Composting

Pal

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

Try this link as it gives examples.

And go easy on the conifer clippings as they take a lllooonnnnggg time to break down.

Thanks for that, albeit too late. My compost head has a small amount of conifer clippings that, after 3 months, still look as good as they did on the tree.

Then again, my compost heap doesn't appear to be working at all at the moment. I swear that the vegetables I put in all look better than when they were in the fridge.

I am considering switching the fridge off and simply storing food in the compost heap instead.

Ted_Hutchinson

Composting problems
The best activator to get your compost building up some heat in the pile is urine. An empty milk container kept by the loo for donations from your menfolk can be topped up with water and sprinkled over the compost. Even straw well soak with the above will rot down nicely.

If your compost heap is in a secluded place this activator may be added directly.

Pal

I don't have menfolk!!!! I have a harem of women flocking around me at all times!!!

Well, one women anyway. And she doesn't really "flock".

"Ignore" might be more accurate.

I would consider asking Mrs Pal to wee into a container but I haven't got any film for the video camera.

Looks like the neighbours are going to get a shock next time I am in the garden. The compost bin is about four foot tall so I am going to have to be accurate....

squeaky

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

Composting problems
The best activator to get your compost building up some heat in the pile is urine. An empty milk container kept by the loo for donations from your menfolk can be topped up with water and sprinkled over the compost. Even straw well soak with the above will rot down nicely.

If your compost heap is in a secluded place this activator may be added directly.

The info in my gardening book says the urine should be diluted by about 4 to 1 to save the lime "burning" the compost.

HTH

Debt_Free_Chick

Pal wrote:

Thanks for that, albeit too late. My compost head has a small amount of conifer clippings that, after 3 months, still look as good as they did on the tree.

Then again, my compost heap doesn't appear to be working at all at the moment. I swear that the vegetables I put in all look better than when they were in the fridge.

I am considering switching the fridge off and simply storing food in the compost heap instead.

LOL!

You just need more "hot stuff". At this time of the year, grass cuttings are best. If you don't have any, I'm sure your neighbours will oblige ;-)

But the conifers will take about 2 years to rot down. It's not a problem if you dig the compost into your veg patch, as the conifer will continue to rot down, beneath the surface

Debt_Free_Chick

Pal wrote:

I don't have menfolk!!!! I have a harem of women flocking around me at all times!!!

Oh for heavens' sake - do women have to do everything around here?

Pee on it yourself!

Ted_Hutchinson

squeaky wrote:

The info in my gardening book says the urine should be diluted by about 4 to 1 to save the lime "burning" the compost.HTH

Heard that before but I've had no trouble with "Burning" the compost through using undiluted pee and I've been using it for years. I've chickens so there's usually quite a bit of staw in my compost which I think needs the nitrogen the urine provides. I did however suggest a milk container to be topped up after a donation. If you want to stick to the one to four ratio the normal bladder contains about a pint so a six pint container will be more than adequate however a four pt will do as this is a rough and ready guide and in my experience no harm will be done if a higher concentration is applied. I think your book may be overstating the influence of lime as urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 and 7.0 which is slightly acid rather than alkaline.

squeaky

Possibly - it's an old old old one. Written in the days when people might not have drunk as much we tend to these days. I guess if you drink a lot of coffee, as I do, then it's already quite well diluted.

Noozan

Eeeek! I just went out to empty my kitchen waste tub into the compost bin and there's maggots all over the inside of the lid :eek: I have a big round plastic bin sited on concrete, it has a layer of soil on the bottom and then I've chucked in fruit and veg peelings, tea bag contents, egg shells, weeds, dead plant material, chicken poo, few bits of torn newspaper.

I put in two tubs of dendra worms a while back to help it along too. The stuff in the bin doesn't seem too wet and doesn't smell though. I can't reach in to turn it over as it's a huge bin and I have to stand on a stool just to open the lid to put things in; although there is a little hatch at the bottom for digging out the compost when it's ready.

Are the maggots a bad sign? I just took the lid off for now and put it upside down in the chicken enclosure but I'm a bit worried. Please help!

squeaky

Shouldn't really be a problem. Presumably there was some waste meat in there? If so, it's not recommended to put meat into a composter.

In any event the answer you want most is ---> Here


A useful site for composting information is ---> Here