Compost

[mamabear05]

Do you have a compost pile? Have you found that it has significantly reduced the amount of trash you're sending to the landfill every week?

[mom2manyboyz]

Yes, it reduces my trash and it is great for my garden!

My garden is organic. I save every scrap of organic fruit and veggie that leaves my kitchen. I don't have a compost bin set up. I save it up and bury it in my garden when I have time. In the warm months that works well. In the winter I have a barrel of dirt near the back door that I bury the scraps in. There are worms in it so, I guess it is sort of a compost bin.

Has anyone seen the "worm factories" advertised? I've been thinking about getting one.

[Chris]

I have one of these

http://www.organic-compost-tumbler.com

[Roguegal]

I would love to have one of those tumblers to make compost. But, unfortunately, I cannot afford it. A friend is going to make me one out of a 50 gallon drum. Hopefully it will do the same thing.

[Chris]

Sure, try youtube, I watched a video on making one there once.

[Green-Moo]

I have a compost heap for rough garden waste and overspill, and two worm bins for household waste.

No organic or food waste goes in my rubbish bin.

[msmeg]

We have a compost pile but most of my food scraps go into a worm composter in the garage... I so want a tumbler we made one from a barrel but it does not work as fast as the big tumblers. I think our problem is we do not bag grass... I need to find a neighbor to give us their grass to speed up the compost.

[mom2manyboyz]

Meg: I agree. I have the barrel, but want the big tumbler. I haven't forked out the money yet, but SO want one. How does your worm composter work? Does it make "worm tea?" I've looked at those for the garage, but haven't wanted to spend the money on that either.


We have a compost pile but most of my food scraps go into a worm composter in the garage... I so want a tumbler we made one from a barrel but it does not work as fast as the big tumblers. I think our problem is we do not bag grass... I need to find a neighbor to give us their grass to speed up the compost.

[Roguegal]

I've been thinking about doing a worm bin myself. But I've don't have a garage and it would have to sit outside. I would like to use the "worm tea" for my plants. Does anybody know if I would be able to have one in Phoenix sitting outside?

[mom2manyboyz]

I don't know about the laws in Phoenix, but I do know that worm tea smells bad. ;) I bought some online to use and had it in my kitchen cupboard. After a month or so, I had to take it outside. It is a horrid smell. I assume that the same odor would come from homemade "worm tea." Once I had it outside, I didn't notice the smell.

[Green-Moo]

I don't know about the laws in Phoenix, but I do know that worm tea smells bad. ;) I bought some online to use and had it in my kitchen cupboard. After a month or so, I had to take it outside. It is a horrid smell. I assume that the same odor would come from homemade "worm tea." Once I had it outside, I didn't notice the smell.



I'm not surprised that it smelt bad if you had it in your kitchen cupboard for a month!! Worm tea is basically just the liquid that runs out of your worm bin, so that's the liquid produced when a pile of organic matter decomposes.

Zoning requirements aside, a worm bin should be OK in pretty much any climate so long as it is not allowed to get unduly hot or cold.

[Roguegal]

I'm not surprised that it smelt bad if you had it in your kitchen cupboard for a month!! Worm tea is basically just the liquid that runs out of your worm bin, so that's the liquid produced when a pile of organic matter decomposes.

Zoning requirements aside, a worm bin should be OK in pretty much any climate so long as it is not allowed to get unduly hot or cold.


Unduly cold is no problem here in Phoenix. But unduly hot is the problem. Here in Phoenix the temperature, in the shade, has reached 120 degrees. :eek: I guess that means that a worm bin is out of the question.

[mom2manyboyz]

Yes, I know what worm tea is. Like I said, I ordered it online. It came in a nicely sealed plastic bottle. I just set it in the cupboard above the trash closet and forgot about it, until it began to smell.

[msmeg]

I don't know about the laws in Phoenix, but I do know that worm tea smells bad. ;) I bought some online to use and had it in my kitchen cupboard. After a month or so, I had to take it outside. It is a horrid smell. I assume that the same odor would come from homemade "worm tea." Once I had it outside, I didn't notice the smell.


a month or so was likely your problem.... it fermented on you......mine did fine outside until the temps got to be in the high 90's the week it hit 100 the adult worms died. same thing happened in the winter they froze in a lump in the middle tray so it lives in the garage. and it has no smell Mine has a drain we leave open with a bucket to catch the liquid.. that bucket of liquid usually does not smell even when it has been a few months. If I do smell something when I dump it on the garde there will be dead worms in it. So it is the decomposing worms not the compost. They should have just stayed in the bin....I also make compost tea buy putting some finished compost in a 5 gal bucket of water just about a cup and then let it sit 24 hours.

I was so lucky and found mine for $25 a lady was moving.

[mamabear05]

Yes, it reduces my trash and it is great for my garden!

My garden is organic. I save every scrap of organic fruit and veggie that leaves my kitchen. I don't have a compost bin set up. I save it up and bury it in my garden when I have time. In the warm months that works well. In the winter I have a barrel of dirt near the back door that I bury the scraps in. There are worms in it so, I guess it is sort of a compost bin.

Has anyone seen the "worm factories" advertised? I've been thinking about getting one.
That is an excellent idea. I hadn't considered just burying the scraps in the garden rather than setting aside a specific place for compost. Thanks for the tip!

[mom2manyboyz]

That is an excellent idea. I hadn't considered just burying the scraps in the garden rather than setting aside a specific place for compost. Thanks for the tip!

:) I actually read this before I started doing it. I was reading about large scale organic farms that didn't have time to compost saving up organic scraps and dumping them back on the fields. I'm always looking for short-cuts, so it sounded like a good plan. I bury them because I don't want to upset the neighbors.

