Need a good organic composted soil

[quadracer]

A lot of people have good success with tumblers, but I am a fan of the good old heap! Not only will it produce great quality of compost, it will give you a little work out turning the pile within the first few weeks of creation.

Plus this method is free.

Compost requires a mixture of air, water, nitrogen, and carbon. Assuming the right proportions are in place, the main factor is the composter. In the organic farming industry, the pile must maintain an internal temp of 131F degrees and be turned 5 times within the first 15 days, this kills off any harmful pathogens and kills the weed seeds as well.

The center of the compost pile will be the hottest, so turning the pile is crucial for an even compost.

Of course you can ignore this if you plan on letting the pile sit for a year or two.

Time is the best composter of all.

 

[JackTheGrower]

I remember my first pile!

I had half a bale of straw, leaves, grass cuttings, misc veggie stuff and a whole lot of horse manure ( pick up truck load from my Dad ). The pile was about 4 foot high when it started.

Not knowing much about composting then I remember coming out on the next cool morning to find that pile way hot and steam was rising up in the early morning light.

I spoke to my wife "It's hot It's Hot!" She was like, oh good?

It's been a standard tool in my gardening since!

You will enjoy composting!

Keep it turned and it will go great!

 

[rrog]

Hi guys. Thanks for the great encouragement.

 

[jaykush]

imo, one of the easiest ways is to get the 4 ft wide wire mesh, that has the small holes (1/4 inch is good). wrap it together so its a 4 ft x 4ft diameter ring. pretty much fill it in layers( brown, green,brown,green and so on) you can add thing like rock powders, charcoal, etc... in between the layers as you go( if you want), so by the time the pile is done they are thoroughly mixed and in the case of the char well inoculated with microbes.fill it all the way to the brim and cover with mulch, from there wait till it shrinks some. you will notice, since you filled it to the tip top, when it has 4-8 inches gap between them now, then carefully unwrap it, move the mesh right next to the free standing pile. and pick the top of the pile and toss it into the new ring down to the bottom. so the stuff on top becomes the new bottom, and the bottom stuff to the top. repeat 2-3 times, for best results, sift out the big sticks or rocks that might have gotten into the pile. this by far the easiest according to those new to composting. your not having to lift huge amounts of weight like a big fat pile on the ground. if you need a pic ill find one or take one of mine. they work AWESOME in the winter because its really hard for them to get too wet.

 

[Owl Mirror]

hey owl, we could use your help, because we are trying to rework the stickies. There is a cheap and easy soil mix in there called LC's soil mix, and it's a shame you didn't find it. you too, rrog.

What woud you like to see in terms of organization, and in particular which keywords would you be looking for in the titles?

in terms of organization

keywords in the titles

Well, I would begin with DIY. Everything from composting to an Ace Hardware popuri which most individual gardeners might tend towards.
Next, I would have a section that utilizes all the commercially available products, with accompanying recipes. And lastly, commercial scale production meant for those who are filling 100 buckets at a time.
While it is interesting to most when reading how someone bought a pallet load of this and that, mixed it all together in a cement mixer and put out 1000+ plants, it doesn't help the individual growing a few plants in their closet.
Perhaps the section could be organized by VOLUME ?

As for Keywords, are you asking specifically for words included within the title or keywords attached to the thread?

Whole lists of tagged keywords can be compiled more easily than trying to fit specific words in a short title.
I would be more than happy to compile a list of possible keywords having to do with soil if you would like. Titles need to be concise and focused.
I believe the volume of activity and the cost associated with that level of activity is how the stickies would be best organized.

Low budget ~ Low volume
Low budget ~ Mid-volume
Low budget ~ High volume
Mid-budget ~ Low volume
Mid-budget ~ Mid-volume
Mid-budget ~ High volume
Unlimited funds ~ comm volume

See, I'm definitely Low budget ~ Low volume. When I go looking for information, I normally would type in a search box, keywords to that effect.

