Post by LauraMoser on May 13, 2013 13:38:19 GMT -5
So, DH just told me over the weekend that I should start composting rather than buying the expensive dirt for my garden. I've been thinking about it for a while now, but figured he wouldn't go for it, so his suggestion was a great surprise!
So I've never composted before. What do I need to get started? Besides some form of container, obviously. And for the container, are there any cheaper DIY options? What kind of things can I put it in? How often do I need to turn/mix it? When is the composted material ready to use?
Post by simpsongal on May 13, 2013 15:38:17 GMT -5
Soem people just use a garbage can, but that can be a pain to turn and aerate. I know Martha Stewart just covers her large compost piles with tarp - I'm trying that this year. The trick with compost is to keep it moist, aerate it, and make sure you have a good mix of green & brown. Compost should generate heat for fast decomposition under these conditions.
I direct compost once my garden is spent (just throw the stuff onto the soil and turn the soil over. It's not as fast but still effective.
Typical things to compost: kitchen scraps like onion skins, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. (no meat or animal products). Grass clippings from your yard. Brown things to add would be dead leaves and newspaper.
I am in the process of putting together a tumbling composter.
Kind of like this, but the holes will be smaller and I have a 3/4 inch metal pipe instead of a 2 inch piece of PVC. I found it in my basement so thought I would use it instead.
I have the frame built. the bar down the middle of the barrel and the door cut out. Just need to paint my barrel black, attach all the hardware and drill a couple hundred holes.
I use a large redwood planter box on the driveway for mine. It's not super fast, but I get maybe 30-40 gallons of compost a year out of our kitchen scraps and shop sawdust. I don't really worry about the ratios too much, and I squirt it with the hose whenever I'm over there. It's teeming with worms and beetles. I've seen much nicer 3-bin systems in which there's one box for new stuff, then once that's full, you turn it into the second bin, then when you fill the first up again 2 goes to 3 and 1 goes to 2, then after a while, you have finished compost in #3. It looks a lot easier than a single-bin system like mine where I'm always having to dig the finished compost out of the bottom.
I put in pretty much everything that doesn't involve fats or grease. So old bread, any trimmings from veggies and fruits, fruit cores, leftover steamed veggies, coffee grounds, egg shells, nut shells. I have a small compost container under my sink with filters on it, and it never smells. I just pull it out and put it in the sink when I have veggies to prep and shave them right into the container. Same if I'm cracking a lot of eggs. Once that's full, the whole thing goes out to the bin. I also put in leaves from yard cleanup, and any prunings I do off of plants that aren't disease-prone. I don't put in things like old veggies plants I've grown because I'm afraid I'll end up harboring diseases like mildew or blight if I do that (I don't know how likely that is, but I'd rather be safe and send that stuff to the city's hot composter). DH has a wood hobby shop, so he puts all his sawdust in there.
I just have a pile and keep tossing stuff on it; I rarely turn it, and it makes compost just fine. I pulled out two huge buckets of compost this afternoon, and there's still plenty more.
Post by sillygoosegirl on May 16, 2013 8:52:52 GMT -5
You can just make a pile of organic waste if you want.
Turning is supposed to speed up the process, and certain methods are supposed to increase temperature, which is nice if you want to kill weed seeds. But none of that is necessary. Mother Nature has been composting without human help for a very long time.