Does anybody here have a compost bin?

[jillan]

I'm seriously thinking about getting one as it makes me sick to watch all of our grass clippings, leaves, etc go to the dump. Plus I love to garden.

Just wondering if anyone can give me any tips on which compost bin to buy. Or any personal experiences making compost.

[Cha]

1. I don't yet cause I live in an

apartment building..but I've contributed to my friend's compost bin with all my organic pulp from juicing last year. She says the worms love it! And we know how important worms are for aerating the soil..nature's little tillers.

This is one site I found that looks good..
http://www.compost-bin.org/organic-compost/

[jillan]

2. thx!

[INDIA]

3. I bought one, then built one.

Size is the biggest decision you'll make, how much detrius do you need to compost? Also make sure that it's relatively enclosed to keep the smells inside.

I used to have a plastic bin. It worked great. But when our needs outgrew that, we basically built what looked like a open horse's stall. It isn't covered at all, but we pile enough into it that the weight and pressure from top compacts the bottom and creates really good stuff. We had to place it pretty far from the house though to avoid the smell, we put it right next to the neighbors property line, lol! No complaints yet!

[babylonsister]

4. I know some people in the Gardening Group have one; you might

want to ask over there:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=246

[jillan]

13. How long have I been at DU and never knew there was a gardening group!

Great - now I'll never get off the computer.

My 2 passions - politics and gardening.:P

[tnlefty]

5. We've composted for many years!

A lot of items that people send to the landfill ends up in our compost. Ours is rather large and is made of crossarms approx. 3 high on 2 sides and 5 high on the back side. We use a pitchfork to turn it occassionally.

I just purchased a small turnable composter to use particularly during the winter when the walk to the larger one in the dark is not so fun. I'll start things in there and then transfer the contents to the larger pile and start over. I found the smaller one at www.gaiamliving.com. I'll try to remember to let you know how it's working for us after it arrives.

[durtee librul]

6. Ours is a really simple one...

It consists of chicken wire in a corner of the yard where we dump grass clippings, chewed up autumn leaves, coffee grounds, fruit rinds (melons, etc) and shredded bills....we turn it about once a week with a pitchfork. We have no problems with any animals getting into it either and we have quite the selection of skunks, possums, squirrels, etc. and they don't bother it.

I have WONDERFUL compost - takes about a month or two and we found that the more we turn it, the quicker it seems to go....and worms.....my do we have the worms! They are great. If we don't get any rain, we squirt it with the hose just to keep it damp.

My grama used to tell me worms were the secret of all good gardens as they tickled the plant roots and made them grow. I'm sure it's a bit more scientific than that, but I love her explanation to this day.

And of course with worms come birds and their beautiful singing.....

Composting is the ONLY way to make your own good dirt. We didn't know if we would 'like' it or not, but now, wouldn't be without it. Great stuff AND ya know what the hell is in it!

[jillan]

16. I loved the grama story.

My grandmother had a beautiful garden too.
My favorite was her cherry tree.

Back then, there weren't all of these chemicals.
So all of these grandparent stories are the ones we all should be listening to.

[OregonBlue]

7. I've had one for years. Just get one big enought ot hold kitchen waste

layered with clippings, etc. As it decomposes I also get huge clumps of worms which I add to my vegetable garden along with the compost. It's very easy. I just have one of the black 36" by 36". I fill it, then move it and cover the pile that is not completely decomposed with black plastic staked down by rocks.

When it gets full again, I do it all over again. I can create really rich soil in any place I want for planting veggies or fruit and feel really good about reusing everything. It's great, it's simple.

[formercia]

8. I compost directly in the garden

I dig out the garden beds in the Spring and line the bottom with yard waste and materials I have stored in bags over the Winter. I sprinkle some ground limestone and soil from the next bed to be dug then add another layer of leaves until the next bed has been turned over. Then I shovel last year's compost from the bottom of the bed onto the top of the new bed.
The main reason I do this is by Spring, there is still organic material decomposing and it helps the soil to thaw. I measured an 8deg F. difference between the temperature of the compost in the bottom of the bed and surrounding soil. The new organic material gives off heat as it decomposed, warming the beds and making the plants grow quicker. Perhaps not important in the South, but here in Maine, it makes a big difference.

