heat coming off it!
One of the best birthday presents I ever had was a trailer full of used straw and horse dung! ...it made the hottest compost ever!
We gardeners are so easy to please :)

Hey Chrissy, I will go one better than you, I got Dumper Truck full of horse manure for my birthday and believe me, I thought I had won the Lottery, so gardeners all over the world, are, as the saying goes, "happy as pigs among sh!!!, oh buy the way, here in UK, a dumper truck is those machines you see on building sites, open cab and big bucket on front that tips up to empty, the real laugh was though, my husband did not tell me you steered this thing by the back wheels, OOOOOOOH I had to go change my undies, but the horses did a great job and the garden showed off a few month later too, Good luck. WeeNel.

Try googling 163 things to compost.

I just did...I think my favorite item was "unpaid bills", lol.


I think I have a decent understanding of what you can compost, but I'm still pretty confused about how you are supposed to layer certain things...that's what makes it seem like too much work to me...trying to pay attention to ratios, etc.. Basically, I just throw whatever is acceptable on my pile, whenever I happen to have it on hand. No idea it that's ok. I've been turning it every 4 weeks or so. I hope it is useful next season, because I sure have a huge pile out there.

I aslo have no idea where to go and buy something like aged and milled cow manure ...a farm or a garden center?

I'm going to have to figure out if it's legal to remove washed up seaweed from the beaches here.

I was always confused by the layering and having the right ratio of green to brown and that. I gave up, I just throw what I have on the pile and leave it. I don't even turn it. It eventually turns into compost. Every once in a while, I throw on some soil or finished compost. It takes longer, but I don't mind. I have more than one pile. One is finished compost and two are in different stages of rotting, oh I mean composting. Anyhow, it's not something I stress over anymore.

I'm just starting a compost pile, actually building a bin this weekend. I read many of the compost threads (everyone is helpful and full of wonderful advise). I too was getting confused about layering and ratios ... and I haven't even started my compost pile yet. I googled compost recipes and found "composting for dummies" and thought that's perfect for me ... just wanted to share it. http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-2493.html

I don't even have a bin. Just piles on the ground. They are hidden behind the bushes though.

I just have a pile, too. A pretty darn big one, now. Shune, I'm glad to hear you say I don't need to worry about the math of it all...that's just too much work, as I said. I'm hoping what I have now will be good to use in the Spring. I was also thinking about asking for one of those compost tumblers for Christmas this year, because I don't really have a good spot spot to build a multiple bin system. I plan on putting another bed in the spot where my huge compost mound is right now.

I have to admit, I have been composting for years also, still dont understand the ratio, but with it only being household waste, old compost from pots etc I have never had a problem, the only problem I ever encountered when I first started, I was over enthusiastic when I piled too much grass cuttings onto the pile all at the one time, thinking this was so rich it would make great compost AND I filled the bin, WELL, was I disappointed, after a week I could smell this obnoxious odour when I passed the pile, on lifting the lid, I was almost knocked to the ground with the smell, it had turned into a foul slimy mess, had to get my husband to get a mask and empty the whole pile out, OH I can still remember that awful stench even after all these years.
That's when I learned what layering meant, it just means a few inches off any ONE type of composting material at a time, what I had done was added too much grass at the one layer, it smothered the pile, therefore it did not let air to circulate the compost pile and the grass holds so much moisture, that the huge amount I added was enough to cause it to go wet and smelly before it got the chance to die off naturally, NOW when I have grass to add, I do it in layers, like add some grass, then some newspaper crumpled up or shredded, or some other stuff like small prunings/branches etc so these allow air and heat to build up and help the decomposing to happen, some soil will do this as will old compost from pots, so you soon learn how much of one thing is a layer, it is practice, that works for you, because we all have different materials to add to our piles/bins, you just learn what suits you piles best, turning is also a way or adding air and breaking the stuff up, but I dont always turn mine either, I just scoop out the stuff from the bottom that has already composted, and the mid and top drop further down, so I add to the top, you will work it all out in time as we all do, so dont let a compost pile get you worried, if the stuff ain't ready on time, buy some till it is ready, there will be things that dont compost fast, you just chuck it back into the pile, so keep at it and you will have good stuff for your plants eventually. Good luck all you new composters, you will get there in the end as we all have done. WeeNel.

Thanks WeeNel -- I love your simple, casual approach to composting ... Mother Nature doesn't worry about ratios and turning and layering, either.

You've got it in ONE, if I were to remember all the technical stuff that you read in some gardening books or listen to on the radio, I would still be standing with a few carrot tops in by hand wondering what way up to place them in the compost bin, just go with your gut instinct as far as composting goes, you will soon know if it ain't working after about a month, then you have time to fix the trouble, you wont get the gardening police at your door if you dont get it right first time, so relax, have fun, enjoy your heap and let mother nature do the rest, OH, and dont forget to become obsessed with composting, that helps you when you think know one cares about your heap. good luck. WeeNel.

