anyone here working your own compost pile?
 

dont make me become a member to some gardening forum.

i want to build a compost bin in the next few weeks. i generate alot of grass clippings. if need be, i could even gather some from the neighbors. i just need a smaller pile of organics for my tmodest veggie garden. i spent some decent $$ on compost, and soil admendments.

any tips? gotchas? i typically run three 30 ft^2 raised beds, and i have a bunch of fruit trees. how big of a bin do i need?

cliff

Yeah I post on this Board daily

Big enough to hold all your organic trash...I mean ya put everything in...except animal fat.

when I was growin up, we had a hole in the backyard where we would rake Avacado leaves into it. Stomp it down and in about 3 or 4 years would dig out the balckest soil ya ever saw.

For size, you just don't want it to be so big it's a pain to "turn it" every week or so with a pitchfork.

Sometimes they generate so much heat they'll combust... don't put it close to anything you wouldn't like to see on fire.

:D

Seriously... join a garden forum... or at least Google it.

does my laundry basket count?

just try and blend a a 1 part of green waste (grass clippings, plant prunings) to 3 parts brown waste (brown leaves and such). It's all about the carbon:nitrogen ratio. Here's a great simple 14-day method to useable compost http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/DEPUTATE/AIRWASTE/WM/RECYCLE/FACTS/compost.htm


Look up what J.I. Rodale wrote about it, he was inspired by the father of composting, Sir Albert Howard. You can read Howards inspirational work on composting in India c.1943 in his work, An Agricultural Testament. Granted, it's been out of print for a while now, not sure why that is.... :). Here's a snipet http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/howardAT/ATtoc.html

Here's Rodales book, still available and worth the read. http://www.compost-bin.org/the-rodale-book-of-composting/


Ok, look, you asked...... :)

I've had a compost pile out back for over 20 years. I do nothing special other than just throw compostable kitchen stuff (egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit peels, etc) and some yard rakings. When I need good growing soil I take the tractor and scrpe of the non-broken down material so I can get to the good stuff :)

I started a compost pile over the hole created from a tree I took down.

I put various crap (mostly grass clippings from when I don't mulch) in it and turn it once a year or so.

If you need any composted cow or horse manure, let me know.