Compost Pile

[Smithyard Farm]

"smelly" compost is caused by a few things... one is being to wet. Try turning it to aerate it a bit. Add some dried leaves, shredded newspaper or brown paper bags and mix up. Also happens if you have too much green in there - a lot of grass clippings at once for example. you can put it in there, just mix it up with a bit of other stuff. Add more drier items, and mix it up. Don't put meat in there.. it spoils before it breaks up.. stay away from dairy products too. you only really need to turn it once in awhile - the added oxygen helps it break down faster. Once a week - once a month.... whatever you can do is good. Good luck!!!

 

[cmcanallen]

Has anyone put paper in their compost pile? I just finished shredding all our unneeded documents for the year and really don't want to see three appliance boxes full go to waste. Right now I have kitchen scraps, all the dead sod I pulled from my garden area and grass clippings in my pile and it's breaking down well. Don't want to screw it up but would like a lot more compost.

 

[TheChickMan]

yes you can put documents and newspaper in there. But i have heard the ink might be toxic when you go and put it in your pots or garden next year.

 

[cmcanallen]

Ok, thanks. I'll have to debate on the risks involved I see

 

[wyoDreamer]

I compost paper. I run it through the shredder, mix it into the bin, then spray it all down with the "rain wand" on the hose. We don't have very good recycling services out here, and I would rather keep the paper for the compost than have it shipped to the landfill.

My personal opinion is that there is not going to be enough toxins in the pile left after the composting process to really affect me or my husband. Considering all the toxins that I am exposed to from vehicle exhaust, the trains idling on the tracks as they are loaded, the refinery smoke, the ash from wildfires, the naturally occuring toxins in the ground and everything else; a chance of a miniscule amount of toxins being present from the ink and being absorbed by the arrot that I grow is not really a worry. I really need to have the moisture holding benefit of the paper in the compost.

 

[Arielle]

I have a question regarding kitchen scrapes including meats and breads. I toss a bag full of stale lightly moldy bread into the compost pile and after getting it wet for a few days, it started wreaking a foul smell of doggy do do. That was about 2 months ago and it still stinks. I have use some of the compost mix with potting soil for my indoor plants and made the whole house smell of doggy do do. Is it okay for other kitchen scrapes other than plant materiel to go in it? And is it supposed to stink and for how long? I'm thinking the yeast in the bread made it stinky from breaking down?

THe yeast in the brea is dead from baking so that would not be the direct source. Perhaps another yeast, a wild yeast, landed on the bread. Mold is not a yeast. I have not had this problem. Of course my birds will eat the moldy bread in the compost pile--I guess no one told them to avoid it.

The compost should have a mild earthy fragerance at time of use; if not, it is not ready for potting yet. THe doggy do do smell-- could it be a dog visited the pile and dumped?? THAT is not what I want in my composte. All dog wastes are kept to a different location.

Meat is generally not a good idea for compost pile, but never heard of anyone having issues with bread.

As for me I do not put in meats, dairy, or oils (bacon grease, etc). Just about any other scrap goes in the pile though.

I do compost my bones-- after much research I have found that many people composte bones. Makes the minerals available to the chickens, and plants again. I keep chickens and they get first shot at meats, dairy and oils, or the dog. With a little research I have found enough evidence to debunk the traditionally held methods of old. I like being able to compost bones instead of throwing them in the trash. It is a recycling thing for me.

 

[Arielle]

yes you can put documents and newspaper in there. But i have heard the ink might be toxic when you go and put it in your pots or garden next year.

Most ink is now vegetable based. THere should be a note somewhere indicating the ink used: like soy inks. THe heavymetal inks are not allowed any more is my understanding. Can anyone else confirm this?

 

[yinepu]

Most ink is now vegetable based. THere should be a note somewhere indicating the ink used: like soy inks. THe heavymetal inks are not allowed any more is my understanding. Can anyone else confirm this?

That's my understanding as well

 

[daddykirbs]

I only add meats/fats to the compost tumbler because it has an active colony of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae. Even still I do not add it in large amounts. The larvae eat everything! They are great in a compost bin.

 

[coopscritters]

It is alwaysgood to start off your compost with a bit of compost from a successful pile. It will give you a start on growing all the right organisms that make the breakdown possible. Visit a friend or old property with a pile and scoop up a bucket or shopping bag full. Once you have a working compost always save some for your next pile.