would someone give me some basics or more if you wish, on just how do i go about starting a compost pile..our soil is very clayey(clay like)hard as a rock...lol...i want to do some perennials so i need to mix in some good compost right?...i hope im on the right track.....thanks in advance
cindy
starting a compost pile
Cindy:
Here is a link which should answer alot of your questions
Paul
http://www.mastercomposter.com/
We have covered many of your questions in the older threads. Have you read them? We would love to answer any questions you might still have.
Ideally one should layer "brown" materials, such as leaves. wood chips etc. with "green" materials such as grass clippings. I use a 10 foot diameter 4 foot high circle of fencing wire to hold my piles but any way to pile up the "junk" will work. The idea is to provide microoganisms with food to digest leaving behind the black gold that is compost ready to use. Vegetable kitchen wastes and coffee grounds from Starbucks as well as cow or horse manures add value to a compost pile. You should turn over the pile occasionally. everbody and his brother have a different opinion about how often to turn the pile. The main thing is to pile up waste materials and then let nature rot it down. Keeping it slightly moistened helps also.
I had a huge pile of damp hay, manure and weeds. I piled it up last spring. It dried out when the weather got hot and windy like the inside of a clothes dryer (desert climate) and did nothing. This week I started moving it a pitchfork at a time into a new pile right beside the old one, dampening each layer as I went. Today I saw steam comming from the pile! The little microbes just needed some water and oxygen to go to work. Your pile needs to be damp, not soggy, fluffy enough to have air spaces and have the right mix of greens and browns, and enough volume to support several hundred billion little workers. A four foot cube is a good size, and if you don't have a bin use some pallets from a lumber yard (I get mine free). Turn it about once a week and it should make you some good compost in about 2 months as long as it is moist and cold weather doesn't shut it down. Happy composting!
what excellent information!
I didn't want to start a new thread on composting so I thought I would throw this question at you guys here. What about dryer sheets? I saw and was suprised that I could use dryer lint as a carbon and that got me thinking about the dryer sheets? If I can use them would that be a carbon? Also on a website posted earlier mastercomposter.com I think it said the ideal proportions are 25 brown/1 green. Is that correct? seems like you would need more N to get it heated. This I'm really confused about as I have started a compost pile and it hasn't heated up at all.
Thanks!
Jen
This message was edited Aug 24, 2004 11:28 AM
Here is a question that I have been kicking around for a while. I always thought that using animal manure for a vegetable garden soil was good - as long as the animal was a vegetarian. I have several goats and chickens, and I have used the goat poop and the chicken poop in my compost. Recently I heard someone say that they have been putting pig poop in their compost for their veggie garden. Pigs eat meat. Is there a problem with this? Am I wrong in my thinking that the animal must be vegetarian to use the poop for compost in a vegetable garden consumed by humans?
I don't think it's whether the animal is vegetarian but that meat eating animals are more likely to carry parasites and diseases that can be transferred to humans. I'm not positive, but that's what I've heard. I've also heard that there are too many heavy metals in carnivore poo-being at the top of the food chain is where those accumulate. Like DDT and birds of prey.
Sorry I'm late getting in on this post, but... we've just recently made the decision to get a dog in the next few months (his mom is still too young to breed). this will be a BIG dog and so will be the poo, so my DH suggested I use it in my garden (or compost pile). i'm thinking it's not a bad idea, since it's gotta go SOMEwhere, and if i'm gonna shovel it, i'd just as soon shovel it INTO my compost pile.
BUT... i was concerned about the vegetarian thing too, or rather the meat-eating diet. not knowing a WHOLE lot about dogs (other than loving them and caring for them in every other way), i don't know exactly what could be done to possibly prevent the transfer of parasites and/or diseases from our new pup to us... i mean, dumb question, but... can we feed him something or give him any kind of treatments from the Vet to prevent it?
Hi Cajun 2
Most composting books and web sites advise that you do not use dog ar cat feces in your compost pile because of pathogens that are not present in farm animal manure. I know that some people do use dog and/or cat manures in their piles but I would advise against it. George
I would not use pig manure (omnivore) because of the pathogen issue.
Ok, I totally get that (why NOT to use dog, cat or pig poo). Now I have a slightly different question... or same question in another way maybe. If I do NOT use it for ANYthing edible... THEN would it be safe enough to use in a compost pile?
Sorry to keep revisiting this same discussion... just gotta get my head straight.
Thanks for being so patient and kind.
~ Carole ; )
I would use it where I know food plants will not be planted. Its a personal choice. In other cultures even human stuff is composted, usually composted but, not always.
If you build your pile with the proper C/N ratio & moisture content so that it reaches temps of 150 to 160 degrees for a week or so and you let the pile cure for 6 months or so the harmful pathogens would probably be destroyed by the process. The problem is that most compost piles built in the home garden do not reach thlese temps. I think this is the reason that most information sources say it shouldn't be used. George
I read that it is even safe to compost meat IF you know how. The problem is that most people don't handle the pile correctly. Of course, I can't remember where I read this.
That is correct sylvi. It becomes more technically challenging. Failure can bring serious consequenses. Not worth the risk for most of us.
I have found that mowing in the fall leaves and the dog poo seems to have made the yard healthier. I wouldn't do it in my beds, but this is the dog lawn anyway. I am careful that we don't pick up any parasites or fleas, so I can't see what the harm is, and the parts of the grass that the dogs haven't destroyed look great.
You are using 'common sense.' Its not likely you will grow carrots in your dog lawn either. :-)
Thank you all so much for your help.
Think I'll skip the composting dog poo, because I'm a lazy gardener and I only do lasagna composting. The temps would probably never reach a level that would break down all the bad stuff.
As you say "not worth it!"