Backyard compost makers unite!!

[Aeneas]

I've just started my first grow and I've got my seedlings in a mix of ~50% potting soil,30% perlite, 20% compost.

Do you guys plant directly into the compost or mix it? Is compost sufficient to replace other additives?

Edit: I have a basically unlimited supply of compost that's a mix of horse manure and garden clippings. Most of its been sitting for years so its had plenty of time to cook down.

 

[jaykush]

you can base your soil mix on compost, i have plants growing in 20,50,80, and 100% compost. all doing fine and thriving. i will say not all compost is good for that high of percentage. i got some compost from a friend, and its very very fine, and clogs when too wet, it must be amended with something. my compost is more on the fluffy side. either way i recommend 1 part(quality key word) compost/1 part sand/1 part perlite for a basic mix to start amending with. if your compost has been sitting for quite some time, it might be time to sift out some of the larger particles and let it settle for a few weeks before using it.

 

[Y-M-4-2-0]

whew...spent few hours diggen up a huge ass compost pile we have been letting build up for years. the stuff is really fine and full of worms.

we are using it straight and having excellent growth even tho it seems like a heavy mix. the only prob has been Bird coming down and tearing up the top 6 inches of soil looking for worms. im hoping to find a way to get them gona besides my BB gun to scare them. BAha

 

[CANNACO-OP]

we here also.. peace, we like the "black tea" that comes from the leeching and drian holes, cut in 1/2 w/rain water for veggies

 

[uglybunny]

Hi everyone, I've got a compost bin in my backyard and I've had some trouble getting it to heat up. I started it by putting in dead brown leaves and freshly cut grass. I put a little dirt from my yard in there and some fruits that had fallen from the trees. Since then I've added a bit more grass and leaves and have been putting coffee grounds and left over fruits and veggies in the mix.

What concerns me is that the pile does not heat up, and while some of the food breaks down really fast other foods don't. For example, lettuce decomposes in a few days to a week while carrots take what seems like months. Also, any fruit or veggie with a skin stays a long time as well. For the most part the compost is dark brown and very fluffy. You can compress it and it sticks together, but it will break up again just by moving it around in your hand. I want to use it but I am afraid since there is still undecomposed food lurking in there.

 

[CANNACO-OP]

My hint... the stuff that you notice does not decompose fast, chop up a little more before throwing it on. I have both tumbler and a "pit", my pit is made outta fence, so the bottom 12 inches is open around it. I take a pitch fork and take from the bottom and throw it on top, kind of like a mix. My first year with the pit, but I got some good compost at the bottom, it does take a little while.

when it is dry, I am not affraid to add water.

There also maybe an addiitive that you can get to heat it up.

Keep playing, you'll get it.

Hope that helps

 

[DARC MIND]

im with cannaco-op
Increase surface area; chop things up to increase decomposition rate. Some time i blend or use a food processor, mostly during the winter. also try some compost tea's or some amendments like bone, blood, alfalfa etc etc or urine & turn.
Just make sure you have add or have enough browns, to keep from smelling. Composting can take some time but its worth the wait IMO

here's some images of some of my piles
my compost bin & how i collect

after a few weeks of these temps she cools down and i harvest with in a week or 2 or longer

then i cure the compost for a few days, i like to add worms to help with this process
the final cured product

here's my worm bin (were i get my worms)
just bedding and compost
unscreened finished earth worm compost
screened casting

the work horses & offspring

worms are great for recycling soil IMHO, i add worms to used soil and top mulch with a food processor mush of my gardens fresh harvested buckwheat, alfalfa, gandules (pea's), borage, chamomile, wheat grass, clovers, comfrey, basils, banana peels, other plant matter and freshly cured compost and EWC..works great


what compost and earth worm casting does for me, great for ACTea's who help my grow, garden, compost and recycled soil. Its just one big cycle of organics and i love it

 

[uglybunny]

Thanks Cannaco-op and Darc Mind! I'll try adding more N and see what happens. My compost pretty much looks like the stuff in your hand before you cure it Darc, but with a few things like unburst grapes and carrots. Would it be safe to separate out the un-decomposed matter from the de-composed matter and make a tea with the decomposed stuff?

 

[DARC MIND]

My compost pretty much looks like the stuff in your hand before you cure it Darc, but with a few things like unburst grapes and carrots. Would it be safe to separate out the un-decomposed matter from the de-composed matter and make a tea with the decomposed stuff?

Im no expert (like some), but if your compost had any manure or poop, id be sure the compost has went threw a heat phase for a few weeks, and cured before use.
If it is a pile composed of plant matter, then it should be safe. BUT

Id test some on a few plants before deciding to run a whole grow with your compost.
To me the heat phase and the cure are important. This kills most bad microbes and the cure gets all the critters(fungus gnats, compost fly and larva, etc etc) to leave or die.
If your compost smells like bomb fresh earth, then id say it is safe. If you get any kind of foal smell, ANY, its not ready..
maybe some one else with more knowledge can shine more light, this is what works for me but every compost is different.

