Modifying and starting with components in my earthmachine

16 years ago

I have to install, begin using, or fill my my http://earthmachine.com/#. To start out with I have two garbage cans of grass clippings. I also have a kitchen compost keeper basket. I donÂt know how much my small kitchen contribution will be (where can I get a complete list online of what to do with each and every thing likely to come out of a kitchen before it goes into a compost pile?), and 365 newspapers per year. I am curious what happens with the ink; isnÂt it bad; can there be too much? IÂll have to wait until fall for leaves. I may be able to borrow a bag of leaves if much better. I have a privat hedge. Is it best to source out a matching quantity of C before I put all of the grass (N) in the m/c?

The m/c has two rows of venting slits, 4 sets on top, and 7 sets on the bottom, each set with five 3/8"W x 4"H cut-out slits, a total of about 3" wide by 4" high but they have provided no way to cover the holes. How can I add some type of slit covering addition to my conical shaped plastic m/c? The 30" x 30" m/c has a removable top at half height, and the front door is 1/3 of the full height and about 12" wide.

As far as getting used to figuring out the C:N proportions, can I see how the mixture is coming along by eye at any stage, regardless, to see whatÂs going on wrt the C:N proportion?

I have the one earth machine for one pile one stage, but will there be levels?

So using my one bin, the C or N component will either be in surplus or demand, will I have an imaginary line with a good C:N mixture below, composting on the bottom of the pile, And will I need to turn above and below that imaginary line, as lower stuff will be more ready than higher stuff. OR should I keep the whole pile a good C:N mixture and leave out all extras until I have a supply compliment component. That is: Does this mean digging out or adding component at level 4 and putting it at level 3, or 2 to 1, etc; can there be many levels?, or always just very lowest to very highest? OR should I just toss it all in (with or without reason) and wait for the one whole pile to tell me whatÂs missing as a whole down the final stretch.

Please jump in anywhere if you can, I canÂt wait any longer to straighten this mess out. I'll take my chances with what I get.

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Comments (5)

Kimmsr
16 years ago
Very few of us that have been composting for a long time really look up the C:N ratio of what we put into the pile, but we do kind of, more or less, pay some attention to proportions of each type of material. Generally "browns" are high Carbon Materials (but not always) and "greens" are, generally, high Nitrogen materials. Manures are "greens", just to confuse new composters. But you are getting all worked up over nothing really. Put what you have in a pile in what looks like a roughly proper proportion, but keep track of what you did, and if that works really well keep doing that. If that does not work change something and see if that works. A good tutorial can be found at Florida's Online Composting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida's Online Composting
chris_ont
16 years ago
I've had the earth machine for quite some time. I don't have a lot of kitchen waste, but I toss in root- and seedless weeds and other garden clippings to make up for that.
I just toss in what I have - I use the composter in part to reduce landfill garbage and to keep the yard neat :)

If it looks too dry I add more greens, if it's too wet I add more browns. Give it a good stir once in a while and it's all good.
I got a lawn bag full of DRY, relatively seedless lawn clipping from a friend early in the season (mine get mulched) which I keep on hand for browns. I also use shredded office paper. I don't use newspaper much because it clumps unless you tear it up very fine.

I suppose it all depends on how fast you want your compost to be finished. If time is not an issue, then anything will compost eventually. With my small household and garden, I get perhaps one bin full per season (I spread whatever looks mostly done out in the fall and it's finished by the spring).

I do chop all kitchen waste (include papertowel that doesn't have cleaners on it, too) and tear up larger leaves/stalks before adding them to speed things up. Big stuff like corn cobs or melon rinds go into the city's green waste pick up. Their huge piles heat up much better than my wee bin :)

I don't get why you want to cover the slits, though. You need those for ventilation.
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bentley_on
Original Author
16 years ago
I had a pile of mainly grass once for a month or so, and it was very badly smelly. I want to be able to shut it off. I guess velcro is a start. I am using this to tidy up, that and they don't pick up grass anymore, and since I have a pool, mulching cutting hasn't been tried yet, so initailly and maybe necesarily, I'll have a lot of grass, and like to know how to deal with that. I can use lots of dirt.
bentley_on
Original Author
16 years ago
update;
I just got a donation of a couple 1/2 full bags of dried out leaves (C),
looks like mainly apple.

So I have:
years grass (N) - two+ heavy garbage cans full (pool, so no mulching - at
least not yet)
couple 1/2 full bags of dried out leaves (C)
all the newspaper I need (C)
privat hedge clippings (a heavy batch just clipped yesterday) (N?)

SO, can I get ALL my container clean-up done by dumping everything into my
new composter (i.e. ALL 2+ cans grass)?

Even if, since I have lots of grass, and potentially a compliment N shortage
b/c of it, is it a good idea to vary the sources of the N, i.e. add hedge
clippings too even though I have lots of N in the form of grass already?
bentley_on
Original Author
16 years ago
and then I can get to my kitchen, so I need that link to what to do with everything. Actually I just thought of this b/c I am not sure if to do anything to my hedge clippings, like chop them to bits, or just put them in; they were only max 6" long, half that (3") average yesterday.

Modifying and starting with components in my earthmachine

Comments (5)

Kimmsr

chris_ont

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Modifying and starting with components in my earthmachine

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chris_ont

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