Backyard Composting

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by jerry111165, Aug 23, 2013.

  1. Oh man. Wish i knew that before. Already chucked my previous attempt of a worm bin because all the worms were basically just a clumpy mush dead at the surface
     
  2. What are the benefits of salmon berries in compost? I have feilds upon feilds for miles of wild berries where i live. Would i just mix berries into the compost pile or the actual plant itself?
     
  3. You could do either. The berries are an N source. It would take an awfully long time to harvest a significant amount. IMO, your efforts would be better spent elsewhere.

    Like finding some peat! Lol.

    What exactly are your goals regarding compost? How much do you need? Will it be for the soil mix or just topdressing?

    Hate to say it but composting might not make much sense in your situation. Peat moss, a lil sand, and a lil lime would work just fine to raise worms in. Add some silt, clay, leftover oatmeal and an occasional banana peel and your "humus" source will rival anything that can be bought.
    A properly built 2x4 vertical flow through is capable of producing over 10 gallons of vermicompost a week!

    Anything can be composted. Doesn't matter if you turn the pile or not. Doesn't matter if it heats up or not. Compost happens! Most of the guidelines we follow are to achieve two things. Speed- a proper compost pile can be finished in as lil as 4-6 weeks. Heat- this kills weed seeds. A pile that isn't turned takes longer and the edges don't heat up enough to kill seeds.
    There is a reason OS referred to the peat in your area as 'black gold'. It is a near perfect gardening material. You are blessed with an abundance of it. Instead of trying to replicate what we do, use what you have been given.
    Peat moss, sand, silt, clay, ground up crab and oyster shell, kelp. Perhaps even make a lil fish hydrolyslate to water the bin with. The leaves you found would make a great mulch. Think worms!
    HTH
    RD
     
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  4. If you wanted to get the most bang for your buck out of salmon berries, I would make ferments. Equal amounts berries and sugar by weight in a jar and let it work. The guys on the ferment thread would probably have some real good ideas on this one. In fact fish ferments etc, may just be the way to go as well.
    All the silt that the Yukon carries to the coast is rock dust, clay particles, and peat particles. I know that's still a heck of a haul from Hooper Bay, but maybe extra credit next time you get that way.
    Like RD says, you got the goods, just gotta figure out how to use, what ya have. I am still figuring out how to use what I have offered to me. I am all about worm composting cause you run almost anything thru bins. Tundra veg plus shredded paper/cardboard plus food scraps fuels a worm bin just fine.
    Sourdough ingenuity will prevail, and you will develop your own style. Just keep talking about what you have, and we will all help figure out how to use it.
    cheers
    os
     
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  5. Thanks guys. I havent yet ordered some worms. Have to order just because i have yet to see a single wild worm in my neighbor hood. I wish to compost because i want to expand my horizons with gardening. It started out to use for soil mixes for cannabis but now i wish to attempt an indoor vegetable garden over the winter and continue it next spring/summer when hopefully the compost is done. Now as for peat, im definitely getting a trailer full or 2 of this my next day off. Yukon would be an awesome boat ride to get to but for now i'll have to rely on a smaller stream closer by. I do have a beach littered with volcanic rocks so i do have a source of rock dusts and i think this also can be used as aeration?
     
  6. And i have good news fellas, i turned my pile yesterday for the hell of it and it was surprisingly warm to the touch. Nowhere near the desired temps i see praised but definitely warmer than the outdoor temps here. It has been around low 50s high 40s and extremely rainy for about 2 weeks and if i had to guess the pile felt towards 80F or 90F glad there is atleast some action going on
     
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  7. Keep up the good work. It will all come together. I wouldn't be surprised if your pile attracts some composting worms. It might take a while, but I bet they show up. But, by all means order some worms. If your source sells cocoons, that is the best bang for the buck, and ships better.
    cheers
    os
     
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  8. Another great way to purchase worms is to buy 'worm culture'. This will consist of the material the worms were raised in, worms and cocoons. It's easier on the worms transitioning to a new environment, ships very well, and is less labor for the worm breeder so it can be a better buy all around.
     
