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Gardening/Composting
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Okay, this is way off the subject of CM, but I was wondering if anyone out there knew about composting. I want to start a cold compost pile, mainly because our family of 10 are big veggie and fruit eaters and I hate throwing away the scraps. Anyway, I am following along with different websites on “how-to’s” and have a bucket in my kitchen to catch the scraps before transferring them to the compost pile outside. I’ve only been at this for several days and have collected about 2 gallons worth of scraps. So, my questions are this:
1 — the scraps are turning into WATER. Is this normal? I put the scraps in the bucket and then add a few leaves, but so far I’m making liquid. How do I fix this?
2 — I haven’t constructed my outside bin yet (here in my corner of TX it’s still in the 90’s, so I’m not in a hurry to beat the cold) – but my question is, can I use a trash can, metal or plastic, rather than buying an expensive composter? Also, will I need to poke holes in it, and if so, where? I live near some mountains and the last thing I want is mice to get in it, so I wasn’t sure about ventilating.
Can anyone help?
Thanks, Angie
Angie – I don’t know anything about mice getting in, but you will definitely need some ventilation holes – I have never made a bin myself, but I just googled “homemade compost bins” and clicked “images” and saw lots of good ideas. I liked the one that was a rectangular storage bin with holes drilled in for ventilation.
I wouldn’t keep scraps inside for too long – I take mine out daily. You will start getting fruit flies etc if you don’t. Here in Arkansas it is hot still too, and a cold pile (by this I assume you mean you won’t be turning it so often?) works great. Just don’t let it dry out, and if you can get some earthworms in it you will be ahead of the game.
For anyone who is interested in general, I make compost on a much larger scale in my chicken pen. I dump everything in there – food scraps, garden waste, weeds, leaves, any kind of green waste, and the chickens scratch around in it and eat what they like. After a year or a season, I guess, of picking up bags of leaves that folks discarded from fall cleanup, and adding my own I got a good layer of compost built up in the chicken yard. Now I go in with a wheelbarrow and dig out what I need, and keep adding new green stuff all the time, and I never seem to run out of compost! The chickens never get tired of turning the pile, either LOL.
During hot dry times I run a sprinkler out there to keep it damp – chickens love scratching in a wet spot. I also mow grass to in a push mower with a bag to feed the chickens – they love the fresh grass clippings and what doesn’t get eaten goes into compost.
I say all this mostly to illustrate that there are lots of ways to do it and end up with compost – and not very many ways to go wrong. I think you are on the right track – good job. Everyone should be composting food scraps! That stuff should never go to a landfill!
Angie- I have tried various forms of composting over the last few years and nothing seemed to work until I went and bought a bale of straw. It cost about $20 from a feed store but it was huge. I have used it as mulch over all my garden and add it to the compost pile every time i take out my bucket, about once every 3-4 days depending on how much we are eating. I had read about the brown and green ration but I had never really got it until I bought the straw. I never had an abundance of brown material from my home or neighborherd; I am an urban homesteader. I just have a pile in the corner of the garden for my compost pile. I do turn it, but only when I get in the mood. As for the bucket in the home, you need ventilation or to just dump it more often. It is turning to liquid because of anaerobic decomposition instead of aerobic decompostion, which is what you want and requires air. If you don’t have much brown materail, a worm bin is an option. I could never get one going properly, but it is supposed to be easy. Hope this helps a bit.
Amanda
Thanks so much for the advice ladies! Gem, thanks for pointing me to google — it’s not my primary search engine but I did go it and looked up the images for bins — now I just need to go buy a trash can! I felt a twinge of longing when you mentioned your chickens, because we live in the city and the back-yard is not too big, so chickens are not an option, although I do want some. I did get lucky, though, in that I have a split yard, with an upper level that gives me a decent-sized garden. Amanda, thanks for the advice about the straw. I have to go to another city (matter of fact, another STATE) that’s 45 minutes away, but I am heading over there on Saturday and buying some straw. One thing I do have an abundance of are leaves, due to a HUGE tree in our back-yard and also being surrounded by neighbors with trees. Gonna make leaf mold out of that.
Again, thanks!!!!
Hello!
I second the use of straw! It helps to aerate the pile. Also, I made a nearly free cool compost bin by using some pallets. I got a bunch of free wooden pallets by searching craigslist. Then you can use whatever method you want to connect them together in a cube. My hubby put one that had almost no space in the slats down for the bottom. then we fit four more together for the sides, to form a cube with the top open. In oder to turn the compost, we left the front of the cube open on one side, so it’s hinged, and can swing open like a gate. We only turn every once in a while. You can even use rope, or twine or wire to hold the corners of your pallet-cube together! We’ve just started this spring, and already have compost that is almost ready. Keep it moist, integrate some straw every few inches, and turn when you can. Happy Composting!
I was just chatting with my friend about composting yesterday!
I suppose it depends on what size lot you have and how big you want your compost pile. I live in the city, so I use 2 plastic trash cans with lids. I took a large drill bit and drilled holes in the lid and along the sides and bottom in a random pattern. Then we just throw out kitchen scraps (egg shells, tea bags and coffee grinds included). We also throw in leaves and yard waste (minus the weeds – as we cold compost, the pile doesn’t get hot enough to kill the seeds).
Anyway, we start by filling one bin, and then when we get somewhat full, we don’t add anymore to that bin but instead we start bin #2. Meanwhile bin #1 keeps brewing away… Then when we plant, we pull from bin #1. When bin #2 is full we use that one and start all over again by adding to bin #1 (does all that make sense?).
Anyway, it is pretty easy to cold compost – you don’t need to pay close attention to proper proportions like you would if you were hot composting. Every now and then we give it a stir with a pitchfork, but we are truly lazy composters (and yet we still get good compost!).
HTH,
Tanya
I haven’t heard the terms cold compost vs. hot compost – can someone define? My dad got me started with some compost bins for mainly yard waste – less kitchen waste as it attracts more flies, though I do use some if I have lawn clippings to throw on top. Our “bins” are made out of wire fencing – the more sturdy kind, about 4 feet high, they are made into big cylinders nothing on top or bottom about 3 feet in diameter. We just pile everything in mixing lawn waste with tree waste kind of the green/brown idea and then we keep them watered and the pile keeps settling. when the garden is done I’m going to open them up and let everything out and the shovel it all back in to mix. I’m hoping the snow will insulate it and keep it wet enough this winter to break everything down by spring. My dad has beautiful compost from doing this, but he also has chickens to peck away at the bugs and he lives in CA so it stays super hot, as opposed to our Nebraska weather. I guess I can let you know what we come up with next spring!
Rebekahy – cold composting is a slower process because things are just thrown in without paying specific attention to proportions. Hot composting pays close attention to proportions of green matter (kitchen scraps and plant matter) and brown matter (straw, dead leaves, etc.). Having the correct proportions, paying attention to aerating/turning the pile as well as the amounts of moisture literally heats up the pile to a high temperature and breaks down the material very quickly and the high heat also kills any weed seeds that might be present in the pile. Depending on where you live, cold composting can take an entire season (5-6 months or even up to a year) whereas hot composting can take 1-2 months.
Happy composting,
Tanya
Tanya—thanks so much for describing how you compost. It’s exactly what I was looking for. We, too, live in the city and my yard space is limited but like I mentioned, I have a split upper-level yard and it gives me room for a decent-sized garden, but not much room for anything else. Here in the desert southwest, however, our soil is entirely sand, and buying bagged garden soil has been getting too expensive. The two trash can method will be perfect for us.
Thanks again everyone!!
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