 

[jaykush]

sounds right to me ^^, the cure phase is important here. by the time im ready to use some compost, its been "curing" for at least a few months, in the mean time your still composting, and when the curing compost is done, you got some ready to go into it while you have fresh compost ready for use. this way when your cured compost is done you always have fresh compost ready.

 

[uglybunny]

Hey guys, my compost pile has not heated up still, but I made a discovery while turning it the other day. There are tons of red worms crawling around the pile. Perhaps this explains why my compost got so dark and rich without heat... I'm afraid of killing the worms when I turn the pile now, so now that I have a worm pile what should I do? I'm checking out Worming 101 but its mostly about getting a pile started, and I am worried about maintenance/stability now that I've accidentally gotten one started.

 

[jaykush]

how many are you talking about. a couple dozen or a few hundred? if there are a lot, i would just leave them to do there work. it might take a little longer, but the end result will be better.

 

[uglybunny]

Well I thought it was just a few at first, but really they are unavoidable. If you pick up a handful you're likely to find at least one or two in there.

EDIT: If I don't have enough I could always go to the fishing shop around the corner and pick up some worms to add to the pile. They are pretty cheap.

 

[jaykush]

they will multiply by themselves, they have all this time right. its just a matter of waiting now, i would start a new pile for adding fresh scraps and materials too, while the first is being eaten by the worms.

 

[HighonPottery]

do any of you guys add "compost starter/activator" to your piles? i've never added anything like this to my piles before, but i picked up some Dr. Earth Compost Starter for pretty cheap and was wondering if it's any good. i got it because it has microbe innoculants which i'm hoping will help break things down a tad faster and improve things overall for future teas and soil ammending. i also decided to layer some into my soil recycle trashcan to try and get that bioheard going. should i put a tad in my worm tower?

 

[Chief Rbud]

i started a new compost pile this summer, i use kitchen scraps, bannana peals, coffee grounds, grass clippings, chopped up leaves, ashes from burned leaves and grass clippings, and fish guts/skins etc. left over from cleaning fish. i turned it several times this summer, and i have some decent compost now at the bottom of the pile. it gets real hot here, so its not hard to get some compost. also whatever else i can throw in that will compost. id like to start a worm bed, but unless it happens on its own, it's not likely.

 

[jaykush]

do any of you guys add "compost starter/activator" to your piles? i've never added anything like this to my piles before, but i picked up some Dr. Earth Compost Starter for pretty cheap and was wondering if it's any good. i got it because it has microbe innoculants which i'm hoping will help break things down a tad faster and improve things overall for future teas and soil ammending. i also decided to layer some into my soil recycle trashcan to try and get that bioheard going. should i put a tad in my worm tower?

someone gave me a box of that stuff, its ok as a compost starter, really not needed. but then again it doesnt hurt except your wallet lol. stick with a diversity of materials and youll have all the micro organisms you need.

 

[xmobotx]

I think I built my 1st compost pile in 1995.

I've never been too aggressive about getting it hot - as, I always have used it as mulch and soil builder in outdoor gardens.

This year's pile is different though. It starts off w/ field mowings - basically a green/brown mix dumped from the bag of our mower after mowing in the field. Weeds vary from indian tobacco to native hemp knapweed, and all sorts of unknown weeds/herbs. layered up w/ these is generous amounts of horse crap (one of the best manures - even has phosphorus!) And, I always mix some garden soil and what's left of the previous pile.

ammended w/ some ashes and sawdust today


It's been cooking a couple of weeks and, I could already use compost right out of it w/ a little sifting

 

[kamekazie Nazi]

Hello all.

We have a big plastic horse watering tub that leaks at the screw part on the bottom. We put some cinder blocks under it and started our compost pile in it and where it leaks we collect the juices.
NASTY STUFF will make you gag to smell it but the fruit trees love it..and the dogs too...

I have not had a chance to try it on my plants.. and im kind of afraid to.. i bet it is HOT.

Anyways, we put ALOT of hay in out pile and anything that will rot but meat just to keep the smell down. lots of coffie grounds, fruit stuffs, and egg shells.

 

[Tactical Farmer]

Im down..

Dug me a pit so I could get the volume up without having a huge mound for safety reasons.

Was a pain (in the back) to turn at first but makes ya strong.

Fire in the hole..

First & Last trip to the store for dirt (to help get the volume / diversity going)

Dog inspecting old cow manure pile.

She approves for a night ops mission.

Random progress shots.

Coco.