Do you have a compost pile? Please post pics

[Whispering Winds]

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I am NOT trying to be a smart alec here, but what if the wind shifts?

 

[zachslc]

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No. There are worms specifically used for vermicomposting. The most common ones are "reg wigglers", which are the ones I use, but there are others. If you google "vermicompost" you'll find more than you want to know.

 

[Renee]

My compost has never smelled or attracted regular flies. We do get huge, white beetle grubs and little teeny hovering flies of some sort, but they don't bother anyone.

Turning over a pile makes it compost faster. I'm impatient, need that stuff for the garden!

 

[Equus5O]

This was my compost ... after "Fluffy" got ahold of it.

("Fluffy" is what I call the bears)

 

[CoyoteMagic]

OOOOOY!!!! I don't need "Fluffy" in my composter!!


We haven't seen bears around here since "the summer of bears". I swear every 2 year old from the Smokies came down to the small towns surrounding Charlotte!! I think that was about 8 years ago. I watched one eating plums off the neighbors tree!!

 

[GardeNerd]

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Hi! Could you give me a little more detail on how you did the bottom and "flap"? I've got 2 of these things out back that I want to make into composters too. I'm gonna be rich from selling composted chicken poo!!

PS do you turn the pile or do you just let it set?

I drilled one inch holes all over it. Then I flipped it over cut the bottom off and cut a door in the front of the bottom with a Saws All tool. That's about it.
I ran a bungie cord around the bottom and secure it in the front.

I add material to the top, turn every other day or so, add water as needed and eventually it comes out the bottom. I keep the bottom sealed by wrapping the bungie cord around it. Works good for me.
When I am actively caring for the pile and not adding extra, I get compost in about 3 - 4 weeks. It has tons of red wigglers in it. It can easily reach 160 degrees (add more water and turn then), and the worms move down til it cools off. When I am lazy, it takes about 3 months or more with me just adding to the top and no turning to get compost out the bottom. I am a crazy composter so I am out there almost daily, especially now with lots of chicken poopy newspapers.

* I have sold the red wigglers in quarts (empty yogurt containers) with finished compost. I charged $5. a piece and had more responses from craigslist than I had empty quarts to fill. The worms multiply in about in a months time, give or take a little.

 

[ozzie]

It has tons of red wigglers in it. It can easily reach 160 degrees (add more water and turn then), and the worms move down til it cools off.

Did you kickstart it with red wrigglers that you bought? Or did you just sort of wait around for them to find the compost? I have worms in my compost but I think they are just your conventional earthworms, not the red wrigglers for the 'vermicompost'.

ozzie​

 

[New adventure]

I just can't help myself, I have to ask - Snakecharmer, what does being a "crazy tree hugger" have to do with composting?

I'm growing potatoes in my new "lasagna" compost. 1. Put down about 10 layers of newpaper
2. Lay potatoes on paper, space about 10" each way.
3. Start layering compost material: straw, dirt, leaves, grass clippings, wood shavings, etc. to 6-8" deep.
4. Water
5. As potatoes grow, add more stuff in layers to keep the plants covered.
6. When plants wilt, pull off the compost and harvest your potatoes right off the newspaper.

The Lasagna Gardening books are great!

 

[GardeNerd]

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Did you kickstart it with red wrigglers that you bought? Or did you just sort of wait around for them to find the compost? I have worms in my compost but I think they are just your conventional earthworms, not the red wrigglers for the 'vermicompost'.

ozzie

No, they don't just find the pile. The regular garden worms stay at the bottom of piles if at all. Red wigglers are the common name, most of the ones folks buy are Eisenia fetida. I got a scoop of compost to start my first pile from a fellow gardening friend a long time ago, so I don't know if it is the species, but she bought them somewhere and added them. They came in the compost and multiplied readily.

You can buy them online. You can put a want ad on craigslist, I saw a "want ad" and that is what got me started selling it on ocassion. You can ask around your gardening friends to see if they can give you compost to start a new pile.

 

[ozzie]

Thank you GardeNerd for the info about the worms.

Your garden is an inspiration as is your chicken coop. I love it! My 8yo saw the mural your daughter produced and has plans now to add murals to our coop too!

ozzie