Alternatives to Sawdust for compost bin

[malagausa]

Hi,

Does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives for sawdust in a plastic compost bin?

It's the only layer that I don't have.

 

[Justso]

How about pine needles?

 

[malagausa]

Have you used them before?

 

[Acre4Me]

If you know someone that works in a factory, you might have a source of sawdust. A friend of ours works in a trailer factory, and gets 200lb bags of sawdust for free.

 

[Double J Farms]

I put shavings from my chicken coops and brooders in my compost pile.

 

[Justso]

I put shavings from my chicken coops and brooders in my compost pile.

That's fine, I recently learned though that manure should compost at 131° for several weeks (hard to achieve at home), or use aged manure (120 days old before harvest).
UNH.edu ag extension has a good article, I'm sure there are others.

 

[Justso]

Have you used them before?

Pine needles are acidic and take a while to break down. I don't have many pine trees, but will work in what I can scrape up.

 

[Percheron chick]

Sawdust is not necessary. Add more leaves or straw. Pine needles are great. Shredded cardboard and paper do the job. Wood chips will eventually break down for a carbon source.
Composting is not a one way deal. It's about using free abundant waste and turning it into a valuable soil amendment while reducing landfill. Pileing up just one of those items is a positive move and will eventually break down.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Yeah, I question any compost guide that assumes you’ll have all the materials in the perfect ratios all at the same time. That’s not the way life works…garden debris and leaves don’t show up at the same time.

And layering is fine…but it’s mostly intended to give a “mix” of materials…you are fine to roughly layer…you’re making compost, not a fancy cake!

A good mix of greens, browns, moisture, and oxygen is key. Beyond that, there are many ways to go and lots of flexibility.