DIY Composting

[Spifflove]

I'm willing to give it a try. I put in bedding material, weeds and some leaves last November - added kitchen scraps daily as created...and now, end of May, it's not yet composted? We had a wet, wet winter/spring - so I know it's been watered enough (thanks God!). But it just doesn't seem 'hot' at all.

BTW, I'm not new to composting - have had piles since 1997 - some got hot, others not....I just don't understand why, when they're all together, all have the same composition in them and are all tended the same way (minimal). Curious stuff!

A box of cheap wine poured over the mass should do the trick.

 

[annie82005]

New to composting here

This is my composter

This water leaks out when I moisten it. Can I use this on my garden and not kill it??

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[annie82005]

New to composting here

This is my composter

This water leaks out when I moisten it. Can I use this on my garden and not kill it??

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[annie82005]

Sorry for the double post!

 

[Life is Good!]

This water leaks out when I moisten it. Can I use this on my garden and not kill it??

Yes, I would use that water! But I'd dilute it first, not add it full strength to garden plants, until I knew what it did. You're making something called compost tea. Google it (I'm not making it up!) to learn more about it's benefits.

You know how cleaners always have the warning, "test in a small area before using" - yeah, I'd do the same with this! But it's all good for your plants - just might be a bit 'rich' to feed them without diluting it first.

How to dilute? Take a 5gal bucket, add water, add compost tea - pour into watering can, apply to plant root/ground area.

 

[chickenstricken]

how do you know how much water to add?

It should have the moisture of a wrung out sponge. Hope that makes sense. It's hard to explain it any other way. You'll know it when you see it.

New to composting here


This water leaks out when I moisten it. Can I use this on my garden and not kill it??



Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

I agree with life is good. It should be fine to use, but definitely dilute it first. When I brew compost tea, I dilute it 1 part tea to 2 parts water.

 

[annie82005]

I am so glad that I found this thread!!! I did a lot of research before getting our compost tumbler so I knew about the compost tea although I did not know how soon I could use it or how to use it thank you so much!

 

[chickenstricken]

Use it ASAP as the microorganisms don't last long. Also, to anybody diluting it, use rain water if possible. If you're in the city (like me) the water is most likely chlorinated. The chlorine will kill the beneficial microorganisms. If you are going to use that water to dilute, leave it in a bucket for a few days first. The chlorine will dissipate.

 

[HEChicken]

I have some questions because I have never composted before.
I read one post where they used a large outdoor plastic garbage can with the bottom cut out and put directly onto ground. No turning, etc. My questions are:
I live in south Texas and so it is very hot and dry (but humid go figure) and now I am scared of the potential for FIRE. I could water it but not every day.
What about FIREANTS? Nobody addresses this, maybe it is not a widespread problem, but here, it looks like I would have millions if new nasty pets. What if I put layers of diatomaceous earth? Will that not hurt the worms? Can I mail order worms? Bait stores here are for salt water.

I don't know the answers to some of your questions. Personally I would not want to use the plastic garbage can as compost needs aeration, and that is going to be an enclosed space with little air flow. The DE will hurt the worms so I would not use that. And yes, you can mail order worms. You really don't want bait worms anyway, as they are best for bait, not composting (not that they won't eat your garden waste but they'll be slow and relatively ineffective). What you want to look for are Red Wigglers. If you go to eBay and type that in, you'll get tons of hits. Or you can just google it. Those are a variety that are perfect for composting as they eat a ton, and reproduce quickly and in large volume. Each 1000 you buy, will be many more than that within a few months.

I do not envy you your fire ants. I'm also curious about your statement that your area is both dry and humid since I thought those are the opposite of one another?

 

[tigertusk]

I mean that we have high humidity but it doesn't actually rain. Imagine living in a sauna. Hot. With lots of wind. All that - fireants, thorns, snakes, scorpions, etc... Wait a minute, why do I live here again?! LOL!