How do you use a compost?
Question:i just moved into a house with a backyard compost. i have no idea what to put in it, what not to put in it. do i need to get worms or dirt? i'm completely clueless. i require as much information as possible. even if you think its a given i'll need to know. thanks
Answers:
There are two basic ways to compost - "hot" and "cold."
Hot compost includes yard clippings, vegetable food scraps, and even paper (unbleached, without color inks). These materials are rich in cellulose, which is hard to break down.
You need microbes (toss in dirt from your backyard) and nitrogen to get your hot pile going. Nitrogen comes from green things (grass clippings, most leaves, most vegetable kitchen scraps) and some amendments (blood meal, chicken manure). Try it without the amendments at first, and then add some if your hot pile isn't working.
I consider a hot pile working if a corn cob is reduced to a crumbly, featherweight shell in 2-3 weeks. Hot piles work best in sun and without much moisture.
Cold piles include mainly vegetable kitchen scraps and paper. Cold composting relies on worms. I have had luck in California with the earthworms in my yard, but many garden speciality stores would be happy to sell you fancy worms. I honestly do not know what the advantage is.
A cold pile should be moist. Sunlight tends to dry it out, but don't let it get soggy. You should be able to reach in (choose the right time and spot to do this), and pull out a handful of spongy, moist but not dripping material after a month of starting. If it's too wet, add cellulose (brown matter, including nontoxic paper as in a hot bin, dry leaves, sawdust). Cold piles that are too wet tend to stink, whereas they can smell quite nice when working correctly.
Coffee grounds are great in a cold pile, and just fine in a hot pile, usually. I think the worms get off on the coffee grounds.
Many stores let composters take their organic matter away. Peet's Coffee sometimes does.
fill with potting soil 3 quarters full,plant flowers,and rocks.
once you get your compost started you can put all old vegetables or food scraps (anything decomposable)
You can put all organic waste matter into it. Though you should avoid meats and oils, dairy products and eggs, as they tend to attract rats and other vermin.
You can get really really scientific with it, layering "green" and "brown" materials alternately (green= kitchen and cooking scraps, like strawberry tops, apple cores, broccoli stems, leftover pasta that went bad in the tupperware in the fridge - fresh grass clippings, anything. brown = dry twigs and dry grass clippings, straw, etc.), and soil, and turning the pile periodically, making sure it gets aerated, and watering it during dry periods so the moisture content is high enough...
But the good news is, compost material will decompose into "compost" (dark, nutrient rich soil) even if you pay absolutely NO attention to how much of each kind of material you put in, or whether you turn it or anything. It'll just take longer to become "done" than if you fuss over it.
Finished compost can be used to amend your garden soil, giving it an organic boost of fertilizer and humos. All good for your soil. "Fussed over", well-tended compost piles will be ready to use in 6 months inthe garden. Untend heaps will take a year to a year and a half.
It's one way to reduce the amount of garbage you produce for the trash - since kitchen scarps will go there instead of into the trash can. It also helps improve your garden soil.
Mine has the imprint of what not to print right on the container since the city sold it for $40.
Coffee grounds, egg shells, banana peels, raw vegetable scraps, flowers, but not cooked vegetables, meat, whole eggs.
Layer with leaves or dirt every week or so and stir often. Black compost will come out of the bottom since even the laziest human alive can do this!
Try this link:
First ask yourself if you are ever going to use the compost.
The next question is how much work, since I just moved in here, am I willing to put into this pile. Third, as an aside, does my community already have a Compost Collection Site?
Afore you ask what I add to my pile be aware that you need to regulate the temps and air in the pile by constant turning the pile. Do you have a Pitch-Fork, shovel, and wheel-barrow to move this stuff? I would think that creating my own interior and redesigning the exterior would take more priority than some person's (forgive the expression) crap pile.
Let it rot. Back-fill with top soil, however, do not use the site for vegs. Use the site for the planting of either flowering shrubs or flowers for the next few years. Get the cheapest dirt you can to cover over the site.