Soil, mix, medium, cheap, DIY, best

That is about all I can think of right now, I'm still on my first cup of coffee this morning ;>}
I hope what I've written is of use.

 

[CT Guy]

Google "compost calculator" if thermal composting. This will help you in balancing your Carbon to Nitrogen levels ("greens and browns")

 

[rrog]

Hi CT. I found one of those calculators. A good thing for sure. I've decided to use a basic organic (unfortified) compost from local Lowes. I'll use it in my organic mix for now. I'll also start a compost pile. Looking at piles vs. tumbler.

 

[jaykush]

pile = more final compost and if done right just as fast, but more work

tumbler = possibly faster but not guaranteed, though less work

 

[happyhi]

can anyone suggest a compost tumbler? looking to get started composting but have had numerous neck surgeries so need it to be as easy as possible. thought this thread suitable for the question, if not, my apologies.
peace

 

[Owl Mirror]

can anyone suggest a compost tumbler? looking to get started composting but have had numerous neck surgeries so need it to be as easy as possible. thought this thread suitable for the question, if not, my apologies.
peace

Hello, I do not know anything about this topic but, I did a quick search and came up with these links. Maybe they will give you something to think about?

The Benefits of Using a Compost Tumbler

How to Buy and Use a Compost Tumbler

How to Build a Compost Tumbler

The compost tumbler that Julia Roberts and Oprah use ;>}

Good Luck !

 

[happyhi]

thanks for the links!

 

[jaykush]

this thread for tumblers

http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=103730

 

[rrog]

pile = more final compost and if done right just as fast, but more work

Well, heck. I'm not doing this to take a shortcut. Is there a system for quick pile composting?

Thanks.

 

[quadracer]

UC Davis has a quick return method, but it basically means you turn the pile everyday. Check it out: http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/compost_rapidcompost.pdf

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/5669/42369.pdf

http://www.google.com/search?q=uc+davis+rapid+compost+method&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

 

[rrog]

Nice link, thank you for that.

One thing about all of this composting.. it seems that there's no mystery or secret. Just turn it, turn it, turn it.

Is there a microbe "compost starter" powder or just some dirt?

What's with the charcoal or ash that some add?

 

[jaykush]

the charcoal, not ash. is like housing and storage for billions of microbes, and nutrients that are otherwise leeching out of your soil most of the time.

the hardest part really is finding the materials and enough to get some good compost coming out of the system. which really isnt that hard at all. people give away half the stuff you can use. if you need help fine tuning your compost system or finding which system will work best for you just shoot me a pm.

 

[Owl Mirror]

Nice link, thank you for that.

One thing about all of this composting.. it seems that there's no mystery or secret. Just turn it, turn it, turn it.

Is there a microbe "compost starter" powder or just some dirt?

What's with the charcoal or ash that some add?

Here's a little ditty you might play while working on your compost pile ;>}

TURN TURN TURN ~ THE BYRDS 1965

 

[Owl Mirror]

the charcoal, not ash. is like housing and storage for billions of microbes, and nutrients that are otherwise leeching out of your soil most of the time.

the hardest part really is finding the materials and enough to get some good compost coming out of the system. which really isn't that hard at all. people give away half the stuff you can use. if you need help fine tuning your compost system or finding which system will work best for you just shoot me a pm.

Would a machete taken to some half-burnt logs from the bonfire work ?
Is there any particular species of wood that might work best?

 

[bkind]

There's a new guy postin' here by the name HortProOrganics here's his introduction thread...I think his knowledge will be of great use to you! http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=130826

 

[jaykush]

Would a machete taken to some half-burnt logs from the bonfire work ?
Is there any particular species of wood that might work best?

this thread has more info on the use of charcoal and soil. i just incorporate it in the composting process to get it in early and let the microbes establish even before the soil is mixed.
http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=73866&highlight=terra+preta