Jason

Anyone here run a compost? How is working for you?

Tumbleweed36

We had a compost bin for several years (about 12) until we recently moved into a new subdivision that won't permit them.

I am telling you they work wonderfully, they don't stink if you take care of them properly and you get that "black gold" dirt that is great for growing things. You can also purchase a powder that helps the composting along which is needed at times.

Anyhow, we loved ours when we had it. We miss ours, but one has to do what one has to do when you are not permitted to have one.

simpswr

I have had them on and off for 30 years . . Three years ago I got one of the plastic barrel rolling ones for Christmas . . did not think much of it at the time but I have really grown to like it.

In the fall I head out with my 40 Gal trashcan and weed blower and chew up tree leaves that folks rake up in piles. The 40 gal trash can will last me over the winter (such as it is here ) and into the next fall. We keep a small pail in the kitches for non-meat leftovers and add that to the leaves each week.

I sprinkle a bit of Blood Meal on top and water it in once a week when I roll the barrel. I get 3 and sometimes 4 batches of about 20 gals. a year . . makes great top dressing for the veggie garden.

Like Mark said, If you keep the balance of carbon ( brown stuff ) to nitrogen (Green stuff) there is no oder problem.

pat mcgroin

You can also throw in some lime to help speed things up.
Just be careful not to use too much if it is powdered lime or you can start a fire.
It really helps if you have pine trees around.

wolfen1086

I've been in my house for 16 years, i started a compost pile when I first moved in, every 5 years I take eth bottom layer and till it into the small garden we have, you should see the size of the sweet corn I eat all summer long :)

Usually all thats on eth compost pile is leftovers and yard waste, every now and then I spray soem lime on it, and the pine tree thing is a really good idea, but it you can;t get pines, get the needles, that insulates the compost pile and makes things go faster:)

ebackhus

My parents have been composting for a number of years now. They use just a small box in the backyard and rake it weekly to keep the contents loose and mixed. The soil produced in incredible!

My grandpa had one of those barrel composters and his garden had some of the biggest and best tomatoes I've ever eaten.

wolfen1086

The only thing in the entire city of Virginia Beach I have found thats as good as a compost pile is the ground itself at Great Neck Middle School. The School is currently being replaced, and they're tearing the ground up where the old stadium was, back when it was Cox High School and you can tell it was a farm a long time ago, the part they just dug up last week was the pig section and that dirt is totally black about 10 feet deep. One of the science teachers there used to plant potatoes in the back of the school and in the fall he'd have potatoes as big as Nerf footballs

DonaldG

We have a composting bin. All the cut grass goes in. It gets filled to the top every time I cut the grass (every 2 weeks) but by the time I get to cut it again, the bin has digested the bulk of it and made room for the next cutting.

I used to sling all the grass cuttings & prunings over the fence into my neighbour's garden I did this for 30 years! Before you comment, it was done with their permission - there was a sloping ditch behind the fence and over the years our and their 'compost' built the level perfectly. The property has just been sold, a couple of tall pine trees were cut down, exposing the compost to sunlight. Wow, does stuff grow well in it!

If you create a compost heap, turning it over every few days will give you friable 'soil' in 6 - 8 weeks (UK weather environment)

EDIT:
with respect to the two pine trees - they are on my drive where I am slowly reducing them with my chain saw into burnable logs for our open log fire - I estimate they will keep us warm for 3 - 4 years!

simpswr

If you grow tomoatos, put egg shells in the compost bin . the calcium will prevent the bottom rot that some 'maters are prone to. I put in one eggshell when I plant the tomato

Jason

For those that are composting, what type of compost do you have? Also do you have any problems with animal pests?

Florida seems to have a lot of fruit rats with all the orange/grapefruit type trees. I was thinking of a tray system, but they seem rather expensive, although still cheaper then a tumbler. Anyone make a tray system?

simpswr

I have a barrel composter at the house and a open on at the lot . . the barrel one makes compost much faster . . the "Pile of stuff" I rototill a couple of times a year. If I incorporate the table scraps when I put them in ( roll the barrell oir cover the pile" I am nt bothered by critters. I usually throw in some blood meal and that seems to keep them at bay.

I have not tried a tray system

wolfen1086

You need a barrel to keep critters out? I have a natural way of doing that, its named Misty :)

simpswr

The cats in our neighborhood are apparently fed too well . . they don't seem to want to take the trouble to chase the mice/rats!

The barrel makes it easy to roll and areate . .speeds up the composting by a factor of 4 or so

wolfen1086

Yea I had that problem once, when I first moved in here, we HAD Farrel cats, note I said HAD, at the time we moved in here we had Casey, a 105 lb lap dog who preferred to live outside all the time, and slept not in his dog house but right next to the garden, all summer long he would NOT come in eth house, I even installed a dog door so he could come and go when ever he wanted to, but he preferred it outside, where there were things that moved :) If It moved, and didn't live here, he ate it, cats rabbits, squirrels, possums you name it he ate it. He died of old age about 5 year s ago, I haven't seen a cat withing 50 feet of my house since that dog was a puppy :)
Which is fine with me, since I don't like cats too much anyway.

simpswr

I wish my ol dog would do that . . he just wants to lay around and have me feed him!!

wolfen1086

Its easy, just play with the dog using a cat shaped toy, and a rabbit shaped toy etc, when its a really young puppy

simpswr

. . too late . . he's an old dog now . . won't have him much longer

wolfen1086

Sorry to hear that brother, I know the feeling though, I knew my compost protector wasn't gonna see Christmas when he started laying near the door to the porch and sleeping in a ball like a puppy does. And no he didn't end up in the compost pile, but he is still really close so his spirit can watch and maybe scare off a rabbit or two.

rhinonsense

How do.you start a compost bin?

simpswr

I start with leaves . . I use a blower/vacuum to grind in small bits, layer with equal parts of green material . . kitchen scraps, vegeitable plants . . grass clippings . . you want to keep it roughly half carbon ( brown stuff ) and half nitrogen ( green stuff) if I get low on green stuff, I add alfafa meal and/or blood meal to boot the nitrogen.

Turn it often to get oxygen and water it just enough to be moist, but not soaking.