  9. I'll have to start planning a DIY worm bin. I'll have to look around GC for some ideas. Want it to be easy to harvest the castings from. One question for the peat i can find locally. Would i be able to mix it directly with soil for indoors or should i just stick to layering it into the compost?
     
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  10. Curious how things are going for you?
     
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  11. Things are going good. Got my indoor cannibis and veggies started for winter crops. Excited to grow veggies in a well made soil no till style as for the compost, things are very slow. 3' ft cubed pile. If i had to estimate 1/2 grass weed clippings, 1/4 small leaves from few woody shrubs here, and there 1/4 peat i dug up with my hands. The pile gets warmish. I stick my arm in the bottom from time to time. If i had to guess, 80-90°F. But we have had a spell of wet/rainy weather that wont seem to go away. Whenever its rainy the pile goes cold. When the rain breaks it becomes warmish again. Its okay tho. When i have turned it the bottom center looks more blackish brownish so decomposition is occuring. I'll just remain patient, watch, and learn from this experience. Still need to get some worms. I truely feel worms would improve my gardening. I that i need to pursue vermicomposting.
     
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  12. If you are getting 80-90 F, you are doing good my friend. Unless all the stars align just right, I don't get much more than that. Even using shredded leaves and ground alfalfa. As you have found, it will break down, just takes longer and more turning.
    Keep up the good work!
    cheers
    os
     
  13. Been in the 50's the last couple of days here! Sounds like your pile could still use more N in there. When I mix up a well heated compost pile when the temps are in the 30's, large amounts of steam pour out of it. I'll try to do something like this in the next couple months and take a pic of it. Coffee grounds are a great way to heat things up!
    RD
     
  14. I'm surprised by this OS. You're having a hard time getting a compost pile up to 130F? Now I feel like we should have a cold weather composting challenge! Lol
    RD
     
  15. I too battle the rain here, almost daily. Except in the fall when I can get leaves, I tend to get a good small 'hot pocket' in the 'zone' in the very middle only, lots of turning needed. Wish I had room for giant piles, but several 4x4x4 is about all I can fit in.
    It is challenging up here, for sure. One saving grace of the rain, it seems like it gives everything that's a seed in a pile a chance to germinate and fail (I guess drown might be the right word).
    Steaming piles! Last fall after making one of my alfalfa/leave piles, followed by the morning rain, my neighbor thought my shed was on fire due to the massive steam.
    Speaking of leaves @TMCCViking, the leaves are falling off the berry bushes, alders, and willows down here in South Central already. That's a solid month earlier than normal. That damn Typhoon that came from Japan really has a wet, windy system stalled out down here.
    cheers
    os
     
  16. I guess I forget how wet it is up there for you guys! Does covering the pile to keep the rain off help at all? Or just a pita?
    I'm going to be up your way this July... for the honeymoon! Mrs. Rancho and I are excited! Last time I was up there the Al-Can was mostly dirt!
    RD
     
  17. Sometimes it helps, but mostly its a PITA due to wind. I try to cover it for a bit if I am going to screen some for making mixes, or before I fill totes to bring inside for the winter.
    July honeymoon in AK. Are fishing rods involved? :)
    cheers
    os
     
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  18. Heck yeah man! Hoping to catch a salmon out in the ocean. Going to do a cruise ship. Probably from Anchorage back down to Seattle. Can't wait!
     
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  19. Shout out to the tweetie birds that took the time out of their day to give me a bonus by shitting all over my compost this morning. It's coming along nice. Just to think a couple months ago it was just a pile of yard trimmings, small shrub leaves, and just a week ago the addition of dandelion leaves. Now its look more and more( even smelling) like dirt everyday. Thanks for this thread and several guys for the help.
     
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  20. My piles are coming along nicely as well. Did one final flip on them last week and insulated them with some hay. They look like they are about 2/3 of the way there. Still some organic matter to be broken down for sure but they look and smell great. They are chocked full of composting worms too!
    I also ended up with a couple of yards worth of some awesome clean horse maunure that is literally packed with worms from a very dedicated horse lady. Piled that to about 24” and also insulated it with hay.
    Should have some great materials next summer!
     
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