permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Steve Hoog wrote:

> Lawrence--I live right now with a couple that simply uses a bucket with a 
> seat instead of a toilet.
> after use wood ashes from the stove are used to cover.the sense of those on this list that have used 
> human waste for gardens is that if properly composted it could be used 
after two years.
> your statement in this post suggests that the ashes would severely interfere with that process. what is your take on 
that>--steve h

I think the wood ashes would interfere with safe and complete composting of humanure, especially if some biomass is not 
mixed in, like sawdust. The ashes will change the pH of the humanure and microorganisms that will break it down, which 
themselves regulate pH in a compost pile, will not perform this function properly as the natural process they are 
accustomed to would havebeen disrupted. Just put hay, grass or weed clipping in the bucket and turn the pile after every 
use. People used to keep a bag of quick lime in their privvy and dump a scoop of in the pit after every use to keep the 
smell down. This totally defeats the purpose of the privvy, to safely compost humanure, which if done right will have 
little or no smell after a reasonable wait.

Here's another method to consider:

Pick a tree that can use fertilizer (like a big apple tree near a pasture). Build a small portable enclosure for privacy 
and protection from rain and snow. Dig a wide, very shallow trench in a ring around the tree from just beyond the drip 
line inward to within 3-6 feet of the trunk. Fill this trench completely with a huge amount of hay, pile it up one to 
two feet above existing grade. Position the portable enclosure or lightweight shelter (a tent or a small shed, on 
wheels, maybe, a people tractor, if you will) across one segment of the ring of hay in the trench around the tree. Use 
this as an outhouse and turn the hay and humanure after every use. When it rains water will be retained in the shallow 
trench for a brief period which will provide moisture to enable the composting process to continue. To speed up the 
process you can run a garden irrigation hose with a high pressure nozzle out to the tree to use to blend everything into 
the hay to work off faster and soak into the root zone of the tree. Direct recycling of humanure, safely, and direct 
fertilization of the tree, possibly a food crop. You would not use wood ashes in this process. Of all the methods I have 
tried this is the best. The shelter can be moved to another tree, a pasture or some area to be landscaped. I would use 
this method to improve my own personal food garden but not for commercial cropping. Its all in how well you manage the 
process to keep the compost working naturally and the area used well drained. Soils differ; some are more permeable than 
others. Therein lies the problem for some locales. Poorly drained soil could cause the pile to go anaerobic unless you 
construct it with adequate drainage and aeration and still allow enough moisture for the microorganisms to survive.

> > "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net> wrote:  john norton wrote:
> > Never add wood ashes or any pH mediating product to a compost pile. The 
> > bacteria in compost regulate pH themselves;
> > if you override this with ashes or lime the pile will cease to function 
> > normally and you will end up with poor compost.
> > Worse yet pathogens in the pile may not be removed, thermophilic bacteria may not function and fungal growth may be 
> > interrupted which would slow the process of breaking down cellulose and lignin in the biomass.

LL
--
Lawrence F. London, Jr.
Venaura Farm
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
http://market-farming.com/venaurafarm
http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech