Composting to support your garden

I was looking around the site for information on composting so I could improve my soil and general health of my plants. I think it is a basic yet critical component in this great hobby!

I was dismayed that there was no thread devoted to the proper components, application or procedures to get the best compost. I apologize if this topic has been covered but I was unable to satisfy my curiosity on GardenStew, but I admit I haven't used the search function yet.

 

Hi there and welcome to the Stew ! First thing is,, same as gardening,,don`t over-think it. Put what you have in the bin,, buy a container of red wigglers at most bait stores,, throw them in and let the worms do all the work. If you have access to livestock manure,,rabbit chicken horse or cow add that as well. Keep it damp and don`t let it dry out, turn it ocassionally and soon you should have a batch of compost. Don`t worry about amounts,, use what you have,, it will turn out fine !

 

Mart, as always, is absolutely right! Rot happens, and that is basically what compost is--rotted stuff that is beneficial. Chicken manure needs about 4-6 months to compost, otherwise it has a too high nitrogen content and can "burn" plants. Cow, horse, goat manure is great, let it compost for a few months (depending on how fresh it is--when you can't smell it any more, you can use it). Rabbit and sheep manure can be put directly on gardens. I've been tempted to trap a few of the rabbits around here and squeeze them at the base of my tomato plants!
It's difficult to mess up compost. When it looks right and doesn't smell, use it. Even if it's a little "new", it will continue to rot in your garden and add beneficial nutrients.

 

And if you have access to leaf mold as in under oak trees,, that will speed things along with the proper bacteria. Just scrape up the leaves that have already started to rot under the top layer !

 

Best. Perfect.

I have learned these are internet words.

So much depends on what you have to use. For me, kitchen scraps are a joke because two of us just do not generate enough. What is best for you is a more perfect way to say it.

However, composting is a fun topic, and just asking starts big threads. Someone comes by and drops buzzwords and then the poo starts to fly.

Then, geography, because temps are relevant. As is rainfall.

Then soil type that you are feeding.

Cannot forget which plants are being grown and what they like.

It gets as large as life, or more correctly the decomposition of it anyway.

I saw a thread on another board where user RedHawk composted a pig. Amino acids from protiens are really good. Lots of organic N found in protien it turns out. I never considered that soils eat (digest) meat or to what purpose. But those wily native americans put fish in the mounds of the 3 sisters.

Safety is a concern, the molds can attack you, and your lungs. Or E-Coli if you compost pigs. And nobody ever talks about staph infections. Mostly they say no meat and leave it at that, even though mother nature is more perfect, given fallen animals.

I do not think it could be comprehensive in one thread. Mostly I shred leaves and burn fallen wood for the ashes and charcoal. They make a liming compost when mixed, which our acid clay needs.

 

I'm seeking a new source of used coffee grounds for my compost bins. Don't know about pigs or ecoli. Or Best. Or perfect.

I throw in our kitchen scraps, dead leaves, shredded paper, bit of soil, pulled weeds, etc. It makes compost pretty quickly.

 

I've got 3 compost bins and they're the cone shaped ones with a door down the bottom that lifts up and off.
Mainly i put in fruit and veg scraps that we can't eat. Some garden waste and cardboard boxes broken up, cereal boxes, grass clippings that have to be mixed with something else, broken egg shells,tea bags. I do put in anything that is 100% cotton that will break down well, like towels. I don't put in leaves because they break down very slowly.

 

Before I make a mistake, thought I'd check in and ask - I have an old bottle of Spirulina, it's use by date was May of 2016.
( I believe it is basically seaweed) It is in powder form, and I bought it to boost my immunity. Unfortunately, I did not find it
appetizing, and putting it into gel-caps was labor intensive. Think it would be ok to sprinkle into my compost bin?
It's sat in the back of my refrigerator long enough.

 

If it's organic it's ok.

 

When I started composting I wondered why the outside of the teabags didn't decompose and some time ago I found out that when they made the bags they mixed the paper with plastic so that it wouldn't break up in the water.

 

Just to add my half inch. If you want to start an argument ask any three gardeners how to make garden compost. then stand back and watch the sparks fly.

 

That's a good idea Palustris, could be even more entertaining than religion or politics.

 

We have a similar saying over here.

 

I should add that the way which works for you is the correct way to do it.

 

Back when it got too hot in the garden I slunk off to the woods and made a video of our composting area