Tips on Composting

Discussion in 'The Green Patch' started by kckndrgn, Jan 11, 2010.


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  1. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    As the title says, I've tried composting in the past, with very limited success:oops:. I usually just attract bugs and then the resulting moles :rolleyes:.

    I've found some info on the web, but I'm curious to know if any monkeys have had good luck with composting.

    Thanks

    One site that I found:
    http://www.compost-info-guide.com/make_better_compost.htm
     
  2. SLugomist

    SLugomist Monkey++

    Human feces is the best fertilizer. LOL no shit.

    I have a scientific farming book. 2 spruce trees. 1 no fertilizer, 2 human manure.

    tree 1 grew 4 feet in 10 years
    tree 2 grew 18 feet in 10 years
     
  3. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    That would only happen when [shtf], and even then I think the wife would protest!!!:D
     
  4. SLugomist

    SLugomist Monkey++

    It's not just about the amount of NPK in the material you are composting. It's the carbon to nitrogen ratio.

    If the ratio is too wide, more than 10 to 1 then the microbes will consume the nitrogen and leave none for the plants.

    The exception to this rule are materials that decompose slowly like sawdust, bark and paper because only a few microbes attack lignins.

    I'll scan the 3 pages that discuss this and post later this evening.
     
  5. SLugomist

    SLugomist Monkey++


    no doubt, but it's a good way to get rid of it when the SHTFarm.

    or as I did, put my garden over where my septic field is. it sounds gross but it's not, it's just nature.
     
  6. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

  7. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

  8. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    Great Info!
    Thanks all!
     
  9. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I found a great source for greens. My company does a "healthy lunch" every tuesday & thursday. I asked what they did with the salad scraps, well, they used to throw them away, now I get them. Woo hooo.

    That brought up a new challenge, most of the scraps are big pieces and I want them cut down. So, I picked up a cheap ($12.00) blender from wally world. Add a little water, the salad pieces along with my household scraps and blend away. It make a nice "slush".

    My MIL did this last year, and she had some of the best and quickest compost I've ever seen. So, I did my first batch today. Got 2 gallons of "slush" added to the pile.

    I also added in a couple of shovels of horse manure a few weeks ago, and that really helped speed things up!
     
  10. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    The problem with manure is seeds that survive passing thru the animal's alimentary tract. Normal composting doesn't kill them, they remain viable and will contaminate your garden with weeds. It is possible to find "sterile" manure that has been treated to kill seeds. I do not know what process is used to get there, but suspect high temps.
     
  11. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    This manure was as "processed" as it could get, looked like black dirt. Growing up on a farm we only put cow manure in the garden, we did horse one year and had a terrible weed problem.
     
  12. eaglebait ranch

    eaglebait ranch Monkey+

    If anyone has access to llama/s, or llama poop - use it! We use it on our various gardens. It is very high in nitrogen, does not need to be seasoned, and contains NO seeds from what went in the other end of the llama.

    Llamas always poop in specific places, making the resultant matter easy to pick up.

    Chuck
     
  13. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    found something great for my compost, it really kicks it into HIGH gear - yeast. My wife works for a company that makes yeast for bakeries. They have a "runnoff" called brewers yeast. I put a 2 gallon bucket of that on my compost and within 24hrs the compost was nice and hot.
     
  14. Seeker22

    Seeker22 Monkey+

    I thought brewer's yeast was higher grade than regular baker's? I'll have to try that on my pile.
     
  15. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    May not be called that, what she gets is a by-product of making the actual yeast.
     
  16. kryptic

    kryptic Monkey+

    I usally turn the compost over every weekend and just add grass, old plants kitchen scraps and chicken crap. I also got 2 bins so while one is changing i fill the other one up.
     
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  7. Brokor
    Resource

    Backyard Composting II 2014-06-18

    Provided by the University of Wyoming. [img]
    Posted By: Brokor, Jun 18, 2014 in category: Agriculture
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