Have started a compost pile

theaceofspades

15 years ago

using flower garden clean up, orchard fruit, leaves and kitchen waste.

How important is it to flip pile over.

Seemed dry inside do I water it. Has lots of insects and worms.

Do steak pork chicken dinner bones break down.

Do fresh hardwood ashes benefit compost or slow breakdown.

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Comments (10)

west9491
15 years ago
flipping the pile is not really important, some people never do, but you get faster compost by turning it. read up about the carbon/nitrogen ratio if you want faster compost (kills weed seeds too)
i don't think the bones break down
and i've been told that ashes will not help the pile very much.
theaceofspades
Original Author
15 years ago
Does compost starter used in tumblers work good on ground piles?

If I build up a compost pile over a wood pallet so air circulates through two sides, would the increased airflow break down the pile faster or cool it down too much.
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I agree that the size of your pile is presently to small. However, if you keep adding material to it little by little it will enlarge enough to start working and continue the composting process by the end of winter. I never start my compost pile directly on the ground or any other hard surface. Instead, I generally use wooden pallets for the base to raise the pile off the ground. On top of the pellets I place a layer of small branches, corn stocks, or other such material. Then I start adding leaves, vegetable plants from my garden cleanup, weeds which have not gone to seed and other plant material as available to approx. one foot deep. I have access to manure from chickens, rabbits and other farm animals and spread a couple of inches of the manure on top of the previous material. The manure generally has earth when mixed in so no need for me to sprinkle some soil onto the pile. I then mix the materials together with a rake and add water and mix again until the material is as wet as a wrung out sponge. Then I go through the same process adding on top of what I have already done and pile gets bigger as time goes on. My reason for starting my compost pile on top of the wooden pellets with the addition of some roughage over that is to help increase the amount of air going through the pile.Since the compost microbes that breakdown the material need oxygen in order to survive this is my way of improving the air flow. The addition of to much water to the pile or using water soaked material will inhibit the air flow and can cause some of the bad smell that is created. There are various methods used by different individuals which work for them. This is my method and has served me well of a number of years. Sorry for such a lengthy reply but my hope is that it may assist you in your compost making. Don't get discouraged and you will come up with a working pile which results in some great compost when finished.
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rj_hythloday
15 years ago
Compost starter is a waste imho. All you need to get a pile started cooking is fresh grass clippings and shredded(mowed) leaves. Every thing else will just contribute to the effect. Make sure you mix kitchen waste in well, not just one big clump and rebury it under leaves. Enough carbon - leaves,shredded paper, cardboard - is essential to make sure it doesn't start to stink. 75/25 c/n is a pretty good rule, it's not exact science but too much nitrogen will get it stinking fast.
bpgreen
15 years ago
Bones will eventually break down. The hotter the compost, the faster they'll break down. I wouldn't add meat or bones unless I could be pretty sure the compost would be above 135F for at least 3 days after adding them. I'd also make sure they went into the middle of the pile and got covered right away so the microbes get to eat them and not the cats, raccoons, mice, etc.
theaceofspades
Original Author
15 years ago
That pretty much sums it up for me. This weekend I will try running rib and chicken bones through the branch chipper to get more N.
Kimmsr
15 years ago
Those bones will not add much, if any, Nitrogen although they can cause the bacteria that are digesting what is there to use more. Turning a pile of compost will get, if its done right, the material on the outside of the pile intothe center of the pile where the bacteria are most active, but as West has already stated it is not altogether necessary to do. As with many other things wood ash in small quantities will neither help nor harm your compost but in larger quantities the wood ash can stop digestion, moderation is the key. Building your compost on top of a pallet is not necessary either, and in my experience that pallet on the bottom simply makes getting the compost out of the bin much more difficult then necessary.
All that "compost starters" really are is a high Nitrogen source that is really expensive. No matter what the ads may say about them having "special" bacteria what you need to get the material digested is present on the material you put into your compost and the only thing they need would be the proper conditions to get to work, no "magic elixars" are necessary.
annpat
15 years ago
The only reason that I don't usually put chicken or pork bones in my compost is they get very splintery and my dog makes regular early withdrawals from my piles. I do compost her old marrow bones.

I do not like woodash in my compost. I prefer to spread it lightly on my lawn during the winter.

Since you don't live anywhere near me, I'll share two hints with you. You don't want to leave home between Nov. 1 and Nov. 5th without a bucket in your car for smashed pumpkin collection. You also want to pay attention to hay bale displays in front of grocery stores. Sometime in Nov., those displays get tossed and usually can be yours for the asking.
greentfinger
15 years ago
Well I drilled the holes in my galvanized garbage can(3/8 inch and every other rib and about 6 inches apart), put in some Bird of Paradise and Ti Plant leaves and stems cut into two inch pieces, added some shredded paper and a few torn up cardboard boxes and soaked the conglomeration for an hour or so. Now, living in FL, I have a surplus of Grapefruit peelings, orange peelings, fallen fruit and Laurel Oak leaves. Question: Will too much grapefruit mess up my future compost? Should the Oak leaves be laid on top of the cardboard or mixed in with it? It's all new to me so I'm open for advise.
rj_hythloday
15 years ago
The leaves will do much better shredded or mowed. They take a long time to break down whole.
dons916
15 years ago
theaceofspades I'm glag you ask thes questions as I am fairly new to composting on a bigger scale.
I to was wondering about the wood ashes. I have been adding then to the compostbile can't say ya or na if it helps,But it is one way to get rede of them
Living in the country I have a readly supply of Goat manure that I add
Don in Ca

Have started a compost pile

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west9491

theaceofspades
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Have started a compost pile

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theaceofspadesOriginal Author

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