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  • From: "Christopher Mauchline" <mauch1@aol.com>
  • To: nafex@egroups.com
  • Subject: [nafex] Re: composting
  • Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 16:07:40 -0000

Couple of things about compost:

If you do not turn regularly (like me) you can still get great
compost, but the weed seeds may not be killed (I read an author
a while back who loved compost, but she admitted that her "piles"
never got hot enough to kill the seeds. )

If your ratio isn't perfect (mine isn't) you can still get good
compost.

I disagree about the "covering part" - that means, in general you'll
have to manually add water. I believe (in the case of compost) of
letting nature doing the watering.

Be careful of grass clippings (only add in THIN layers), as they will
easily clump in to a mass that does not easily decompose (I prefer to
use most of my clippings as mulch).

Compost story:
The former owner of my house didn't compost, but had piled up a 3 ft
wide, 20? ft long of several years of leave, grass clipping and shrub
trimmings. Because it had never been turned, it had not really
started to decompose. I decided to move the leaves/clippings and
compost them in my new bins. As I dug into the pile it started
smelling really bad. I assume this was because the pile had had no
oxygen/air. Well...as I dug into the pile I discovered a tomato cage
was buried inside the pile, and inside of that was a mother skunk and
her babies.

I don't think I ever ran so fast.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6

--- In nafex@egroups.com, orchardist@h... wrote:
> Hello Compositors,
>
> There's black gold in them their leaves. When I `m from
> there are a couple composting companies that get leaves from all
over
> the county and they are making a fortune composting and selling the
> finished product.
> I when to a composting class that was presented by the county
> Master Gardeners. Here's what I remembered. To keep a compost pile
> active you must have four things in place, carbon, nitrogen,
moisture
> and oxygen. Carbon can be anything that has you have grown in your
> back yard and has died. It could be fallen leaves, dry grass, or
any
> other plant material in your yard that is brown. The Plant
material
> should be as small as you can get it. Some folks own a chipper-
> shredder to reduce the size of their compost materials. They work
> great but not necessary. I use my lawn mower and it works just as
> well as a chipper-shredder. Nitrogen is needed to spark up the pile
> and makes it heat up. Any green material fills the bill for
> nitrogen. Grass, freshly pulled weeds and other green plant
material
> works as nitrogen source. Manure's will work also work to heat up
> the pile, but DO NOT PUT DOG OR CAT WASTE IN YOUR PILE. Moisture
is
> also required so the microorganisms in the pile can help break down
> the waste. The pile should be as wet as a sponge that had the
water
> squeezed out of it. A pile that is to wet will not stay hot enough
> to breakdown the material in the pile. Oxygen or air in the pile
> also is required to help keep the pile active and at the right
> moisture content. Constant turning of the pile will aerate the
pile
> to help keep the moisture down during the winter months when there
is
> a lot of rain. The pile should be covered to protect it from snow
> and rain. A ratio of 3 to 1(3 carbon to 1 nitrogen) with frequent
> turning at the correct moisture is required to maintain an active
> pile. You will see a lot of little critters in your pile too.
> Slugs, sow bugs, thousand leggers, and a few others will actively
> help reduce the pile. Don't put dairy products or meats in the
> pile. If you add food scraps, bury them in the middle of the
pile.
> This way the animals won't be able to smell them. If you pile
starts
> to smell, you need to turn it to add more oxygen.
> Don't forget, Keep those piles turned. Mike – WA.
>
>
> --- In nafex@egroups.com, Tom Olenio <tolenio@s...> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Moving the leaves with a front end loader is turning them. But I
> think you need
> > to do it at least once a month to make a lot of progress and
speed
> decompostion.
> >
> > I think if you added layers of old compost, to layers of new
> leaves, you would
> > speed up the process. This would make it into a large sandwich
of
> sorts, with
> > different layers. Just save a pile of leave compost from the
> previous year to
> > use as a "starter" for the next years leaves.
> >
> > You might want to make a few piles, and shift them around if you
> have the
> > space.
> >
> > Wish I had that kind of space.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Tom
> >
> > Ed Mashburn wrote:
> >
> > > At 08:37 AM 12/20/00 -0500, you wrote:
> > > > Keith: You must have mulched these leaves along with lawn
> clippings eh?
> > > >Usually takes years to get stand alone leaves in a pile to do
> anything
> > > >except become wet and a forage for worms along the bottom or
> merely a
> > > >component for a good composting mix. If your outside temp is 0
> and you can
> > > >see steam eminating from your pile turn, turn, turn the pile.
> This will
> > > >cook it and break it down, cook any weed seed and give you a
> wonderful
> > > >medium when done. Donna and I are great believers in compost
> tea. I line
> > > >my compost pit with a double layer of 6 mil plastic set on
top
> of concrete
> > > >pads and tipped at a pitch towards the front to one corner.
> reclaim the
> > > >solution and then store it up in a big covered barrel on hand
> when needed
> > > >and use this as a fertilizer throughout the season. I might
add
> kitchen
> > > >waste to the "hot pile" now as well. Egg shells, coffee
grinds
> etc as
> > > >you've got a very valuable situation in that it's cooking and
> able to
> > > >consume almost anything added, keep turning every few days or
> so....
> > > >Happy Holidays! Gianni
> > >
> > > I have been following this thread for a while and now have to
get
> in. I am
> > > in a small town (Boro) in PA and the township brings me all the
> leaves that
> > > they collect in the fall. This amounts to about 70 truckloads,
so
> is quite
> > > a pile. I have no way to turn the pile as it is as large as a
> three car
> > > garage. I do try to flatten the top and let the pile sit over
the
> winter
> > > and collect rain and snow. I find that there are places in the
> pile that
> > > decompose very well and others that remain completely dry. I
use
> the pile
> > > that has "rested" over the winter and start a new pile and let
> it "rest"
> > > for a year.
> > >
> > > This has worked very well for me and the township. They are
happy
> to have a
> > > place to dump leaves (PA forbids that they put them in a
> landfill) Lasy
> > > year they came out with a large front end loader and "repiled"
> the leaves
> > > for me (that is almost like turning them). I use these leaves
on
> the rows
> > > of gooseberries and currants to provide mulch, conserve
moisture,
> and to
> > > provide some nutriants. Just seams like a "win/win" situation
to
> me
> > >
> > >
> > > Northumberland BerryWorks
> > > 707 Front Street
> > > Northumberland, PA 17857
> > > Phone: (570) 473-9910
> > > WWW.currants.com
> > > Ed@c...
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Thomas Olenio
> > Ontario, Canada
> > Hardiness Zone 6a


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