Composting

[TammyTX]

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I'm totally going to Google that too!

We have a small compost pile made up of an empty raised bed (soil is hard black clay).

Mostly we have pine shavings and what little fruit/veggie waste the two of us create. I have a question though....the nitrogen in chicken manure makes it green? If so, then I should mix it with the shavings to get it cooking?

I am a lazy composter and just throw stuff in the bin and stir when I feel like it.

 

[Sweetfolly]

We've got a compost tumbler for kitchen scraps that don't go to the birds, and a ring of chicken wire containing a heap for leaves, lawn clippings, and garden waste that is added to the tumbler as needed.

This summer, I had a sick duckling who wouldn't eat anything but live worms - that's how we got started in vermicomposting. We have a small bin down in our basement, and the worms have been busy - they've already given us a bin of lovely worm castings for our gardens.

So, I guess composting is one of my hobbies now!

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I have a tumbler also, was into vermicomposting but fed my chickens all the worms before they could replinish, loL!

 

[NanaKat]

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Your composting pine shavings will "rob" nitrogen as they break down. But, yes, the chicken manure is green and too hot to add directly to your plants so it is better composted. Toss in some of your black clay soil to the mix while it composts and you will get some good soil microbes.

Hubby tills or mixes in the straight chicken manure and then we let it "cure" in the soil before planting..

 

[BarkerChickens]

We have a worm compost set-up thing (DH handles his "pet" composting worms) and several home-made tumblers.

 

[TammyTX]

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...dang it! Can you think of anything that will make them break down faster?

 

[patman75]

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...dang it! Can you think of anything that will make them break down faster?

Composting in a barrel will increase the heat of the pile and make it break down faster.

I think you want 50-50 when it comes to nitrogen to carbon, I'm sure one of the compst experts will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[NanaKat]

Patman is correct. 50/50 is a great ratio. High temperatures are necessary to the quick breakdown of sawdust. Pine is a softer wood and composts quickly is the particles are small.

By adding some of your soil, you are adding necessary microbes to help speed up the process....like adding yeast to a bread mix.

Aeration and moisture also help, so turning your "pile" often and making sure it is like a damp sponge will benefit the process.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

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...dang it! Can you think of anything that will make them break down faster?

Composting in a barrel will increase the heat of the pile and make it break down faster.

I think you want 50-50 when it comes to nitrogen to carbon, I'm sure one of the compst experts will correct me if I'm wrong.

Exactly. My Dad is a Master Gardener/Master Composter and he thinks the saddest thing is people who dont compost because they think it's to complicated, it's really not. The super basic premise is just what patman said - you need carbon(leaves) and nitrogen(grass). Add your kitchen scraps, chicken dookie, pizza boxes, wood shavings, whatever (less meat) and you'll be composting..... For wood shavings, just think in terms of which one does it fall into - carbon or nitrogen (answer: carbon)? Then add more of the other (in this case nitrogen) to make sure you're not off balance + all of the wonderful suggestions for how to make it really rock, but never forget the basics and get to confused. Also check out TheEasyGarden.com | and SufficientSelf.com for great composting advice

 

[Kriquet]

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Wowie wow wow wow! This is a GREAT idea!!

I've been composting for 3 yrs now and am super-excited to start adding chicken manure!

DH just finished our coop and my babies are growing nicely in their brooder so haven't actually made it outside yet.

We are going to use DLM but am curious what to use as a base - I like the leaf idea in the fall (eliminates the need to shred them myself!) but the rest of the year I was going to use pine shavings but I followed another thread that said people recommend pine pellets instead. Can you compost pine pellets easier than shaving? Anyone know?

Also - does anyone keep their compost piles separated? (e.g - one pile for kitchen scraps/lawn scraps another pile for chicken manure/litter) DH is going to build me another compost bin and I was thinking of a two section bin - any thoughts from you awesome composters out there?