Compost question...

[sunnydog]

Without going microscopic, how does one evaluate compost quality?

I just smell it; I look for a nice, pleasant aroma,exactly like a properly running, naturally filtered and planted fresh water aquarium smells.

Texture I don't like it sticky or gummy.
Anything else to look for?

SD

 

[heady blunts]

good smell, fluffy texture, rich dark color.

it's nice to know what went in there as well.

red flags for me include undigested pieces, too wet, smells like ammonia or smells rancid.

 

[jaykush]

texture is usually a good indicator when dealing with commercial compost. anything that is sifted to the max should be passed on. of course there is smell and color too.

the best indicator is just try it.

or just make your own castings and be done with having to know if its quality.

 

[mad librettist]

fluffy is high on my list.

a fluffy compost was allowed to finish.

when it's very fine, i take it to mean it wasn't finished and they made it up by screening

 

[sunnydog]

I make my own compost in my x-large rubbermaid "rot-tub".
Seems to work great....All herb debris, kitchen scraps etc. all frozen then thrown in all at once.
Also a nice amount of wood flakes, chainsaw sawdust to balance it all out.
Plus Glacial rock dust, crushed lava, and char.

All this cooks @ circa 150.

SD

 

[mad librettist]

I accidentally did that with my worm bin. Have you ever seen worms try to crawl through two layers of poly felt? They actually get almost all the way out before they get stuck.

 

[guest2012y]

Avoid composts with high % of wood fillers. Some types of wood are cool in certain percentages,I'm sure Mad knows more about that,but a lot of what is being passed off as a quality compost these days in these parts is up to 80% wood by-products. Very little actual humic material or even soil in some.
Don't be afraid to take out your pocket knife and cut a bag open right there where you buy it and take a look.

 

[CC_2U]

Don't be afraid to take out your pocket knife and cut a bag open right there where you buy it and take a look

Absolutely...................

 

[CC_2U]

sunnydog

I had read some information on several vermicomposting sites (legitimate - not people trying to sell you a plastic worm bin and a pound of red wigglers) and more often than not there was mention of using thermal compost as a main source of food.

So I check with our good friend, MM, and he shared that this a good way to improve mediocre compost by turning it into quality worm castings.

Since getting poorly made compost isn't much of a challenge it can be a really cheap way to feed your worms. I'm using a mix of composted horse manure, bagged compost (formerly a top-quality product) and composted chicken manure which looks much like Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss actually. Weird.

I layer it like a lasagna and hit it with an AACT to get things moving. The worms make pretty quick work of these products. Something to consider perhaps.

CC

 

[jaykush]

my worms start out in nothing but "unfinished" compost. far far better than newspaper, coco and all those other common things to put worms in. it makes for WAY better compost too.

 

[descivii]

Absolutely...................

I do this all the time, minus the knife. Usually someone has beat me to it so I don't need to. ALWAYS check the crap theyll sell you as "garden products"

Personally, I like to take a handfull of freshly wetted and squeeze. It should not gush water through my fingers, it should hold together as a ball for seconds only before crumbling apart, be a nice dark color and smell like earth.


J

 

[RudeDog]

If you couldn't put it in your mouth don't use it for your plants...smell and feel for me.

 

[Scrappy4]

If you couldn't put it in your mouth don't use it for your plants...smell and feel for me.

Hardcore dude! Taste testing is new to me........scrappy

 

[love2gro]

Hardcore dude! Taste testing is new to me........scrappy

I like some sandy loam cereal for breakfast, clay and rice for lunch, and finish it off with some silt burgers in the evening

 

[PrivateAero]

wow, that could cut my grocery bill to almost nothing, nice thread

 

[Mountain]

All herb debris, kitchen scraps etc. all frozen then thrown in all at once. Also a nice amount of wood flakes, chainsaw sawdust to balance it all out. Plus Glacial rock dust, crushed lava, and char.

All this cooks @ circa 150.

SD

I've just started composting and learning a lot. This is the 'Summer of Compost' for me. I don't have much kitchen scraps and such so I go collect weeds. My first run was OK but think the next will be better. I really didn't get the heat I want and didn't cook like I wanted. Seems a bit unfinished but gonna move on. Smells like nice soil, color is deep and texture is pretty good. Whatever I mess up will get fed to worms later this year. Hopefully I'll create a nice batch of compost before the year's out.

In descending order of concentration here's comfrey, yellow dock, chickweed, miners lettuce, mullien, candy flower, blue mulva and a touch of horsetail to start the next batch out tomorrow...

This took about an hour to collect and probably about half of what I'll need for the next run. Looking for some nice fluffy, dark, earthy compost.

 

[heady blunts]

mountain-

summer of compost woooo!

check out this great pamphlet about making manure-less compost, i learned a ton in it, and the appendix on how to build a pile is really great. maye e bruce common sense compost making.

also i just finished teaming with microbes and they talk about the perfect C:N (carbon to nitrogen) ratio being the secret to getting perfect compost = 30:1. "brown" material (fallen leaves, chipped wood, etc) is the carbon and "green" material (grass clippings, veggie waste, weeds) is your nitrogen.

 

[Mountain]

and the appendix on how to build a pile is really great. maye e bruce common sense compost making.

LOL...I tried to build a straw pile using that info and it went rotten and sour fast! Guess I didn't read the instructions well enough but think I know what happened. Anyhoo am gonna work with the remnants of that pile through the summer and have a plan for it. My body is pretty messed up and hard to throw any weight around but I'll get it to work. Was trying to set and forget but NOT. Tore it apart and re-layered with soil and gonna grow a few rounds of clover on it and till in a few times for some green manure.

Anyway...I'll end up with something useable at some point. If I mess up too badly the worms will be the cleanup crew

 

[roots]

...just finished teaming with microbes and they talk about the perfect C:N (carbon to nitrogen) ratio being the secret to getting perfect compost = 30:1. "brown" material (fallen leaves, chipped wood, etc) is the carbon and "green" material (grass clippings, veggie waste, weeds) is your nitrogen.

that book is a great read. keep a good size to your pile, apply the golden rule like mentioned above, and you'll maintain good temperatures.

mountain -
there exists these highly replicable composting sacks made of what appears to be gardener's cloth for aeration. the basic concept is you just throw your yard waste in, wait some time, and then roll it over and spill some great compost. you can also get methodical on your layering and water usage to achieve more efficient composting. it also seems you will not be turning your pile everyday. http://www.compostsak.com/

going back to the original question: i personally take a fistful of compost and squeeze; feeling for about the same moisture as wrung out sponge. i also make sure that it is debri-free, chunk-free, and has a good amount of worms. a deep breath of good compost usually entices my appetite.

here is a useful link full of composting ideas, in the raw.
http://www.mastercomposter.com/

happy composting

 

[Mountain]

mountain -
there exists these highly replicable composting sacks made of what appears to be gardener's cloth for aeration. the basic concept is you just throw your yard waste in, wait some time, and then roll it over and spill some great compost. you can also get methodical on your layering and water usage to achieve more efficient composting. it also seems you will not be turning your pile everyday. http://www.compostsak.com/

Thx for the info...CC2U mentioned those. A friend gave me a nice tumbler to use. Hard for me to turn a pile due to injuries/accidents. I might take 1 more shot at layering a pile and seeing what happens. This is my second run in the tumbler and 8 days old. After 24 hours it was up to 137 F. It started as what you see in the pic above in the back of my truck. It'll be ready this weekend. Looking and smelling good with better texture than the first try. Pretty sure my next run will be dialed in.