Any Composters Here?

[RossA]

I see that Rusty has started his compost pile. I have only one word for you, Rusty: BIGGER!
We have always found that as we really commit ourselves to composting, we add stuff to the pile faster than it can break down. I'm constantly wanting more room to add more stuff.
My wife is a certified Master Gardener, and she has learned a lot about composting through her gardening seminars. As I have watched and learned, I saw how logical this process is. Putting back the living microbes into the soil which we have killed off using chemical fertilizers.
All it takes is a few square feet of land (preferably in the direct sunlight), some sort of enclosure (brick or cinder block like Rusty's, wood planks, wire mesh, etc.), and all of the organic scraps you can throw on it. Almost anything which comes from plants is fair game, but leftover vegetable scraps, shredded up newspapers, and grass clippings are some of the favorite things for most folks to add. NO animal products, please.
Compost will provide the most efficient and economical fertilizer you can use, and your compost pile continually renews itself as you continue to add more to it.
As more of us will be "growing our own" in the bad times, compost will help increase crop size due to healthier soil, and make what we grow more nutritious since it won't have added artificial chemicals.
Start a pile now and you'll amaze yourself.

[herbalpagan]

I have a large compost pile and one of those turning drum composters. I wouldn't garden without a pile. I do tend to be more "informal" with my composting, letting it decompose naturally, which takes a bit longer, but is less work when I'm in a busy time.

[KY_Longrifle]

I built my compost piles out of 6 old pallets and chicken wire. They are a great addition to our garden. It's a good feeling to know I'm not ingesting a barrage of chemical fertilizers, and personally I can taste the difference.

We have ours out so our birds can pick through it, in turn make waste on it, and help it quicker, they do like to make quite the mess though.

[RossA]

BTW, what Rusty said in his thread about putting "recycled Guinness" on the pile is true. I have listened to lectures from one of the most respected compost experts in the state, and she says that when her husband's buddies come over to drink beer, she makes them go outside to relieve themselves on the compost pile.

[Brosia]

I've picked out the spot already for my compost pile! This'll be my first year gardening, so I've never had a need for a compost pile before. I absolutely refuse to use any sort of chemical in my garden, so the compost will be a must.

[RossA]

Another thing to remember is:
DO NOT use compost AND chemical fertilizers, too.
The chemical fertilizers kill the natural microbes, and the compost puts them back. No matter how much compost you use, if you also use chemical stuff you will kill all of the beneficial microbes that the compost is putting back in.
I try to tell this to people and some of them think they are doing better if they use both! They just don't understand they are cancelling out the good that the compost does.

[tony]

I just made one from a old platic 55 gal drum. It makes aerating easy, just roll it. There's also no need to transfer to a wheelbarrow then to the garden.

[Rustyshakelford]

I compost, as you saw in my thread. Problem here in the desert is that the soil has almost no biological activity. I added lots of sugar and coke to the pile to add sugar to feed the micro-bugs. I added some Kefir to add bugs, and recycled Guinness adds lots of ammonia.

I also add lots of sulphur to the pile. This formulae is simple. The soil here is about 8.1 (thats very alkalai). The bugs in the soil eat the sulphur. One of the byproducts is sulphuric acid which neutralizes the soil. I also added peat moss and composted cotton hulls to the actual soil. Both are acidic.

Into the pile I try to add lots of coffee grounds. I have been taking home lots of coffee grounds home from the office, and also adding mine from home. Grass clippings, and any scraps of vegatable stuff from the kitchen, and egg shells are good too.

I also rinse out my Kefir bottles and add that to the pile.

I am not an expert. This is just what I do and it makes sense from a chemical standpoint.

Old gunpowder works well too. It is a great fertilizer.

[lazer128]

I never have. Never understood how the small amount most people generate makes much difference? I'll mulch with "ruinrd" hay or straw and work this in the soil after the growing season. I'll also cover the garden with 12-16" of leaves in the fall and work them in too. Guess that's the advantage of living where we have plenty of such material. :cool:

[Xolar]

I hava nice compost pile going from last years garden I started it a little late so hopefully its ready for next year

[Vicious Ignernt]

BTW, what Rusty said in his thread about putting "recycled Guinness" on the pile is true. I have listened to lectures from one of the most respected compost experts in the state, and she says that when her husband's buddies come over to drink beer, she makes them go outside to relieve themselves on the compost pile.

I'd bet she just wants 'em outta the house.:cool:

I don't compost, but I have been called trashy.:D

[RossA]

Old gunpowder works well too. It is a great fertilizer.

A couple of things:

Coffee Grounds: Excellent, also just throw the used coffee filter in along with the grounds.

Sugar: Molasses is one of the best things to add, but leftover Coke, beer (not that I ever leave a half empty beer), etc. all add sugar for "microbe food."

Now where I must disagree: Gunpowder. It is true that gunpowder has nitrogen which is one of the key elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium or NPK) which soil needs.
BUT---the very purpose of composting is to put microbes back into the soil which will produce all of these chemicals on their own as a part of their life process. When you begin to add artificial chemicals (whether it's gunpowder or Scott's fertilizer), you actually help to kill the microbes that the compost has produced. That's why I said above that once you start using compost, stay away from artificial chemicals. Don't kill the microbes that you have worked to bring to life.