My Humble compost pile

I just wanted to share a couple of pics of my humble compost pile. Saturday I shredded a bunch of leaves w/ my composting mower and placed them in there. After that I put a little of bit organic lawn fertilizer in there, which is rich in nitrogen.

The earthworms seem to love the stuff.

Now, I have fire ants on the perimeter. The question now is; to spray or not to spray. I've heard Orange oil is good stuff. I don't want to have to spend any money though. I do have Hasta grow and liqiud sea-weed (Maxicrop).

What do you think?

Dean_W

Dean,
I am a new composter, certainly not an expert. But here is what I would do. I would chop everything as small as I could and mix it. What is the ivory colored crescent thing on top? Other than chopping finer and mixing, it looks like a terrific start!

I would not hesitate to sprinkle some ant granules around the perimeter. You can't easily work your pile while ants are biting your ankles.

Since I started composting, I have thoughts of stealing folks' leaves and grass clippings from the edge of their lawns.....

here is another image...

The stuff on the top is rice.

That looks like the start of a beautiful compost heap. Luckily we don't have fire ants here so I am afraid I can't help with that.

MiniPony, you will find the longer you visit the composting site, the more bags of leaves and grass will hop into your car. I scored over a dozen perfect bags of grass & leaves this weekend, and there are more out after today. I'll be driving around tomorrow. My husband even helped yesterday, amazing. Almost all of us do it to store up for the winter.

I know, I've been looking at the neighbors lawn w/ all those leaves just laying there. I'm just waiting for someone to rake them up and put them on the curb.

even better is when they mow and bag or vacuum and then put them in a bag on the curb. already chopped, less work, faster breakdown.

Yah that's what I'm wishing for! Someone to bag it up and offer it to me! Then I don't have to do the raking! But if I have to rake, I will do it, I want another compost pile that bad!

Have you tried just asking for it? Some of my neighbors deliver their shredded leaves to me. Yesterday the guy 2 doors down mowed his lawn. He emptied the bag into big garbage cans (about 30 gallon each). Whenever he had 2 full ones he'd come up and dump them on the beds in my back yard. I know there were at least 6 cans he dumped.

Now that's service. I have great neighbors.

Karen

Wow Karen, you have him well trained!

lol karen that's a great neighbor!

Actually we are rurally located. The only time we see bagged leaves at the curbside is if we have traveled into a nearby town. At this point, we'd have to be in my husband's truck, which means he would rib me forever about asking a stranger for their "trash"!!!! I haven't gotten up the nerve yet!

Heck, Mini, dont' be shy. We just picked up 10 bags of leaves, just wandering around downtown. We were enjoying the pretty colors and spotted the trash bags. Better in the pickup and my compost bin than the landfill. I had to chuckle, because there were a couple of places we "hit" regularly. It seems we have a couple of " composting converts". They live next door to my leaf sources(which is probably going to dry up, but there's plenty more around) I found myself being showing their lovely little garden and new raised bed. She'd heard me talking to the neighbor with the leaves, looked it up and decided to try it. She like me doesn't "bend" like she use to and was all excited about being able to putter with the raised areas. The neighbor on the other side is also interested, so I left my phone number. What a hoot! She was also interested in the Master Gardener program, so hopefully she's sign up for the new classes. You meet the nicest plp gathering "trash"! LOL

Dean, the one thing I would add to the above advice is get some more stuff in there quickly - not just 'cause you're gonna want more stuff (lol!) but also having food sitting out like that is going to attract bugs and small furry things that -once you get it all in a pile and start mixing- will not be so greedy about raiding your pile.

The other thing I'd be concerned about is the wind blowing your shredded paper around and making it a real pain. So, your assignment - get more! MORE!

And mix it up!

Great start, BTW - glad to see you posting!

i had about 50 pounds of coffee grounds and wanted lots of leaves-since our big tree is no more i drove around and snuck bags of leaves into the back of the van--5 huge bags---then went back and put the empty bags back for them to use again and took the other 5 bags--wonder what they thought when they saw the leaves gone and empty bags in their place?! must admit i was a bit worried they'd come out and i would have to explain why it was that i was taking their trash!!!

Linda, you my kinda gal. Just go up and ask, you may get some strange looks at first, but most plp are very nice about it and curious as the they can be about this kind of thing.

the leaves are REALLY falling now--bet yours are getting to the end? might just have to go out and get some more for when ours are gone--my compost is toasty and doing great

Leaves are begging to fall...i have my 5 year old typing this 4 me.

Here in the Rocky Mountains, we call it leaf napping. Went out Monday night and scored 26 bags, with abt 10 already shredded(love to them!). Could have gotten more the previous week, but was working to many hours. A true victory! All that, with a fresh load of manure, and next spring(May/June) is going to be wonderful.

i wouldn't go out at night--afraid someone would think i was robbing them-texans have guns you know!!

That's ok, I'm a 7th gen Texan! LOL This time of year, I generally work from can't see to can't see.

