So, I 'm starting my compost thread with pics of some compost I've been making! I've been adding kitchen scraps to the same 40 pound batch of dirt since May and It includes 50+ banana peels, 3+ pounds coffee grounds, 5+ pounds of other various scraps including some crushed yard leaves. I could let it go a little longer But it's good enough to use. Here's a pic it's the richest compost I've made yet! Since this is such a small but rich batch, I'm going to use it to make compost tea. Here's my set-up: compost is on the left. On the right is 4 gallons of water with pump and air stone. Each batch will include 2 cups of compost plus 3 oz liquid seaweed. And here's an area I'll be treating with this compost tea. I've got things lined up to start A big pile of compost using crushed leaves, alfalfa pellets and some store bought compost. So, I'll have updates from time to time as this is composting season!!
Nice job on the setup! I am thinking about composting my waste also. What kind of worms are you using and how many did you begin with?
I'm not using worms, that's called vermicomposting. I'm using a compost starting powder that has dried bacteria and fungi spores. Composting waste is simple to do. Just add your Kichten scraps to some dirt, stir it up and You'll have compost. If you keep adding scraps to the same batch it becomes super-rich.
how are u gonna make compost tea? just add water ? lol im interested in composting(never though id say that) keep it comin!
To make compost tea you just need a couple cups of compost, a few gallons of water in a bucket and an air stone w/ aquarium pump. Then you just let it bubble for 1-5 days and it's ready to use. I like to add some liquid seaweed to my mix, too. I'm aplying my tea to some dead areas of my lawn and it definately works.
So I got a new book about making compost. This book has given me lots of ideas on how to make 'black gold' as it's sometimes called. Here's a pic So, based on what I am learning from this book, I am doing my first experiment with 'cooking' compost. (Cooking compost is when it generates it's own heat) This is a very simple experiment and I've gotten good results so far. I'm using one bag of cow manure (it's composted) and about 15 lbs of rabbit food. Here's pics of the ingredients: All I'm doing is mixing the two and letting it sit in a wheelbarrow. Here's a pic of that Every time I go out and stir the mix up, there is a noticable amount of heat coming off the pile. Success! My first pile that generated heat! I'm curious to see how it turns out when it is finished!!......... This new book is sure to inspire other experiments in the future! That's all for now ~ P E A C E ~
Yes, more compost! I can use plenty more compost! I'm hoping to get 40 wheelbarrows full of leaves for my compost pile this year! As soon as my trees start dropping leaves, I'll be shredding them down and piling them up! I'll have pics from that coming soon! peace
Here's a great video on how to make compost tea by The Dirt Doctor AKA: Howard Garrett. This guy is the top gardener in North Texas and has several good books. He also has a weekly radio show. Check him out! He gives very simple instructions on how to make tea.....enjoy!! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0en00_CSM4]YouTube - Compost Tea w/ Howard Garrett[/ame]
Here's another short video clip by Howard Garrett on how to start a compost pile [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC-yGB_SKmA]YouTube - The Dirt Doctor - Compost[/ame]
OK, so, here's some more.... Here we have a couple shots from my yard to show how well compost tea has brought my dead areas back to life. I've applied my tea to this and similar areas all summer and I'm getting great results! The secret is to re-apply the compost tea as many as 10 times for best results! The first pic is actually a different area than the second, but you get the idea This area was the worst This area has done the best
If you want to learn how to make compost tea, head over to the Organic Growing section!! There is some useful info in many a thread there. I have been researching on the subject for better part of a year. There is lots of cool stuff to learn and try. Compost tea sounds simple, but to make quality tea isn't.
^^^^ Thanks for the post! There is some great info on compost tea over in Organic growing! I recommend checking it out! This is the start of my Fall/Winter compost pile. So far, it's got some leaves, some alfalfa pellets, some cow manure, a little dry molasses, and a little greensand and lava sand. (It also has the left over remains from last years compost pile) I will be folding in crushed leaves, alfalfa pellets and cow manure into this pile all Fall. It should be several times bigger when I'm finished adding material in the winter. This pile is designed to finish relatively quickly, so I should have finished compost by spring/ early summer. Here's to a great pile! Cheers!
For today's update, Here is a new pile I just started! This one is enclosed with plastic fencing. The ends are tied together to make a circle that's about 3 1/2 ft in diameter. This is going to be a long term pile and I plan on it taking 2+ yrs to complete. After I finish filling it, it wil pretty much just sit there for a long ass time!! So far I've been putting various yard waste in it......(along with some alfalfa pellets and lava sand) peace. thanks for looking
Looking good!! I have a pile I started in spring that I hope to use next spring. I started it with small wood chips, manure, and grass clippings. I mix in my vegetable scraps as well as a few bags of grass clippings here and there. I also have 2 apple trees which give me plenty of fuel for the pile. I try to turn it fairly regularly, at least every 2 weeks. I need to get out there and fold in some more apples today. Ill try to take a pic. I am planning on starting another pile this fall mostly with leaves and whatever grass clippings I can muster in the fall. I will also mix in some alfalfa meal and some fish hydrolysate.
Here is my evening of playing in the pile! Pile before turning/adding - I'm surprised at how much the pile shrinks over time! I put in two bales of condensed aspen chips, 3 lawn mowings worth of clippings, probably about 5 wheelbarrows of apples, and 4 months of kitchen/garden scraps. The bin is about 4'x3', made of steel wire, and is mostly covered with a plywood board. It doesn't touch anything and has complete air flow around the outside of the bin. I have even put cut up old fish inside my pile and it digests them very quick! Here is my pile all pulled out. Good thing I did turn it. Some of the grass was starting to sour. It was warm in the middle, but not hot. This is how many fallen apples I collected off the ground from 2 apple trees. These are apples that have worms/squirrel ate/just fell off over the course of one week. A whole wheelbarrow full! And a giant zucchini. Here is the final turned and added to pile. I also put in a gallon of natural dry cat food, a few cups of alfalfa, and about a cup of diluted fish/seaweed hydrolysate. Think I will let this pile sit, cook and finish. Maybe another turning or two during the winter. I am going to collect everything else next to this pile in anticipation of creating another pile with fall cleanup items.
^^^^Wow! Thanks for posting some pics! It looks like you've got some good material in your pile, especially with all those apples! The finished result should be very nice from what I can tell. I would enjoy having a resource for compost like that growing on my property. Maybe I should plant a citrus orange tree or a peach tree... I know they grow here.... Here's another cool pic I found online
SO for today's update, It will be a couple more weeks or more before leaves really start dropping here, so I'm adding some store bought material to my compost pile This stuff is animal bedding. It is made from cedar shavings and is super cheap, only $6 for 7.5 cubic ft. (when expanded) Here's a pic of it...... And here I've added a big bucket full of shavings to my pile and started to cover it. I've also got some lava sand, green sand and alfalfa pellets in it. And here's a shot of how I'm working the pile. Older material is on the right and new material is added and covered on the left That's all for today, peace and thanks for looking!