[Chris]

I've been thinking about doing a worm bin myself. But I've don't have a garage and it would have to sit outside. I would like to use the "worm tea" for my plants. Does anybody know if I would be able to have one in Phoenix sitting outside?
Heat normally helps compost, but vermiculture may be a different issue. Personally, I'm of the opinion to let the worms live in the garden. I don't see how vermicomposting is better than just encouraging worms to live in your soil and composting normally.

[Chris]

That is an excellent idea. I hadn't considered just burying the scraps in the garden rather than setting aside a specific place for compost. Thanks for the tip!
One reason not to do that is that composting generates heat and takes time, which kills weed seeds, pathogens, etc. Something to keep in mind.

[mom2manyboyz]

One reason not to do that is that composting generates heat and takes time, which kills weed seeds, pathogens, etc. Something to keep in mind.

That is true and certainly something to keep in mind when composting this way. I don't compost weeds that have seeds and you have to be careful about what you compost. I never, ever, use animal products. Most of my composted waste is organic fruit and veggie scraps and organic coffee grounds. Oh, also any carrots and potatoes that I forgot to dig up last year. ;)

[msmeg]

Heat normally helps compost, but vermiculture may be a different issue. Personally, I'm of the opinion to let the worms live in the garden. I don't see how vermicomposting is better than just encouraging worms to live in your soil and composting normally.

because it is two different end products.. one is worm castings.... they are used more like fertilizer not in as large amounts as you would use compost.

Two different kinds of worms also. I use red wigglers in my worm bin and in the compost pile earth worms live.

my bil used to bury the fish stuff all year from cleaning his fish about a ft deep in the garden area.. he would dig a trench and just fill with dirt as he went all winter...He could grow the best garden I ever saw.

[mom2manyboyz]

Thank you for your post msmeg. I had not thought about burying fish, although I know it has been done historically. I DO use fishmeal that I purchase at the store. I wonder how safe it is to bury whole fish? Obviously, you bil does it successfully. Is there anything else to this that needs to be understood before trying this?

[Roguegal]

because it is two different end products.. one is worm castings.... they are used more like fertilizer not in as large amounts as you would use compost.

Two different kinds of worms also. I use red wigglers in my worm bin and in the compost pile earth worms live.

my bil used to bury the fish stuff all year from cleaning his fish about a ft deep in the garden area.. he would dig a trench and just fill with dirt as he went all winter...He could grow the best garden I ever saw.

I wonder if that would work in my back yard for my grass? Of course I have very little grass in the backyard. My problem with my yard is that I am living on top of a dump. As you all know, every piece of garbage goes into dumps.

[msmeg]

I do remember in the spring his garden attracted some cats if he had not put them deep enough ... and it was a bit smelly the first few warm days. but maybe that was him??????

[mom2manyboyz]

Ha Ha msmeg. What a riot. I'm telling him you said that. ;)

Seriously though, thanks for the response. I didn't know if this would attract cats or not. Now, I know.

[Roguegal]

Now, now, don't be a tattletale! The guys garden may stink, but I bet he grows good vegetables. As for the fish, as long as you put it deep enough in the soil it should not attract cats. If you want to attract cats, plant some catnip!

[Green-Moo]

Heat normally helps compost, but vermiculture may be a different issue. Personally, I'm of the opinion to let the worms live in the garden. I don't see how vermicomposting is better than just encouraging worms to live in your soil and composting normally.


Worm bins are a far quicker method of breaking down organic waste than plain composting, so you can break down more waste in the same space.

Your worms will multipy in the bin, so you can also scoop them out & pop onto areas of the garden that could do with a little soil improvement.

[Green-Moo]

:) I actually read this before I started doing it. I was reading about large scale organic farms that didn't have time to compost saving up organic scraps and dumping them back on the fields. I'm always looking for short-cuts, so it sounded like a good plan. I bury them because I don't want to upset the neighbors.


If you dig trenches in winter and put all your kitchen waste into them, they'll make excellent spot to plant your beans come spring.

You could try just spreading your organic material inbetween the plants on top of the soil. It will eventually be dragged down into the soil by worms etc where it will break down. If you want to give it a fancy name you can call it sheet composting :) It works better in cooler climates as if it gets too hot then the organic matter just dessicates rather than decomposes.

[mom2manyboyz]

If you dig trenches in winter and put all your kitchen waste into them, they'll make excellent spot to plant your beans come spring.

You could try just spreading your organic material inbetween the plants on top of the soil. It will eventually be dragged down into the soil by worms etc where it will break down. If you want to give it a fancy name you can call it sheet composting :) It works better in cooler climates as if it gets too hot then the organic matter just dessicates rather than decomposes.

Green-Moo:

How did you learn so much about organic gardening? Your ideas are shear genius. :) I had never thought about digging troughs for the kitchen scraps and placing the beans there. I'm sure it will make them very happy and I am going to try this next winter! I also didn't know it was called "sheet composting," to place the organic waste on top.

Thanks and any other time saving organic gardening tips that you have... throw them my way.

[Roguegal]

Where would we be without Green-Moo? Probably searching the Internet for hours on end. :-) At least we know someone who knows something! :-)

[Rose White]

I wonder if that would work in my back yard for my grass? Of course I have very little grass in the backyard. My problem with my yard is that I am living on top of a dump. As you all know, every piece of garbage goes into dumps.

Garbage dumps can be a problem, so if you plant things to eat, be sure to use raised beds or container gardening.

Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"
:)

[rtwynne]

I have recently came across a compost bin available at Sams Club. It's all from recycled plastic, even the nuts, bolts and wrench. It comes with a locking lid. We found it very useful, we have gone and purchased 2 more before they ran out.

[beholdgreenthumb]

We recently made our own - such a good investment, and it creates such wonderful soil.