Then, vadap, what the heck are you doing in Colorado???? LOL

Still migrating west? LOL Mom and dad are retired in Jasper, so usually visit in March when ya'lls spring is roaring along and we're in our coldest months. Gotta come home for Blue Bell and good bar-b-que. Snow is on the ground and 10* tonight, so the few leaves in the trees are done for.

Hi vadap, after Christmas my son is moving to just outside of Estes Park for a new job. I take it March isn't an ideal time for visiting?

Depends which day. It was 76 on Monday, and high of 27 today, 10 tonight. Kinda same in March, but avg to cold side. Just bring warm clothes. And, our cold isn't as bad as St Louis. We don't know what humidity is(another reason for living here instead of Houston). It's still beautiful, especially in Estes. That's one of the gateways to Rocky Mtn Natl Park, which may not be open yet in March.

vadap, out here in Virginia we call it southern hospitality, we have 20 bags to pick up today from an older friend who can't do much outside gardening anymore. Took her over some succulents to play with. It's y'all come on over and pick up the leaves, hear! LOL

Wohoo! Score, I got two bags of Coffee grounds today.

Dean

Hooray today! I found a woman with 14 bunnies who gardens organically and has more poop that she can use, some 3 months old, plenty of fresh. Can I put the aged poop on my lasagna bed now and the rest in the compost?

Mmm - I'd compost it all, just to make sure you bake any of the nasties out of it. Others might disagree, but I wouldn't waste good poop on cold bed...

Congrats, Dean, you are now officially an addict!

Pagan, isn't a "lasagna" bed just a form of composting in situ this time of year in TN and MO?
Carol

Rabbit manure is not hot and can be used fresh or composted and will not burn plants. You can use it in a lasagna bed or as a top dressing around your plants. I always liked to dig it in a little or cover it with a thin layer of compost for asthetic reasons but it is not necessary.

Yup, but it won't heat up as it isn't mixed or aerated, right? So if the animal droppings harbor any pathogens, you're counting on the changes of weather to destroy them. As cool as both of our states get in the winter, chances are good, but why take chances when she's not going to get the bed going until spring, anyway?

And assuming that the bunnies were eating alfalfa, there's a good chance that the droppings will help to keep her pile toasty, which is always a good thing in my eyes.

Okay, Carol - tell me you don't do lasagna beds in Alaska? I don't believe it! Seems like they'd work well for you?

For me it would depend on what I am planting in the bed. I would compost it if I were using it on any food crop but use it as is on a decorative planting.

Lasagna beds started befor the ground freezes Would finish rotting during the spring thaw and be ready to plant when the ground is no longer soggy wouldn't they? And since the nutrients are then trapped into the bed instead of escaping into the air wouldn't that be better in the long run?

Pagancat,

I got more bags of coffee. Now, I need to add more browns to the pile. How about paper?

I wish I had some bunny poo, cathy4. I would love to throw some in the compost pile. BLACK GOLD!!!

Dean

Believe it, Pagan, whatever we would put in a lasagna bed up here would look the same when it thawed out in the spring. The only way we can compost hot is to do the layers all at once and make the pile 3 feet at the least and 4 is better and 5 is best for me because I can't shovel over my head any more. We've got to get it going right away, keep adding, and I've learned to insulate the sides (I use a bin w/4 sides) by putting a leaf thickness of straw on the outside all the way around to keep the outer layer moist and insulated to keep the heat, precious heat, in. Even my hottest pile I achieve in summer is cold by Sept., frozen by Oct. and doesn't start to thaw until May/June. As soon as possible in Spring, I remove top layer of straw and winter added stuff to start the next pile. I get to the last of the frozen finished compost by June.. sometime. (That's raking everyday what thawed when I'm to the finished stuff, and screen as I rake and it thaws.)

Dean, good find! Yes, by all means add more browns and shredded newspaper to your pile to keep it working. ceeadsalaskazone3, it is so interesting talking to you about this subject. The weather make such a difference in how you maintain your pile, it's just amazing.

Dean, it is delightful to watch a new composter blossom!

Doccat5, I took a Master Gardener's course in '95 and when I told our instructor my method of composting, he had me give a lecture on it in the next couple of days. Same when I told him I had planted 8 different types of garlic in Sept and had a great crop next year. He had me give a lecture on that, too. I love to experiment. Speaking of experimenting, when the snow ovewhelmed the netting over one of the chicken runs, I tore it out and thought I would leave it off for the winter. Well, here comes this guy or gal down for the scraps we were feediing the chickens. So much for that experiment. Up went another net next day.
Carol

I have been reading in my "compost" books and other publications about composting in freezing temperatures. Apparently the freeze/thaw cycle works to break down the pile very effectively. I found that interesting. So if this is true, it is not too far fetched to compost in Alaska!

He did go down inside and pick at the scraps thrown to the chickens while they watched him from their litttle door. So next day I put up a new net.
What does this have to do with composting? Well everything left in the outside chicken pens goes into my compost and I did see him leave a squirt in the pen. hehehehe
Carol