North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Hans Brinkmann <hans-brinkmann@t-online.de>]

Hallo Mark,

I think without testing, you will not find the proper answer.
"Some" bread (cut or broken into prices)  and  some other salt 
containing food you may  add,
if you have sufficient vegetables (before use, let them dry a little) 
AND some additional e.g. saw dust.
Shreddering gardenwaste and composting are a new fashion for most 
gardens at Germany.
Maybe almost 100% of garden owners are composting in Germany.
Not to be only "good to the nature", but many do it only to save money 
(reducing waste fees).
I guess 95% are using a pile or an open composter standing at the ground.
Only a minority is using drum-composter (often quite small and expensive 
if new, but fast and not bad, as Donna confirms).
"Closed composters" (no mice may enter) are propagated to avoid too much 
smelling for the neighbors.
They are also propagated for composting more food-waste (salt and 
protein contain) at avoid too much smell,
but sometimes the waste is rotting more due to less air circulation.
In Germany the "animal-problem" due to the many composting piles is not 
present, even we are an overcrowded nation,
with an average of 236 citizens/Km². But I do not want to compare it 
with your unbelievable average of 32 citizens/km²only.
America may differ in details very much, because of different animals 
and so on...

Germans are loving beautiful chain-link-fences. We use it everywhere, to 
protect us from everyone, but I guess
coons doesn't know it! Anyhow it is keeping my dogs away from my 
neighbors horses and vice versa.

ciao
hans

Mark & Helen Angermayer schrieb:
> Hans/ Donna,
>
> I'm thinking rats and mice won't be a problem.  We have a small dog who, as
> they say in Arkansas, "ain't much count", but he's lovable, and he's killed
> a couple of squirrels and several snakes.  I doubt he'd stand for a rodent
> nest on his turf.  But I also doubt he'd try a groundhog or a coon, so
> wildlife could be a problem.  The orchard area is all surrounded by chain
> link, but will that stop the wildlife?
>
> As far as the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio, I wonder if the old bread will supply
> enough carbon?  But I'm also wondering if processed bread might contain
> enough additives to cause a harmful buildup over time. (i.e. sodium)?
>
> Ciao,
> Mark
>
>
>
> Hans schreib,
>
> Usually each composting has a hot- and a cold period. Some piles have
> only a cold phase.
> Organisms like e.g. worms are living only in the cold phase.
> In some cases the hot-phase is becoming even more hot, only due to
> "Chemical oxidization" in combination with gases like eg. methan.
> This happens sometimes in - quite dry-fresh-hey-barns, which have to be
> rebuild after that.
> Usually not in quite moist - well balanced - compost piles/drums.
> Well balanced means:
> A. right moisture
> B. structure(air-circulation)
> C. C/N-ratio.
>
> C: The C/N ratio will be the major problem for you, because of your
> vegetables/fruits (dairy/sausage?)...
> In any case (I think) you have to add quite much e.g. sawdust (also the
> course one, I do not know the Engl. name).
> At Europe we can add also crumpled newspaper, because bleach-agents and
> poisons in the dye are prohibited.
> I am quite sure, without adding, your "rich waste" will only small like
> a dead opossum or skunk.
> If some smelling occurs still, after adding  high C-materials, you can
> add easily:
> 1.Stone-powder!!! (I don't know your name) from e.g. basalt. This
> eliminated all smells
> very well and is in addition a very good compound for the soil. It is
> used  also as a wonderful longterm
> natural fertilizer at ecological production.
> 2. Also lava-powder may be used. See # 1.
> 3. A little Limestone-powder (simple fertilizer) and or more bentonite
> (e.g. for cat's closets)
> are useful in your case because your waste material will be too moist.
> Anyhow I think few basalt-powder will work the best against smelling.
>
> B. To have a better structure, either more stirring ore/and more course
> material
> (course woodmaterial) is necessary.If you have sufficient course material,
> stirring may be not necessary - if you have a little bit more time.
>
> A: For the right moisture we say in Germany: the compost pile should be in
> between a sun- and complete shade-position.To be not too dry and not too
> moist.
> Some people cover the pile sometimes with a foil to get/keep the right
> moisture.
>
> I think like this smelling can be avoided completely and animals like
> e.g. raccoons
> you have to love as colleagues in waste erasing or you need the
> proposed fencing, or a compost drum.
> I think this will be the only convenient method against e.g. rats. On
> the other hand, beloved
> and very positive hedgehogs do love also compost piles (For additional
> food and housing during winter).
> Many birds too - especially during famine winter season.
>
> It will be up to your national food-contamination-laws, if you may use
> finally the compost for a
> vegetables garden or better only for ornamentals, because some
> vegetables and
> fruits may contain (skin) too many poisons. Like e.g. your banana or
> oranges.
> Many infected plant-material will be no problem at all, but some (e.g.
> fire blight) should be not used.
>
> E.g. in Germany each household can pay also for a waste drum only for
> "organic-waste",
> if they do not want/can compost waste. Inside the ordinary waste-drum,
> it is prohibited.
> More and more farmers and municipalities are using bio-gas-plants (plant
> = fabric) in Germany.
>
> ciao
> hans
>
>
>
>
>
>
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