Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

How to start and care for compost?

Nighthawk
I have a place where we throw away my wifes fall bails of straw and anything else that will rot outside my little gun range. I would like to turn it into a compost heap. How do I go about this and care for it?
0

Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • p3skyking
    Wet down the pile and throw a black plastic tarp over the top 3/4. Moisture and warmth will cause it to compost PDQ.
    0
  • Locust Fork
    What can you NOT throw in one of these piles??? My guess is that it would have to be turned, or "stirred" from time to time as well. I thought about starting one of these things myself and look foreward to what everyone says to do....and NOT to do.
    0
  • ladyhunter
    don't know alot about them but i know my grandfather went out every few weeks and turned his.
    0
  • Permanently deleted user
    http://www.kitchenwitch.com/compost.html

    http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/homecompost/building.html

    http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Organics/HomeCompost/
    0
  • PennyPincher
    I just cut enough wire mesh to make a circle about 4' across. I toss in my leaves (sometimes I grind them up with the mower), about 12 " worth, toss in a couple of inches of manure from the horse farm down the street, keep layering, wet it down when about half full (2' high), keep layering and wet it down when done. In about a day or so you'll see it starting to shrink. Usually in a month I'll combine a couple into a new pile. I also toss in any lawn cuttings I decide to. Sometimes when the grass gets too long between mowings it clumps up a bunch so I'll collect it up and toss it on the pile. Be careful not to let the grass clippings get too thick because the will clump when wet and stop the process and get slimy and stuff. I also toss any vegetable scraps I have. Never put in meat, fats, oils, grease, etc. I only put in raw vegies or vegies I know have nothing else on them so if they wre on my plate with meat they don't go in. You can put in egg shells IF you wash them really well which I can't be bothered to do so I don't bother. When it gets really dry I might wet them down once or twice during the summer. Last winter my leaves composted really well until it got really cold and the piles froze. They picked up again in the spring when it warmed up a little and I gave them a turn before using them in the garden. Pretty simple. You can add stuff like dried blood which I sometimes do because in the fall I have so much brown leaves and not enough green but the horse manure has taken care of that problem. It's worth it's weight in gold![:D]
    0
  • Mercury
    You CAN put in meat and nasty stuff, but ONLY do it if the smell won't bother you, and flies won't either! The maggots help break the material down. <gag>


    Merc (who once grew a 220 lb pumpkin with some fantastic fish-based compost!)
    0
  • DancesWithSheep
    quote:Originally posted by Mercury
    Merc (who once grew a 220 lb pumpkin with some fantastic fish-based compost!)

    Where is your moderator farm located?
    0
  • Mercury
    quote:Originally posted by DancesWithSheep
    quote:Originally posted by Mercury
    Merc (who once grew a 220 lb pumpkin with some fantastic fish-based compost!)

    Where is your moderator farm located?



    I said FISH-BASED, not POOP-BASED!!!!! [:p][:p][:p]


    Merc
    0
  • andersk
    Making compost is easy ... just throw stuff in a pile and let it rot. Lots of leaves and table scraps and the deed is done. It may be a eeding station for critters, but so what!
    0
  • yawarakai
    You don't get enough compost here? [}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)]
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity