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Thread: Compost Bin

  1. #1

    Default Compost Bin

    We have a compost bin and when we first got it we didn't realise that we were not supposed to put food in it and so we put meat and things like left overs in it. We then mixed branches, flowers and garden material in it. It now has fly's and worms in it. My question is, will this turn into compost knowing that we put meat in it? Or do we need to throw it all away and start again? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Default meat in compost pile

    You will still get compost if you add meat, but you must watch that it is not attracting rodents. In the future, avoid adding meat, dairy and processed foods to your compost bin. You definitely want worms in your compost pile as they will aerate your garden soil. Good luck!

    Rose White, author
    "Easy Gardens A to Z"
    Last edited by Rose White; 02-11-2010 at 08:22 AM.

  3. #3

    Default Compost

    I chuck in ripped up cardboard, shredded documents, grass clippings, weeds, all vegetable waste, egg cartons, dead flowers but defo avoid meat and dairy. Paper and cardboard are good for creating air pockets and keeping the nasty smells of decomposition at bay.
    [url]http://www.howtoplantavegetablegarden.org[/url]

  4. #4
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    Smile compost additions

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Moon View Post
    I chuck in ripped up cardboard, shredded documents, grass clippings, weeds, all vegetable waste, egg cartons, dead flowers but defo avoid meat and dairy. Paper and cardboard are good for creating air pockets and keeping the nasty smells of decomposition at bay.
    Adding torn cardboard and shredded paper to the compost sounds like an excellent idea. The perfect way to recycle!

    Rose White, author of
    Easy Gardens A to Z

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by StorageShedSmart View Post
    In addition, you can add broken styrofoam with the torn cardboard and shredded paper. Just make sure that you balance when you put these on the compost bin along with food scraps. As for for food items, you can include coffee grounds, peelings, egg shells, corn cobs, used tea bags, melon rinds, fruits and vegetables but not meat, eggs, and dairy products. You can also add yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves and pulled-up plants or weeds.
    ______________
    Mary Henderson
    Publisher, http://www.storagesheds360.com
    Is styrofoam biodegradeable then?

    I add paper and card to help the mix and it works a treat.
    Last edited by Charles; 04-26-2010 at 08:57 PM.

  6. #6

    Default

    I'm glad I found this thread. I am thinking about starting to compost, and I might have lucked out, as my parents neighbors have a compost box they're not using. Would there be any reason that the box wouldnt be any good? I know they are keeping things in it, I just dont know what kinds of things.

  7. #7

    Default Styrofoam?

    Personally I used to be a chemist working in food migration and I'd stay well away from styrofoam in your garden, but don't take my word for it.

    See the txt below from David M Bryant Ph D, University of New Hampshire, Environmental Education Program

    ---

    >>I've read this thread with some consternation as a soil scientist.
    >>>I know this may sound like recycling of styrofoam but it's really
    >>>putting xenobiotics (highly recalcitrant synthetics) into the
    >>>soil. I'm not really sure if it would meet your other goal
    >>>either. While quantitatively decreasing soil bulk density, as
    >>>does soil organic matter (SOM) I doubt that it provides any of the
    >>>other benefits of SOM. Styrofoam is a closed cell material, so
    >>>even with a high surface area (internally and externally) I doubt
    >>>that soil solution or nutrients can interact with these surfaces
    >>>to provide cation/anion exchange or enhance soil aeration as the
    >>>cells are generally filled with a synthetic gas (previously these
    >>>were CFCs).
    >>>
    >>>Also, there is increasing evidence that plastics release synthetic
    >>>compounds, the effects of some are known others unknown.
    >>>Moreover, organic chemistry of the SOM and plastics degradation
    >>>are not well understood.
    >>>
    >>>If you have any data or literature on these questions I would be
    >>>very interested. In lieu of any evidence of benefits/hazards I
    >>>would strongly advise against the practice.
    >>>
    >>>David
    >>>
    >>>David M Bryant Ph D
    >>>University of New Hampshire
    >>>Environmental Education Program
    >>>Durham, NH 03824

    ---
    Bees & Chickens are the true path.

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  8. #8

    Default

    I would be a little careful about what you add to a compost pile. Just keep it greenery. The wrong things could end up causing a fire just like a mulch pile. It heats up due to chemical reactions.
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  9. #9
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    Default

    I use cardboard in my garden and my compost piles. For the garden, simply lay it between the rows and cover it with grass clippings, leaves etc. This will keep the weeds down and help preserve soil moisture. I'll take my lawnmower and after tearing up the cardboard into smaller pieces, I'll run over it with the mower to shred it before putting it in the piles.

    For you folks that are ilde due to winter weather and want to start preparing your spring plot, take the cardboard thing a bit farther and lay it over the entire area and layer it with leaves, grass, manure and let it compost over the winter. By springtime the stuff will be ready to turn into your soil for some much appreciated organic matter. Plus, most weeds should be long dead by then.

  10. #10
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    Default

    Kasey, I've been composting for years and have yet to have a fire and I live in the deep south where summers are brutally hot. Most home gardeners that have compost piles don't have ones that are so huge that it will develop that much heat. Plus, if you are composting properly, you are turning the pile frequently to aerate it and adding water to it when it starts to dry out. You do not want a totally dry compost pile since dampness aids in decomposition.

    My compost piles consist of cardboard, shredded paper, leaves, grass clippings, stable waste of manure/straw/wood shavings, all vegetable waste from my kitchen and my garden, plus the occasional run to a local coffee house for their used grounds. They are more than glad to give them away when you ask for them.

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