Market Farming

[Roots Farm <karen AT rootsfarm.info>]

Leslie,

Have you noticed any slug/snail repellent or "toxic" effect from coffee ground compost?  I read that caffeine is anathema to that family and was wondering if a coffee ground (or for here,  coffee bean) based compost might help with  rampant mollusc populations.

Thanks and best wishes,

Karen

Roots Farm

Organic Produce

Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs

Cockrane, DOMINICA

767-449-3038

karen AT rootsfarm.info

On Jan 13, 2011, at 4:57 PM, Leslie Moyer wrote:

Mixing is best, though we usually layer at first and then mix when we're putting on the next layer. You can certainly get composting during the winter months. It happens faster at higher temps and more slowly at lower temps, but our pile is trucking right along right now and we have below freezing temps here (Oklahoma) right now.  The temp inside the pile is very warm.

"Ideal" brown-green ration depends a bit on what you're going to use the compost on.  Trees and perennials will like a more brown-rich compost and annuals and vegetables will prefer a more green-rich ratio.  "Ideal", IMO, means "whatever you have locally available to compost".  Right now, for us, it is coffee grounds from about 7 local coffee shops and about 15 dump truck loads of (bagged) leaves we collected from curbsides this fall.  In the past, it has been chicken litter from our chickens and old hay.  Compost happens....ideal ratio or not.

--Leslie

On Jan 13, 2011, at 2:36 PM, Jay Atkerson wrote:

When composting is it better to  mix or to layer your green and brown matter?

What is the ideal green - brown ratio?

Can there be much composting action during winter months?

Jay

_______________________________________________

Market-farming mailing list

Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming

Market Farming List Archives may be found here:

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/

Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email

address and password):

http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming

Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/market-farming/
Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
address and password):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming