Compost Bin

[Mickie31]

We have a compost bin and when we first got it we didn't realise that we were not supposed to put food in it and so we put meat and things like left overs in it. We then mixed branches, flowers and garden material in it. It now has fly's and worms in it. My question is, will this turn into compost knowing that we put meat in it? Or do we need to throw it all away and start again? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Rose White]

You will still get compost if you add meat, but you must watch that it is not attracting rodents. In the future, avoid adding meat, dairy and processed foods to your compost bin. You definitely want worms in your compost pile as they will aerate your garden soil. Good luck!

Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"

[Alan Moon]

I chuck in ripped up cardboard, shredded documents, grass clippings, weeds, all vegetable waste, egg cartons, dead flowers but defo avoid meat and dairy. Paper and cardboard are good for creating air pockets and keeping the nasty smells of decomposition at bay.

[Rose White]

I chuck in ripped up cardboard, shredded documents, grass clippings, weeds, all vegetable waste, egg cartons, dead flowers but defo avoid meat and dairy. Paper and cardboard are good for creating air pockets and keeping the nasty smells of decomposition at bay.

Adding torn cardboard and shredded paper to the compost sounds like an excellent idea. The perfect way to recycle!

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

[Charles]

In addition, you can add broken styrofoam with the torn cardboard and shredded paper. Just make sure that you balance when you put these on the compost bin along with food scraps. As for for food items, you can include coffee grounds, peelings, egg shells, corn cobs, used tea bags, melon rinds, fruits and vegetables but not meat, eggs, and dairy products. You can also add yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves and pulled-up plants or weeds.
______________
Mary Henderson
Publisher, http://www.storagesheds360.com

Is styrofoam biodegradeable then?

I add paper and card to help the mix and it works a treat.

[hippyman]

I'm glad I found this thread. I am thinking about starting to compost, and I might have lucked out, as my parents neighbors have a compost box they're not using. Would there be any reason that the box wouldnt be any good? I know they are keeping things in it, I just dont know what kinds of things.

[DaveB]

Personally I used to be a chemist working in food migration and I'd stay well away from styrofoam in your garden, but don't take my word for it.:confused:

See the txt below from David M Bryant Ph D, University of New Hampshire, Environmental Education Program

---

>>I've read this thread with some consternation as a soil scientist.
>>>I know this may sound like recycling of styrofoam but it's really
>>>putting xenobiotics (highly recalcitrant synthetics) into the
>>>soil. I'm not really sure if it would meet your other goal
>>>either. While quantitatively decreasing soil bulk density, as
>>>does soil organic matter (SOM) I doubt that it provides any of the
>>>other benefits of SOM. Styrofoam is a closed cell material, so
>>>even with a high surface area (internally and externally) I doubt
>>>that soil solution or nutrients can interact with these surfaces
>>>to provide cation/anion exchange or enhance soil aeration as the
>>>cells are generally filled with a synthetic gas (previously these
>>>were CFCs).
>>>
>>>Also, there is increasing evidence that plastics release synthetic
>>>compounds, the effects of some are known others unknown.
>>>Moreover, organic chemistry of the SOM and plastics degradation
>>>are not well understood.
>>>
>>>If you have any data or literature on these questions I would be
>>>very interested. In lieu of any evidence of benefits/hazards I
>>>would strongly advise against the practice.
>>>
>>>David
>>>
>>>David M Bryant Ph D
>>>University of New Hampshire
>>>Environmental Education Program
>>>Durham, NH 03824

---

[kaseyloramar]

I would be a little careful about what you add to a compost pile. Just keep it greenery. The wrong things could end up causing a fire just like a mulch pile. It heats up due to chemical reactions.

[gumbo2176]

I use cardboard in my garden and my compost piles. For the garden, simply lay it between the rows and cover it with grass clippings, leaves etc. This will keep the weeds down and help preserve soil moisture. I'll take my lawnmower and after tearing up the cardboard into smaller pieces, I'll run over it with the mower to shred it before putting it in the piles.

For you folks that are ilde due to winter weather and want to start preparing your spring plot, take the cardboard thing a bit farther and lay it over the entire area and layer it with leaves, grass, manure and let it compost over the winter. By springtime the stuff will be ready to turn into your soil for some much appreciated organic matter. Plus, most weeds should be long dead by then.