I have very good drainage, but waterlogged soil might not allow the oxygen needed for the organisms to break down the material, so results may differ.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. I have a compost heap. As far as what you want/need it depends on your

aesthetics as well as your neighborhood aesthetics and the time and energy you have to put in.


I make my heap by bringing home discarded wooden pallets (4) one for flat on the ground and three sides with one side open. It works great and when it's filled I shovel it into another pallet bin next to it.

Be careful not to add plant material which has be sprayed with herbacides, pesticides, etc. as the may persist and kill garden plants. I have a compost bucket I use to put table scapes (no meat or animals fats, takes forever to brak down)coffe grounds, etc from the house and then empty into the heap.

Also, if you have a source of manure (cow, horse, llama, goats, chickens, bat guano, or even swallow guano gathered from under bridges or other nesting areas) that helps. Wood ashes are also a good thing to add.

The advantage of a rotating bin are the ease and speed of conversion to compost.

Google building a compost heap for more ideas. There is a ton of info out there. I've had a compost heap in every place I've lived where it was doable for the last 30 years.

[Not Sure]

12. No bin, just a heap

I add pretty much anything to it that's biodegradable. It's in the shade all the time, so it's usually moist. I don't use it for gardening, but I do use it for landscaping. There are times I wish I had a bag for my mower, like the first cut of the season (to collect weed seeds), but most of the time I like it just the way it is.

[eleny]

10. I use an old blender for quick composting of kitchen clippings

You can blend up small kitchen wastes in a blender with some water. Then dig a hole in the garden and pour it in. Each time you do it, find a new spot near flowers, bushes or vegetable plantings. It saves having a smelly compost pile.

My mother developed this idea back in the 1960s since having a compost pile in her NYC yard wasn't the best idea. I use this method now since we live in an arid climate where the composting process can take a long time.

This doesn't address your composting of grass and leaves, though.

[jillan]

14. Interesting!

What kinds of things do you put in there?

That is something I can do now.

[eleny]

22. Yes, you can do it today

I blend up just about anything from the kitchen that you would put in a big compost pile and that won't break the blender. Vegetable and fruit peels, rinds and cores. Coffee and tea grounds, eggshells. I also put in yucky plate scrapings. Moldy or dried out bread and things that grew fuzz in the fridge. But definitely add water so you don't burn out your blender. Making more than one batch will also keep the blender from burning out.

I keep putting things into the blender throughout the day and keep it covered. When I have enough for a batch, I add water, churn up the contents and put in the ground. Dig a deepish hole.

I also reserve one blender for the job. The plastic containers can absorb odors after much use for "compost cocktails". Get an inexpensive one after today. Maybe one from the thrift shop or the least fancy from the store.

I noticed that you're in a arid climate, too. If you concentrate on one area of the yard for this, perhaps one flower bed, you'll notice how rich that soil will be after a short while. The worms will be drawn to it and help make the soil even better. I had one smallish area where the soil became as friable as the best store bought soils.

[JanusAscending]

25. That's all well and good but,

when you scrape your leftovers from your plates, I hope you don't put meat or meat products in with it! That's a NO-No. On the other hand, dead fish is one of the best fertilizers in the world. Try throwing one in a hole when you plant something that's deep enough that the cats can't dig it out. Another good thing is to throw a banana peel in the hole when you plant roses. They love the potassium!!

[eleny]

28. I don't worry about a few scrapings with meats

Once they're blended up to practically a liquid along with vegetable peelings, they're fine. They must not put out the odors like a piece of meat.

And yes, yes to the fish. I do add fish bones to my blender for compost along with unfinished bits after a fish dinner.

