Small Scale Composting

[KettermanHillCoop]

It's a pretty tight fit on the discharge chute but it still came off if I hit a tree or made a tight turn to the left so I added a lanyard with a key ring. The key ring is threaded through the bag and the lanyard is hooked to the pin that holds the discharge chute on.

View attachment 1428310

It's a woven bag so it lets the air out as the clippings go in. As soon as the bad deflates it's full and time to empty. I just tip it up and dump the clippings on the ground in a central location then come back with trash cans and a rake to pick them up. Works better than I expected lol.

Now to just figure out when the compost is done... dunno never composted before.

JT

I just love Redneck Engineering.
As for composting, my edumacated guess (never did it either) would be when it turns that dark loamy color.

 

[jthornton]

Anyone know how to tell when compost is done?

JT

 

[lazy gardener]

It's a pretty tight fit on the discharge chute but it still came off if I hit a tree or made a tight turn to the left so I added a lanyard with a key ring. The key ring is threaded through the bag and the lanyard is hooked to the pin that holds the discharge chute on.

View attachment 1428310

It's a woven bag so it lets the air out as the clippings go in. As soon as the bad deflates it's full and time to empty. I just tip it up and dump the clippings on the ground in a central location then come back with trash cans and a rake to pick them up. Works better than I expected lol.

Now to just figure out when the compost is done... dunno never composted before.

JT

Genius post of the day award.

Anyone know how to tell when compost is done?

JT

I use it at various stages. If it's still a bit fibrous, it will continue to break down. IMO, compost works best when used as a top dressing instead of being worked into the soil. Though, I do put a couple shovel fulls into a hill when planting cucurbits, and also amend the soil before back filling when planting a tree or shrub (though the experts say not to do so.) But, compost is finished when it is nice and black and crumbly, smells loamy, and does not have material that you can identify.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't wait until I can't identify everything in it. Some stuff in it takes forever to break down plus I don't turn mine often, sometimes not at all. My bad. The stuff near the outside especially does not break down very well. Things like peach or plum pits can take a few cycles to break down, even if you turn it a lot. I often get other stuff, some I cannot identify, that won't go through that mesh.

I don't have a great way to tell when it is ready. I'm usually so busy doing other things of higher priority it often waits longer than it needs to anyway. What's the rush, it's not like it is going to go bad. I usually have things to harvest, things to plant, weeding, mulching, or butchering chickens that will go bad if I don't do them now!!!

I guess when it is crumbly and the smell is right are pretty good signs. When I do get around to bagging it I sift it through that frame I mentioned, using good gloves to rub it through. Anything that goes through that 1/2" mesh is considered compost. Anything else goes back on the pile to continue working.

I generally use mine when I'm planting seeds or setting out started plants. I mix compost with the dirt before things are started. I consider the improvement in soil texture as important as the nutrient benefits I see so i mix it in. That stuff is black gold for more than one reason.