Back in the summer my neighbor and I took a County Extension class on composting. I had been composting by just piling up leaves and letting them sit for a year or more. The class sparked my interest in composting and this summer I took an old plastic trash can and drilled one inch holes in the sides and top, then added leaves, grass clippings and veggie trimmings, eggshells, coffee grounds, etc. from my kitchen. Every month or so, I've turned the can over and taken out whatever was composted and then added more to it. I've left my leaves and grass clippings piled up near the can so I am able to easily add them when I add kitchen waste. I just harvested about half a trash can of compost for my roses and started a new batch.
I'm wondering, does everyone compost? If so, what method do you use? What do you use to make it? What type of container do you use? What do you use it on? How long does it take to get compost in your area?
I did put some on my brugs this year but my antique roses are the main plants I use it on. I noted which brugs I dug it in around this year and I want to see if they do better over the winter with it and then will try it again in the Spring.
Michele
Jacksonville, Fl
Zone 9a
Nature, in order to be commanded must be obeyed. Sir Francis Bacon
Michele, I do the composting thing too.
I'm out of leaves and compost right now, just waiting for more to fall to start up again.
For my method... I don't have a container to hold it, there was just a huge (8' to 10' long, 3' to 4' wide, at it's largest) pile in a semi-hidden part of the yard. Nothing else grows there anyway.
First I piled in the leaves, and since I was feeling energetic at the time, it was getting turned and stirred every week. When I turned the pile, I added in all of the other stuff, same stuff you're adding, always making sure to leave a nice thick layer of leaves on top to cover the smell. Occasionally, if I had leftover fertilizer, I'd pour it on the pile.
We've found that mixing it in with the soil in pots was ok as long as it was only a little and mixed in very well, if there was too much the roots didn't grow through it. It did make a decent mulch though. I'm sure it must be adding nutrients to the soil, but I still fertilize.
This next time around, I think I'm going to mow the leaves before I add them to the pile. The little bits break down faster, and make, imo, a better compost.
For how long, it was mostly during last winter... I'd say it started looking like decent stuff after about a couple of months. Just remember that the more you turn it, the faster it'll be done. The aerobic bacteria work faster than the anaerobic bacteria. When you first start, the aerobic bacteria do most of the work. Then, when the oxygen runs out, the anaerobic bacteria take over. When you turn the pile, you add oxygen and the aerobic bacteria kick back in.
Lynne
USDA Zone 9b
Heat Zone 10
Bradenton, Florida
I'd like to add my 5 cents worth of info. What I have noticed locals doing here, in addition to what you are already doing, is setting fire to the dry compost on the outside edge. Once burned, they spray water on the pile, and turn the ash into the pile. It makes the compost pile react faster.
I have a little pile I just add 'stuff' too, but also have a worm compost. For fertilizing my plants I collect cow manure, and add it to a large plastic barrel with a spigot, the fill it with water, to produce a manure 'tea'in a few weeks.
Patricia,
What do you mean they set the edge of the pile on fire? That sounds interesting, I'd like a few more details before I try it. I think I could do it safely here because the area with my compost is a shaded moist area.
Michele
Jacksonville, Fl
Zone 9a
Nature, in order to be commanded must be obeyed. Sir Francis Bacon
The outside edge around the compost pile, will dry out first, due to exposure to the air, unless it's raining of course.The locals would set fire the dry grass clippings or whatever is at this edge. After the fire has gone out, they add water to the ash (now steaming) and 'turn' in the burnt residue into the pile.
I watched one man do this, who raised orchids mostly, many times. Then later collected the worms to go fishing!
I compost I don't get enough for all my needs in my opinion...but I keep adding these beds......
I add kitchen scraps,Bagless vacume contents,dryer lint,shredded paper...old soil,fish guts,horse manure.weeds.old sodas.And fall is here.....so now I'll soon be burning 150 calories an hour rakeing! my leafs fall in seasons..theres like 4 of them....right now i'm in that crappy elm,fig tree& ash season.I'd really love a yard vac that shreds& mulches& a chipper.I'd be in heaven then.
current compost pile is made on old garden strip its 8 ft long 3-4 ft wide.I've been doing better about turning it this year.I've just about used the old pile up and have been sifting it and throwing what don't sift in compost pile.And still have some left in a 2& 3 yr old pile,but use it as top dressing.
I think my plants did lots better with the top dressing of compost under mulch& manure tea made from the compost.I used an areateor with the tea to brew it faster,plus set it on metal in sun.........plus!I got a garden claw now....and it come in handy composting too!
Joy,
How do you sift it? What do you use to sift it? When I harvested mine there was some stuff that was still rather big. I also add paper from our office shredder.
Michele
Jacksonville, Fl
Zone 9a
Nature, in order to be commanded must be obeyed. Sir Francis Bacon
If everyone will please humor me I'm still obsessing about composting. Joy, you had said you sift yours, how do you sift it? Do you use some type of screen? if so, what is the screen made out of?
Michele
Jacksonville, Fl
Zone 9a
Nature, in order to be commanded must be obeyed. Sir Francis Bacon
Lynn, I have a mulch mower and I add the bag attachment in the fall to catch the grass AND the chopped up leaves together (green & brown, as they say...). I spread it over my garden and till it right in with my Mantis.
Michele, as for composting, I have four black compost bins (the kind seen in gardening magazines for $99.95 each) that I got brand new, still in the box at a flea market for a total of $18 for all. What a find!
I put the excess leaves, grass, ash from our wood stove, garden waste, kitchen waste, old potting soil, etc. in it and just leave it over the winter. (I don't even turn it, though I know I should..) In the spring, I plant my butternut squash seeds directly in the bin. They LOVE it!This year I harvested 75 butternut which will be given to friends or overwintered in my basement.
I also have two rain barrels that feed off one of my gutters: one of them for plain rain water, the other for manure tea. Plus...I add manure to the garden every spring.
I've found that compost doesn't work well for annuals - it's to rich for them. But I side dress everything else with the compost.
Kathy,
That is interesting about the compost being too rich for annuals, I never have noticed that but our soil is very, very sandy. I've spent years adding compost and leaves to my backyard to get the soil to have some substance. I'm finally seeing results.
So do you screen yours into the final bin? I have a pile like Lynne but I have an old large trash can with 1" holes drilled all down the sides that I use for my final processing. It still comes out a littly chunky so I'm wondering what to screen it with. Hardware cloth seems a little too fine, even 1/2 inch but I can't think of what other material would be good to use as a screen. I may have to attend that compost class again.
Michele
Jacksonville, Fl
Zone 9a
Nature, in order to be commanded must be obeyed. Sir Francis Bacon
I don't get enough for all my needs in my opinion...but I keep adding these beds......
my leafs fall in seasons..theres like 4 of them....right now i'm in that crappy elm,fig tree& ash season.I'd really love a yard vac that shreds& mulches& a chipper.I'd be in heaven then.