[blue sky at night]

11. would think twice about grass clippings......

if you own the typical "chemical" lawn grown in america. I don't think the crap they spray on lawns would be any good for vegetable gardening, but otherwise it's a great way to make dirt!

[jillan]

15. Good tip!

Our lawn is grown from seeds, but I bet that my hubby uses fertilizer and insect control chemicals.

Thanks!

[Speck Tater]

17. Mine are 4-ft diam, 4-ft tall rings of field fencing

I have four of them going at the moment. I don't get why someone would BUY a compost bin when all you need to do is heap it up in a pile wide enough and tall enough to hold the heat and moisture. Just be sure to mix plenty of leaves with your grass clippings. Too much "green" and not enough "brown" will give you a smelly, soggy mess.

[jillan]

18. Well I live in suburbia, plus in the Phoenix area

I just would worry about the smell...the monster cockaroaches we have here and the lack of humidity :shrug:

[kestrel91316]

20. A properly built compost pile doesn't smell. You need to be sure to layer in plenty of carbon

(dry brown stuff like shredded leaves etc) to balance the moist green stuff.

[Sal Minella]

19. I have a wormbin (vermicompost bin) in the kitchen, crunched up leaves for bedding,

and all kitchen waste goes in, such as celery butts, coffee grounds, applecores etc. You cover the new scraps with leaf bedding.

I don't know how the worms do it, but when you take the lid off the bin always just smells like nice fresh soil outside in the spring. Redworms, red wigglers, are recommended for vermicompost bins. I've started kitchen bins for many other people and given them away.

[jillan]

21. So basically you put in everything from the kitchen but meat

and dairy products? What about bread products? Probably not.

[Sal Minella]

27. I just never have any leftover bread. The worms love sweet things, will gather under muskmelon rind

placed melon-side down, and they leave only the skeletal tracery from the outside of the rind. Bigger things (broccoli stems) I slice up with a knife before adding.

I'm very aware of this living wormbin as part of the domestic scene, like the cats. Kids love it, and they seem to grasp the whole concept better than adults. And kids don't go "ewwww."

My neighbor has a big compost box outside with lots of worms in it, and her compost never smells, so I don't know what the "smell" problems mentioned here stem from --

Edit: Ah, the question! No meat, yes, no meat or fat or dairy. They just love coffee grounds. Worms living in compost outside become a beautiful deep burgundy red and are very active. When the wormbin residents began looking pallid, I put in a handful of black dirt from outside and they perked right up -- Vitamin D(irt)!

[shraby]

23. Mine is a large one...

I put a layer of those flat patio blocks down and on the sides and ends I built up regular cement blocks so it's 63 inches wide x 42 inches tall x 8 feet long. It can be any size. We've been using it for probably 10 years or more.

It will hold a couple of summer's clippings plus tons of leaves in the fall. After a couple of years, we clean it out. The bottom is all nice black dirt, which is used and the rest is rototilled into the ground. Then it's good to go for another couple of years.
Made of cement blocks, it never has to be replaced and does the job nicely. Toss in all the worms you'd care to.

[roody]

24. You can keep it real simple.

Just start with a pile. If you drink lots of coffee like I do, the compost is extra rich. It should not smell---NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS, only plant matter. If I throw out a bunch of sweet stuff that may start to smell, I just throw some dirt on top.

[NV Whino]

26. I built a three-stall compost area

4 foot high and deep, enclosed with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. I also rigged up a couple of small sprinklers at the top of two of them so when the irrigation comes on, the compost gets watered as well.

I toss fresh garbage into one, cover it from the more composted stuff from the second. And finally, after a month or so, shovel out composted material left at the bottom of the second and screen it into the garden card and dump into third bin. (I have lots of space.) once the second is emptied, I start adding fresh compost to the second and cover with composting material from the first.

[jillan]

29. Thanks everyone - I'm ready :) n/t