Compost Bin

[kaseyloramar]

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.

[gumbo2176]

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.

[King XII]

Its one of the best thread in the forum
really amazing

[alp12ha]

Compost Bins Gardening Imagine how your lawn and garden would benefit from unlimited amounts of free organic fertilizer.

[GYO Mary]

I just acquired my first composting barrel. (love craigslist lol) It is homemade on an axle with legs about 4 feet of the ground.

It's a great design but I think it might need some holes drilled into it for oxygen to get in. What do you think?

The guy I bought it from said that he could make "dirt" in 21 days from composting just his dried leaves if he chopped them up with the mower first. Anyone believe this?

I filled it about 1/2 full with kitchen waste I had been saving, last years compost pile that resembles black clumps of grass, and the leaves that I chopped up the last time I mowed last year (yes they were still in my catcher bag). I wet it all down good and turned it several times to mix it all up. Turned it again the next day. Planning on turning it every 3-5 days until it resembles compost.

How long do you think it will take to be able to use this in my garden?

I'd like to get another one but I can just imagine what my neighbors will think if I start lining up blue barrels in my yard. I guess I will just start another pile of my new stuff and add it all to the barrel when this batch is finished.

[Kyle21nluvnit]

Something I have found that works great for composting is my chickens. They stay locked up in their pin for the first couple hours a day, its about a 10'X15' pin. I just add everything that I would normally put into my compost pile to their pin. They are constantly picking through it getting out the bugs and seeds from anything I throw in and at the same time they keep everything turned and airated. It produces compost pretty quick, generally I get 6 to 8 large wheel barrels full about 3 times a year. And none of the work done by me really.