[gumbo2176]

Kasey, I've been composting for years and have yet to have a fire and I live in the deep south where summers are brutally hot. Most home gardeners that have compost piles don't have ones that are so huge that it will develop that much heat. Plus, if you are composting properly, you are turning the pile frequently to aerate it and adding water to it when it starts to dry out. You do not want a totally dry compost pile since dampness aids in decomposition.

My compost piles consist of cardboard, shredded paper, leaves, grass clippings, stable waste of manure/straw/wood shavings, all vegetable waste from my kitchen and my garden, plus the occasional run to a local coffee house for their used grounds. They are more than glad to give them away when you ask for them.

[gumbo2176]

I simply put 3 pallets together for a simple compost bin. You can get pallets free of charge at most lumber yards or "big box" stores. I put one on the rear and fasten 1 on each side with long screws or nails then put a piece of 1x4 across the front at the top to keep it from spreading. I have 2 of those right now----1 for new compost and 1 for stuff that is done but not quite needed just yet. Each bin is approximately 4 ft. tall by 3 1/2 ft. wide and deep.

When they finally fall apart after a few years, simply get more pallets and make more for free.

[etrader12]

Personally I used to be a chemist working in food migration and I'd stay well away from styrofoam in your garden, but don't take my word for it.:confused:

See the txt below from David M Bryant Ph D, University of New Hampshire, Environmental Education Program

---

>>I've read this thread with some consternation as a soil scientist.
>>>I know this may sound like recycling of styrofoam but it's really
>>>putting xenobiotics (highly recalcitrant synthetics) into the
>>>soil. I'm not really sure if it would meet your other goal
>>>either. While quantitatively decreasing soil bulk density, as
>>>does soil organic matter (SOM) I doubt that it provides any of the
>>>other benefits of SOM. Styrofoam is a closed cell material, so
>>>even with a high surface area (internally and externally) I doubt
>>>that soil solution or nutrients can interact with these surfaces
>>>to provide cation/anion exchange or enhance soil aeration as the
>>>cells are generally filled with a synthetic gas (previously these
>>>were CFCs).
>>>
>>>Also, there is increasing evidence that plastics release synthetic
>>>compounds, the effects of some are known others unknown.
>>>Moreover, organic chemistry of the SOM and plastics degradation
>>>are not well understood.
>>>
>>>If you have any data or literature on these questions I would be
>>>very interested. In lieu of any evidence of benefits/hazards I
>>>would strongly advise against the practice.
>>>
>>>David
>>>
>>>David M Bryant Ph D
>>>University of New Hampshire
>>>Environmental Education Program
>>>Durham, NH 03824

---

I am also a chemist - styrofoam has no place in the compost bin of any garden, it should be recycled in the weekly rubbish.

[King XII]

Its one of the best thread in the forum
really amazing

[maryjones2]

All those can decompose and in the long last you have your compost ready. Those are just decomposing agents and thus you need not to worry. The problem is that they can attract rodents and also gush out an owful smell. try to keep your bin away from your house.

[alp12ha]

Compost Bins Gardening Imagine how your lawn and garden would benefit from unlimited amounts of free organic fertilizer.

[GYO Mary]

I just acquired my first composting barrel. (love craigslist lol) It is homemade on an axle with legs about 4 feet of the ground.

It's a great design but I think it might need some holes drilled into it for oxygen to get in. What do you think?

The guy I bought it from said that he could make "dirt" in 21 days from composting just his dried leaves if he chopped them up with the mower first. Anyone believe this?

I filled it about 1/2 full with kitchen waste I had been saving, last years compost pile that resembles black clumps of grass, and the leaves that I chopped up the last time I mowed last year (yes they were still in my catcher bag). I wet it all down good and turned it several times to mix it all up. Turned it again the next day. Planning on turning it every 3-5 days until it resembles compost.

How long do you think it will take to be able to use this in my garden?

I'd like to get another one but I can just imagine what my neighbors will think if I start lining up blue barrels in my yard. I guess I will just start another pile of my new stuff and add it all to the barrel when this batch is finished.

[Kyle21nluvnit]

Something I have found that works great for composting is my chickens. They stay locked up in their pin for the first couple hours a day, its about a 10'X15' pin. I just add everything that I would normally put into my compost pile to their pin. They are constantly picking through it getting out the bugs and seeds from anything I throw in and at the same time they keep everything turned and airated. It produces compost pretty quick, generally I get 6 to 8 large wheel barrels full about 3 times a year. And none of the work done by me really.