Compost comes from overgrown and need to hide. If you maintain your turf, shrubs, and trees, you actually do not have anything to compost for yourself. The community Compost will accept and do the work for you. It takes two years to begin the decompost, five years to begin to be effective (with the work and additives) and ends as soil not mulch.
Since you have this compost pile find out if your community has such a resource. You can ingrate yourself by having them make such a remedy available (beginning with them removing your pile of garbage). Each community is basically required to have such a site.
Compost is a collection of garbage and disease. It will attract bugs, and vermin. A collection of diseased limbs put in a pile, allowed to rot, does not eliminate the disease. Placing my garbage into the mix allows for vermin to burrow and leave their waste. The combination equals a healthy ground for insects.
Place a thermometer into the center of the compost pile now. When it reaches 100 or above you are going to need to use the Pitch-Fork to turn over the entire pile to reduce the heat less it selfcombust. Bigger the pile, bigger the turn has to be.
Let that pile go. Concentrate on making a real new home for you. Make plans for the Holidays and for what it is you want to do in the Spring (Interior and Exterior). Do let a pile of cr.. detract you from your real goal of a home.
Do you plan to plant a garden? Just flowers, or veggies and fruits, if so? What did the previous people put in the compost? This will determine what it can be used for.
If you are growing food you plan to eat, it is important that nothing with chemicals on it was ever put in the composter or compost pile that you plan to spread on your edible garden. This includes flowers from florists...they use tons of noxious chemicals on them to keep them 'fresh'. This also includes yard waste from a pesticide or herbicide treated back yard. If it's in the compost, it will get into your food, and you will eat it, and God only knows what that stuff does deep in our cells.
OK, so let's say there's been no chemical stuff added to the pile. What you want to put in are: coffee grounds, all fruit and veggie trimmings, rinds and cores, tea bags, anything that was once a plant can go in. Weeds and grass trimmings from your untreated lawn also can go in. All of these are the 'greens' meaning nitrogen sources for the compost.
Also eggshells, crushed shrimp and lobster shells, anything like that adds calcium and helps balance the pH of the soil.
Finally, you want a lot of 'browns' i.e. carbon materials in your pile. Best is shredded dry autumn leaves. Next best is shredded brown unprinted unbleached paper or cardboard. There should ideally be about 3 parts 'browns' to 1 part 'greens' for the proper breakdown to occur. Do add a shovelful of clean soil to add microbes to start breaking down the other stuff. Keep it moist but not wet. Turn it as often as you think of it to add air, this also helps it break down.
The compost should never have a bad odor. If it does, do the following:
Add more dry browns
Let the pile dry out some
Turn it more often
Use less greens, especially grass clippings
Mix it very well!
An excess of greens and too much water and too little turning will cause a bad smell to develop...this does not mean the compost can't be used, but it isn't very pleasant. The carbons will remove odor as they help it break down.
Starbucks has bags and bags of used coffee grounds bagged and in a basket for gardeners to take free of charge from any outlet. These are fantastic in the compost.
So, if you don't know what's been put in the compost previously, I would not use it on edible crops, myself. It would be fine for flowers and ornamentals.
But do use it...it will improve your soil immensely and make your plants very happy and healthy!
Having a compost pile and using it can be simple. Basically, you can put anything that will decompose easily on it like table scraps like vegetable and fruits, egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels, grass clippings and leaves. Don't put things on it like meats, oil, sticks or bones (left over from your steak).
Every few days (or whenever you feel like it) you can water the compost, this will help thing decay faster. About every 1-2 weeks, flip the pile around with a pitch fork, so some of the stuff you put on top will be under the other stuff, this will also help in getting everything to decay faster.
When things are decayed, more likely the next year, you can use the compost that has turned into 'dirt' and mix that in with some of your soil for some natural fertilizer.
Happy composting
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