How to compost

16 years ago

Okay so earlier this week I wanted to know if it was too late to plant a cover crop and then decided to cover all my vegetable beds with shredded leaves. Now after reading all the threads on composting it leaves me to wonder how stupid am I to have a 5,000 square feet vegetable garden and not be composting. I've either been a little busy being a mom or just a little slow. Either way I have 5 acres and access to all kinds of yard waste. I have a tractor and can start a pile so is there a recommended way to layer stuff or turn it? Is it better to shred stuff before I pile it? Can I put anything like corn stalks and large heavy stems? Should I cover it with plastic? How long will it take until it's finished? Thanks Cherie

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

bpgreen
16 years ago
I'm impressed at the size of your garden. My entire lawn is only about 4000 sq ft.

As a general rule, you can add anything that has lived to a compost pile. That includes all of the items you listed. Shredding stuff will speed the process, but in the end, it will all compost.

The easiest way to start compost is to just start piling the things in the same place. If you can shred first, that will help, but it isn't necessary.

I use a plastic bin, but many people build bins with pallets or fencing. Some people just use free standing piles.

I use a shovel and a bulb auger to mix my compost, but I've got a fairly small bin (about 10-15 cu ft). If you have a large bin/pile, you may want to use some kind of attachment on the tractor to turn it (I have no experience in this, but I'm sure there's something that would work for you).

You want to keep it moist (but not wet). I wouldn't cover it with plastic unless you have a lot of rain and it is getting too wet. In that case, I might cover it loosely. But you don't want to restrict airflow.

If it starts to smell, it is probably either too wet or it has too much nitrogen. The solution for either of these is to add more high carbon matter (such as leaves, shredded paper, cardboard, sawdust, etc) and to turn it.

If it isn't heating up, it probably needs more nitrogen (manure, coffee grounds, green leaves). And/or it needs to be turned. And/Or it is either too wet or too dry.

I've had batches of compost finish in a couple of weeks and I've had batches that took months. When I was a kid, we had sort of a perpetual compost pile. It was never turned and we just dug compost from the bottom when we needed some finished stuff.
0
digdirt2
16 years ago
Cherie - a good place to start here is with all the FAQ's. They will cover all the basic info to get you started and also discuss several different ways to do it. Lots of great info there.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Forum FAQ's on composting
0
Related Discussions
how to compost chicken manure
Q
Comments (2)
Fresh manure is treated as a green, more nitrogen than carbon. The general benefit is that people usually like adding manure, but even without manure, they can still get good compost. Put it in your active compost bin and treat it through your 3-bin system, over time moving it to the eventually finished bin and using it.
...See More
How much compost is too much compost?
Q
Comments (13)
A level of organic matter in soil of about 6 to 8 percent is optimal. To get to that level requires a lot of organic material, compost is one source. How much, if any, organic matter is in that soil now? Too much organic matter in soil can be detrimental rather than helpful because the soil then could retain too much moisture which will cause more problems. Perhaps these simple soil tests may be of some help. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. kimmq is kimmsr
...See More
How I compost
Q
Comments (4)
The big question: where are you? ================== That's my method too, because of the low effort. I usually have one bin that is being filled and one or more that are sitting around composting themselves. Main ingredients are kitchen waste, kitty litter (urine-soaked sawdust from the pellet fuel we use, minus poop, so it's high nitrogen), leaves and weeds. Occasionally a small critter found dead in the yard is buried in the pile. http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2015/05/diy-cheap-compost-bin.html Grass clippings can be layered with something that is very fibrous - dry weed stalks, pine needles, coarse sawdust, shredded cardboard or similar stuff to let air into the center of the stack. Otherwise they mat down and go anaerobic, stinky and slimy. If grass is your major input, consider inserting a chunk of those 4 or 6" perforated PVC pipes in the middle for extra air. I have to water my bins because this is such a dry climate that even dead leaves last for several years. A couple months before I know I will need the compost, I systematically water the bins to accelerate the composting process. I sift mine before use and toss the unfinished stuff into another bin. http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2015/05/diy-trommel-sifter-for-compost.html And,because it's low temp and doesn't kill weed seeds ... http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2016/11/dealing-with-weed-seeds-in-compost.html You can see from the pictures that it's pretty coarse, which is what the silty sand I have for dirt needs to hold some water in it.
...See More
Does anyone have any tips on how to compost efficiently?
Q
Comments (9)
People compost for different reasons. For example: They have scrap vegetable matter they don't want to add to a landfill. They want free soil amendments for their garden Note that the first reason focuses on the input - you want to use up excess materials, and the second reason focuses on the output - you need more compost. What works best for you depends on which side of the equation you want to prioritize. Another factor has to do with where you live. If you are in a rural area on a large property then having compost piles on the edge of the property is nothing anyone would notice. In the suburbs piles of vegetation may not be as easily hidden, and in the city you have very little space to begin with and have to factor in rats. Large bins make more sense in suburban yards and tumblers may be the only possible "rat proof" option for the city. However, I agree with Floral_UK - if your definition of "efficient" is least amount of work and most potent end product - slow cold composting is the way to go. Put a bunch of carbon-rich material (leaves, twigs, wood) in a pile or bin and let it sit for a couple of years (longer if there are chunks of wood), and you will end up with a rich, moist hummus that would benefit any type of soil. After all, this is the way Mother Nature does it and this process created all the fertile soil on Earth. If you want fast, then start with the same pile but: Chop everything into small bits Add "green" nitrogen-rich materials as well Make the pile as big as you can - bigger than 1 meter square at the smallest. The bigger it is the faster it will go. A steaming mountain of brown and green material will stay warm even in the winter. And hotter = faster. Turn the pile every couple of weeks You can get usable compost in about six months. But it will have less nutrients because much of the nitrogen has been used up in the process. That, plus the extra labor involved, is the cost of going fast and hot versus slow and cold.
...See More
Related Professionals
Allen Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Tomball Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · McKinney Landscape Contractors · Alamo Landscape Contractors · Bridgeview Landscape Contractors · Brunswick Landscape Contractors · Edwardsville Landscape Contractors · Glendale Heights Landscape Contractors · Raleigh Landscape Contractors · Shirley Landscape Contractors · Wailuku Landscape Contractors · West Orange Landscape Contractors · Vadnais Heights Landscape Contractors · Dorchester Center Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Batavia Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures
Kimmsr
16 years ago
Another good source of information is the Florida Online Composting Tutorial linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida's Online Composting Tutorial
0
cherie-grow
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks everyone, I've been raking leaves all day to start my pile and my neighbor later today is going to drop off his garden shredder. I'm almost tempted to check with my neighbors to see if they would like to have a community compost pile. They drop off there yard waste and food scraps and I'll take care of it by turning it, my husband has a mini excavator so I could turn it with the bucket. We all live on 5 acres out here and a lot of us have gardens, who knows they probably are already composting.
0
kqcrna
16 years ago
Cherie: With that much space and material, you are sitting on a goldmine. Compost will do wonderful things for your garden. Good luck, and have fun.

Karen
0
dchall_san_antonio
16 years ago
For the amount you have, you might consider getting a weanling pig and letting the pig process the garden left overs for you. You'll have to compost the pig's poop under leaves to keep the smell down. Finally at Christmas you can invite the pig to be dinner.
0

How to compost

Comments (6)

bpgreen

digdirt2

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Kimmsr

cherie-grow
Original Author

kqcrna

dchall_san_antonio

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How to compost

Comments (6)

bpgreen

digdirt2

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Kimmsr

cherie-growOriginal Author

kqcrna

dchall_san_antonio

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

cherie-grow
Original Author