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My Composter

Burning Colon

Burning Colon

I compost all winter long, it really keeps down the amount of garbage bags that goes into landfill.

We had some warm weather so I thought I would rotate my composter and spread the new soil around my various gardens. Got have way there .... then thud, solid block of ice.

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The wheel barrel has the top most, newest compost, middle blue bucket has the next layer down, right blue bucket contains the next level.

I am slowly shovelling away, chipping away at the new lush black gold soil but it is fused as a large block of ice.

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Though months away, I can hear my future beets, radishes, carrots, onions etc., thanking me for the new nutrient rich soil.
 
good job!!! Thats what I need to start. I have about 30 leaf bags full just need to put together a frame of wire or wood to stack it! do you just put table scrap in general or just vegetables ?
 
To be effective, you need "green" and "brown" material. Grass clippings, table scraps, coffee grounds plus dried leaves, stems, grass you didn't rake up and it dried on the lawn. IME, the less it can "breathe" (solid walls) the quicker it will heat up and decompose.

Mike
 
Becareful with leaves as some can really add to the acidity level but I put vegetable/fruit peelings, tea/coffee bags, I grind eggshells in a food processor then dump them into the composter.
No meat, but I do add fish bones, so if I bake a whole trout or salmon when I remove the centre bone that goes in. No dairy products. Occassionally bread products.
If things like bananas go bad, sure dump them in. The only other thing I don't like tossing is eaten corn cobs, they just seem to take for ever to break down.
Also, I don't put the lawn trimmings in every time, only every other as the size of my composter would be completely filled before the end of summer.
 
I add meat to mine all the time. Once the soldier fly larvae start kicking it up in summer, they can completely digest a pound of meat or fish in a few hours, and there is never any smell. As long as you bury meat and dairy products and leave them buried for a few weeks before turning you will not have any problems, at least I havent. I also like to pee on my pile often.
 
You know millguy, I think you are right, my prejudice is based on old starting composter articles and after reviewing why not to put meat into a composter the only real drawback is that it may attract mice/rats, well that's not a good enough excuse for me.
Unless the mice piss in the compost and spread the hanna virus, barring in that, I can see no valid reason for not adding meat ...... unless you have a dog, then composter or not, Sparky gets the left over meat that's why she's man's best friend.
Thanks for making me think!

I can tell you a story though: one spring I decided to rotate the compost and I disturb a family of mice (wonder if skydiver is reading?), the little f@#kers ran out into the back alley squealing, big mistake on there part, the neighbours behind me had a tree of nesting Magpies! Do I have to go any further.......... I will........ the first of 3 mice try to dart across the gravelled alley way and didn't make it to the other side of soft, safe grass as the vulture magpies swooped in for the kill, I could see and hear the squealing of a dieing mouse as the magpie pulled its spine from its body and gobbled it up. Magpies are an aggressive bird and if extremely hungry will pack on the weakest of their own kind. Why I have even seen them attacking a cat as they pack together in flocks and go after a kill.
 
MWF,

I hope you urinate after the sun sets or that your compost pile is not next to Main Street! But I do the same. In my GH, I have a bucket I put tomato leaves and stems in (I let a few leaves cure so they are brown) and intentionally wait until I really have to get rid of a bunch of "processed beer" then visit my building. You might be surprised how much compost tea I have accumulated!

Mike
 
My pile is way out behind my detached garage, probably 60+ feet from by back door, but behind the building so I never worry about it. Also, after I pee, I cover it up with some extra compost, old leaves or something like that.

We do have coyotes around here, but I have never noticed them in my stuff. The pee probably keeps them away but I always make sure the meat is buried pretty deep so that no smell might escape.
 
I have a small worm farm and a large trash can for composting. I read if you add manure to it every few months it will heat up and increase the speed that the food breaks down. I usually add a small bag every 3 months and it has really improved the time and the bag is only .69 cents.
 
I tried the worm thing years ago, a couple of times and it just didn't work. First time I had them in the house, in my basement bath tub, I went to bed and the next morning I was finding worms all around the basement. I just couldn't keep them in their tub.
Next time, I just put them outside in the compost, I am guessing they got cooked in the heat of summer.

But, I really do like worms.

They were Red Wigglers meant for composting, I think I paid $6.50 for 100.
 
Pappy not at all, the City of Calgary once a year sells round plastic composters, you could just use a barrow, the advantage with the round style is you could roll it on the ground to stir the mix.
 
The temperature has been above 0C and I left the composter alone for a day to thaw a little more. I was able to remove about 3 more inches before hitting the next wall of ice.

Its like looking at layers of earth as 1,000 of years have past .... with that thought in mind, no more corn cobs, no more peach pits, no more mango pits and egg shells definitely have to be ground up....... and no carpet(no idea how a 2" piece of carpet found its way in the composter).
 
BC,

Drill a hole in the bottom and set it over a bucket! You will have some fantastic compost tea in a few days.

Mike
 
AAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSS!
So, I'm chipping away a little further today at my frozen compost and I see little wigglely things, what the....... on closer inspection I have disturbed hibernating ants. What away to get awakened. They were moving really, really, really slow.
 
....................... and just when you think it is safe to put the shovel into the ground, you get this coming out of no where!

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