Composting?

**lisathewaitress** · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject: Composting?

Last year, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to begin composting. I didn't get to it - we were incredibly lazy with the yard & garden last year, somethine we actually became thankfull for when it got incredibly hot & dry mid summer and everything shriveled up and dried out anyway (we don't like to water a lot).

But! This summer, I really want to compost. I grew up composting, so I have some ideas about what to do, but I remember someone on the forums listed themselves as "amatuer composter," so I thought maybe I could ask for some advice.

I did buy some Concern brand compost bioactivator, but haven't bought a compost bin yet. I am planning to get one very soon. I was going to order one through Costco, but they just sold out of all of them, and I doubt they'll get more in.

So, any advice?
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PineNut · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Grandview

Amateur composter here, not sure how much advice I can give you, but I have managed to find many books that I could recommend if you like. As for my compost, I started it for 2 reasons. One, it was the best way to get rid of all the vegetable and fruit waste, dog and cat hair, and leaves that my 4 unit condo building accumulated. I was the only one who really cared, because i have a garden, but the rest followed suit. Two, i have terrible soil in this root-ridden yard and I wanted to start something to supplement the raised garden I built.

However, here is the amateur part, I have gone the slow route with my pile and it is not the 3 bin system. I just dump stuff that is appropriate onto the pile which is on the alley and constructed of railroad ties about 4'x6'. The key to keeping it from being nasty is more brown than green. I have never used bioavtivator and have ceased turning it when my compostinbg fork got stolen last fall. But i know there is black gold under the most recent pile of leaves and I will be digging for it next weekend and add it to my garden...possibly.

I would have preferred a compost tumbler, and still may get one. they seem to be the easiest and fastest way to get results, and also good for our small urban backyards. this site has many options:
http://www.gardeners.com/Composters/20706,default,sc.html

world market has a great countertop compost can that you can gather scraps in to take to the pile every other day. it has a carbon filter in the lid to reduce odor.

Basically, I have not kept the compost going as well as I like, but I am reducing my landfill contributions a little bit, and every little bit makes a difference. My scraps biodegrade quickly and I dont use as many garbage bags.
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**lisathewaitress** · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:36 pm Post subject:

Wow - I didn't realize you could put pet hair in the compost! I certainly have a ton of that lying about.
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Josie · Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Hilliard, Ohio

I keep thinking I want to start composting as well. I would love to do vermiculture (or whatever you call it when you use the worm bin). I think even if you start small, you are making a difference- so kudos for doing something PineNut!

PineNut · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Grandview

Thanks josie! you would be surprised how many everyday things you can compost. Pet hair, human hair, dust bunnies, tea bags (as long as they don't have staples, coffee filters, egg shells, etc. the rule of thumb is nothing shiny, nothing fatty (oils- even salad dressing on greens are a no), nothing diseased (weeds, mold, etc.) and no by-products. also, shred or tear everything into the smallest pieces you can reasonably manage. For instance, banana peels- split them apart, newspaper- shred it, leaves- spread them (and hopefully have them torn up by a mulching mower, but its ok if you dont).

beware- that avacodo pit will not turn into an avacado tree- so don't try to compost it, and onions will probably sprout into more onions very quickly unless they are chopped very fine.

i love compost
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When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs

**lisathewaitress** · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much for the info! I can't wait to get started. Every once in awhile I throw away some old produce and think "I really wish I had a compost pile so I wouldn't be wasting this."
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Anne · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Columbus, Ohio

I come from a long line of people with simple compost heaps. I occasionally wish I had a fancy rotating drum composter (they work so fast, but you do have to turn them every day) but my heap is free! It is bounded with some railroad ties that were laying around, and the critters don't seem to bother it so I just top it with grass clippings. I have another compost pile for leaves (bagging them seems so silly) but they take much longer to compost than grass clippings and kitchen scraps.

I used to buy compost activator, but you can get almost the same results by scraping some dirt from beneath the surface and tossing it in.

This year my compost heap has given my garden some surprise plants: pumpkins! (At least I think they are pumpkins.) I'm hoping that some of them are marina de chioggia - chances are pretty good, but we did have some jack-o-lanterns on the heap. My heap also produced the biggest worm ever; I have dubbed him "the conquerer worm" and moved him to the garden.

We are also awaiting a rain barrel from FLOW, and in the meantime bought one from the garden shop in Clintonville (by the farmer's market.) Now if only it would rain a little more!

**lisathewaitress** · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 9:54 am Post subject:

So - first a caveat: I am pretty impatient. How long until I have compost? I did use an activator about 2 weeks after starting. I probably should have re-read your advice, Pine Nut, because I put a whole banana peel in. Right now it still looks like food scraps on top of grass trimmings! At any rate, I realized I put moldy flatbreads in there (Whole Foods, how dare you sell me moldy bread!!)! yikes! hopefully there are enough good enzymes in there to eat the mold.

It ocurred to me that perhaps I should have bought some of Franklin Park's compost to get things started a bit. For some reason it seems as though if there were some compost in there, it would start composting faster.

Oh! The other thing I wanted to mention is that the coffee cups & sleeves from the coffee place in the North Market are compostable, and so are the new coffee bags from Whole Foods. I think, but I'm not positive, that the new cups @Jeni's Ice Creams are also corn-based and compostable. I'll have to stop by there today to, um, investigate.
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Jule · Joined: 08 May 2008 Posts: 3

Okay, I need some advice on whether I should buy a compost tumbler, which is faster, and seems much easier, or a regular compost bin that I have to mix up myself. I know the compost tumblers are more expensive, and I am wondering if it is worth the extra cost. I am buying one this weekend, and I am excited to get started! So nerdy, I know. Very Happy