Hey guys. When it warms up, im going to be making a batch of compost. I have a bunch cold composting at the moment, but im going to get a compost tumbler and make a nice batch of hot compost. My question is, can I mix in promix, meals and all the other amendments in and let them cook with the compost, so when the compost is done, im ready to go. Or do I have to cook the mix with the finished compost seperately? Know what I mean? Thanks in advance.
Anything organic can go into your compost - this will also give your amendments a longer cycling time. J
What I mean is, instead of cooking my compost THEN mixing that with the promix, amendments and having to let that cook seperately. Could I throw my mix in with the compost in the tumbler, and do it all in one step.
Ayuh. It will take longer but will perhaps work out better - all of your amendments will be cycled well. J
This would be the best solution as long as you are using a compost tumbler and have no concerns with rain hitting the tumbler resulting in water percolating through and then out of your tumbler. If that is not a problem scenario then your best solution is to add everything together as you first surmised and get the recycling program started. Short of nitrogen volitization via the ammonia gas escaping into the atmosphere (NH3) the other plant available form of nitrogen, NO3, will be readily available for plant use if leaching from your tumbler is not a problem. The other form of nitrogen is NH4 which is either transformed to NO3 or becomes immobilized due to a lack of nitrogen cycle processing. Composting is always best and the highest forms of quality compost are the best solution for a water-only garden.
Thanks guys. It should be a pretty good batch of compost. Its a bunch of leaves and grass clippings as the base. Ive got a little bucket set up in the kitchen at work and people put their peels and used coffee filters in it for me. Ive been doing this for several months, so there is a shit load of it in there. Something else I just thought of. How much will the compost shrink down when its done. Im going to have to estimate how much pro mix to add with it.
I guess the only question I have is by doing it this way how would you know what your ratios are for Pro-mix,Compost/vermi-compost,aeration. IMHO you would not know how much finished compost will be in your finished mixture. Kinda like buying a store bought brand of potting soil. Let me apologize to Jerry and any one else. I am not trying to contradict anyone. I just thought I would bring this fact up. MGB
Yeah I just thought about that MGB. Im going to try to find some info on that. If its too hard to tell, ill just have to do it in 2 steps.
chrontar you might consider this for your situation. Let us assume we are using an inexact scientific approach. I will use a small volume size for purposes of illustration and if you agree with the approach you can extrapolate the numbers to fit the actual numbers you are using. You have two five gallon containers to fill with your total mixture of peat, compost, minerals, and nutrient sources. The estimated volume to fill two five gallon containers measuring 14" wide x 10.5" high is ~2sf. So 1sf will fill one container. In this container you want your finished compost/soil mix along with all the ingredients on your list. One sf of material is ~50 cups. If you were mixing each container seperately you might select a mix ratio of 40% peat, 40% compost, 20% areation. To this you would add whatever quantity of minerals/nutrients. Let us assume this ingredient list will equal ~6 cups of total qty of nutrients materials to round out the ~50 cups of total volume. You now need approximately 44 cups of finished material (peat plus compost) plus areation, and the 6 cups of nutrients/minerals. Since you are needing to fill two containers in this example, as measured above, you will need ~88-90 cups of total peat/compost material plus your nutrients/minerals. So into your compost tumbler you add, in this example to fill two five gallon containers, 44 cups of peat, 44 cups of your compost, 12 cups of your nutrient mineral mix. Once the composting cycle is complete you now have all of your nutrient/mineral needs in the tumbler mixed with your peat and your compost. To this mixture you would add your areation ammendment at a rate of ~20%-30% of volume (30% of 50 cups is 15 cups), mix it well and put it in the container. If your composting has properly finished it should be crumbly and have a good earthy smell to it. If it does not possess these characteristics it is probably not ready for growing a plant in it. Always test compost prior to production use by attempting to germinate any type of vegetable garden seed or annual plant seed in it. If the seeds sprout the compost is ready. If the seeds do not sprout the compost is probably not ready and you should continue to wait and cycle the tumbler before using it. Whereas this is arguably a seemingly too complicated approach you could keep it simple and use a 50/50 mixture of compost and peat, cut it with 20%-30% areation component (buyers choice on that) and you will be good to go. The main point trying to be exercised is: know the volume of the containers you are trying to fill, prepare your nutrient/mineral mix in correct ratio for that volume (extrapolated out), cut the finished product with areation. HTH.
I think you missed the OP's question entirely. He was not asking how to mix anything or what ratios. He was asking if he could take all his soil building materials and put it in with food scraps and other raw compost to nutrient cycle his soil and raw compost all in same bin. MGB PS nice reply though if that was what he was asking for
1000 pardons MGB, I must have missed the OP's point. Your point, however, is well taken. Good luck with your experimentation chrontar.
No pardons necessary brother I just felt bad about the obvious typing time, effort and care you took in your post is all. Have a great day. MGB
Yeah I wasent quite following you, doodlebug. Def. appreciate the effort though. Thanks for all the help guys. I think im going to just do it in 2 steps, too much of a hassle trying to estimate it all.
Good choice and the way it should be done....Would also blend in quality ewc with your finished compost for good diversity...Can't go wrong using ewc...
yeah ive got some castings. Theyre always part of the mix. I put worms in my cold compost bin too. Ive heard that with store bought castings, the worms are usually just fed paper and cardboard. I still use em, but get some quality ones from the compost too.