I've been looking at the plastic composting barrels you see in gardening catalogs. Although they seem pretty expensive, I'm wondering if they would make composting that much easier with less worry about critters and odors. It's also said (if you believe the advertising) that they make compost faster than a standard open bin.

Anyone have experience with them?

If your compost is working right, it won't have odors and won't attract critters--if you're having problems along those lines then I'd head over to the Soil & Composting forum and get some advice on what to change. If you want to spend the money for the plastic bin I'm sure it'll work fine, but if you're only buying it to get rid of odors then you can save yourself a bunch of money by just figuring out what you're putting in there that you shouldn't (or are putting too much of in there, etc)

I've been thinking of a compost tumbler, too. I mostly want one because my yard is small and my compost pile is pretty much an eyesore. I've read that the tumblers actually don't produce finished compost any quicker than a conventional compost pile/bin/etc provided you turn the stuff in your bin as frequently as you should. I guess in that regard, the tumbler may make it easier to turn. One other thing I'm curious about is how much finished compost it produces in x amount of weeks. If takes six weeks or whatever and you only get a small bucket of compost, is it worth it?

Do check some of the other threads in soil and composting. There's been a lot of discussion on various bins, homemade, store bought etc. Lots of good information in there.

Thanks for the tips ecrane and doccat! Noreaster, I've wondered too if the hype about making buckets full of finished compost in a couple months could possibly be true. Doesn't seem like it to me.

I'll check out the discussion on the composting forum. I have to admit that part of the reason I've thought about a compost tumbler is aesthetic--they look tidier to me. But this is our first non-rental property so my first opportunity to do some composting. I've got a lot to learn. :)

I too bought the compost tumbler and I think it's the best gardening purchase I made. I have a very small backyard and wanted space to actually garden. It is very easy to turn and you get nice compost tea at the bottom. I use the tea (about 1-10 ratio with water) to water my new plants. It is also supposed to help with pest problems. Also, because it is black and the sun beats directly on it it gets quite warm. It took me a little while to get the hang of mixing the greens, browns and blacks but that comes with time. It was expensive but has paid for itself in that I use the compost instead of buying fertilizers and things are doing just fine. It's not for everyone but for someone who has limited space I would recommend it.

Many of the above posts were very informative. Thank you.

I also enjoyed reading all of the posts, but I have a few reservations about composting. I have a VERY weak stomach, especially when it comes to smells. The idea of having manure anywhere near me makes me gag. Also, I'm pretty sure we have skunks that live under our back deck (well, we did last summer anyway), and I can't imagine that they wouldn't be attracted to it. Our area generally is highly populated with skunks (and stray cats....another issue). Not composting makes me feel guilty though, especially the more I read. Is it at least helpful that I intentionally don't rake up the oak leaves and pine needles in the fall? I kind of use them as mulch for the winter.

Any bit helps, if you keep rotating the compost pile the smell isn't that bad. The skunks def smell worse.

I considered the lint from the dryer one day, but decided against it, as much of our clothing is now made from petroleum. If you used all natural cloth, like cotton, I would say it would be ok.

Karen

I don't think its imperative to put manure in your compost...as Snail Assassin suggests. This is only done if you want to 'heat it up' faster. But when you just use kitchen scraps (the green) your
brown stuff ( dry leaves or little twigs or newspaper, cardboard) a little soil and sprinkling of water, then turn it once a week....it seems to do just fine! A good pile has a sweet smell. You'll know the difference once you have a 'bad ' pile! SHOOOOOEY!!

I don't use manure because it would be a pain to get a hold of. A client of mine had a big pile of it in her driveway for her gardens and the smell did make me ill. No thanks. I agree that compost doesn't smell bad..if anything, it just smells earthy, which is fairly pleasant.

If you are lucky enough to get hold of new animal manure like horses etc, then barrow it to the furthest part of your garden, pile it up and cover it with black plastic, lay bricks or similar around the plastic to hold in place and stop the smell, this will keep the the heap warm, help it cook/compost faster and after a few weeks, remove the cover and turn the heap by digging the bottom of the heap to the top, after about 8/10 weeks you should have the best compost ever and it should look like dark sweat smelling earth, it's all natural, no chemicals added and your garden will reward you 10 fold, you can either add it as a mulch or dig it into your soil,
I also add the fluff from my drier to my compost bin (large green plastic and great at keeping the heap all in the one area) also add the contents from the vac carpet cleaner, cant say I have had a problem with either it is fluff not actual particles so far anyway.
good luck all you composters, for those who cant or dont, then a cheap alternative is pelleted chicken manure it is dried and very little smell, but a good sores of natural feed for your plants and you only need a handful per plant instead of chemicals.
Happy gardening. WeeNel.