Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[adventerousone]

ok I have a pretty good pile going already though it is in an early stage ... when should I stop adding more to it? is there a point where it is less helpful to the pile to add more greens?

 

[vehve]

With just garden waste there's usually a bit of a lack of nitrogen. Fresh green stuff usually has a higher nitrogen content, so that shouldn't be a problem. If you're putting chicken poop in there too, you need to balance it out with browns. If you're composting without insulation, you usually need a pile about 3x3x3 feet to get the heat to build up properly.

 

[adventerousone]

This is what I have at the moment.. Grass clippings, straw from duck bedding and chicken coop, pine shavings, duck and chicken poo, and carrot and cabbage discards..

 

[vehve]

This is what I have at the moment.. Grass clippings, straw from duck bedding and chicken coop, pine shavings, duck and chicken poo, and carrot and cabbage discards..

That's starting to look like a nice big pile. You could soon think about wetting it a bit, and throwing a tarp over it to lock in some moisture. Keep the pile moist, and turn it once in a while, and before you know it, you've got some black gold.

 

[adventerousone]

ok awesome I have a tarp I have been putting on it at night since it has been cooling off... I wet it down a little this mornin but dont want to over do it and have it stink...

 

[vehve]

Yeah, better to start slowly, and find the balance. You're going to over water it at some point, but then you'll learn what the limit is. And apparently you get better compost if the moisture levels aren't stable. So it's better to water more at a time, but also more seldom. You can just keep the tarp on top of it all the time, most of the evaporation will be during daytime when it's warmer.

 

[lazy gardener]

Adventurous one, you might talk that reluctant hubby into giving it an inoculation of nitrogen! That should add some much needed moisture as well as the nitrogen to get it cooking real well!

 

[vehve]

Adventurous one, you might talk that reluctant hubby into giving it an inoculation of nitrogen! That should add some much needed moisture as well as the nitrogen to get it cooking real well!

It does look like a little leaking might be in place. Perhaps he'll find it amusing and will start warming up to the idea.

*Edit* Or at least warming the pile.

 

[lazy gardener]

That's one way to get him to take a little bit of ownership in the compost pile... marking territory!

 

[adventerousone]

Hahaha I asked him to he just snorted at me... Now My son is another matter he is all excited about it