Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[vehve]

A bit of a compost update. I emptied the compost today, it looks like it hasn't been cooking all that well in the colder weather. But that was actually a positive thing, because I used all the raw compost as material for our pumpkin patch. I built a 5 foot circle out of fencing, lined it with straw, and filled it with a foot of branches on the bottom for aeration, a lot of various fecal matter on top, raw compost and spent straw layered in 2-3 inch layers for a bit over a foot, and a foot of rested compost on top.


















In this thing we plan on growing pumpkins and zucchinis next summer. I may or may not also be in the process of acquiring an old trampoline to use as a base for building our very own greenhouse.

 

[Bugseye]

Looks good and rich. It should be very productive. I moved a lot of my compost into the garden last week, not all hot composted but still looking very fertile, dark, broken down, with worms and all. I've thrown in ashes from the stove as well. The soil that I covered with straw in the fall is looking good, alive with mycorrhizae, worms and other things that relate to each other in the substratum.

 

[Kusanar]

I'm hoping my compost will get going again soon. I want to try something different with the garden this year. I want to get the black plastic pipes you use at the end of your downspout to direct the water away from your house. Stand the pipes up on end, cut holes for the plants, fill with dirt (if the compost will get going again, i'll use compost), and then push the plants roots into the holes. Apparently you can grow tomatoes, peppers, and just about anything else this way. Then just leave the roots in to rot over winter before you plant the next crop...

 

[Kusanar]

I just started a compost pile at the house, will be interesting to see how long it takes my husband to discover it... it's not hidden and we don't have a large yard, so probably not long. I have a dog in the house and he never holds it to go outside, so his pen is about 3 inches deep in pine shavings to keep the smell down and to keep the floor clean and dry (it's amazing how dry and clean the floor is under there when you sweep up the shavings), so I'm starting a compost pile for the shavings, I don't have much green stuff to add, but I will probably go out every now and then and rake up the grass clippings after mowing just to have something to mix in there. also, I know dog poop shouldn't be in a compost pile, but it's either that, or throw it all in the trash can, so I'll just let it rot down really well, it's not like dogs and cats don't pee and poop in my garden anyway...

 

[lazy gardener]

That is a dilemma, isn't it? For folks who have a small yard, and one or more dogs. What to do with all the piles of dog poo that "they say" shouldn't be used in compost... or if it is composted, it should set for a year or more before being used, and then only on ornamentals. I got a puppy several months ago. currently, I'm burying her poo at the back border of my BTE orchard. I figure that any where her poo can compost and not be in contact with root crops, or be splashed up on crops is ok. I'm thinking about making a composter out of an old trash can with the bottom removed. Will be able to layer the stuff in, alternating with yard debris. By the time it is full, I should be able to lift it off, and the compost will be finished. Then I can start a new pile.

 

[vehve]

I have dog poop in the pumpkin bed, if anything harmful gets through 2 feet of soil, I'll be pretty surprised.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not be the least bit concerned!

 

[HennyPennyCO]

Now, about that dog poop.
IMHO what is being discussed is a septic tank or digester, and not a compost heap. There are regulations about where septic tanks can be placed (groundwater pollution, etc.). As a septic tank however, instead of a compost bin, you wouldn't need to empty the bin for a long long time (depending on how much goes in); use it on non-edible ornamentals. I've been investigating this idea myself but not too urgently as the ground is still frozen in my choice spot.

Try this link:
http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/compost-info/tutorial/dog-waste.shtml
And this one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Big-Dog-Poop-Composter/ read ALL the many comments (some are old)
And:
http://lifehacker.com/5959472/build-a-pet-poop-composter-using-a-garbage-can again, read the comments (old)

Happy Spring (for the Northern Hemisphere)
Happy Autumn (for those in the Southern Hemisphere - the very best time to be there, IMHO)
(Full of humble opinions, aren't I?)
Penny

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just started a compost pile at the house, will be interesting to see how long it takes my husband to discover it... it's not hidden and we don't have a large yard, so probably not long. I have a dog in the house and he never holds it to go outside, so his pen is about 3 inches deep in pine shavings to keep the smell down and to keep the floor clean and dry (it's amazing how dry and clean the floor is under there when you sweep up the shavings), so I'm starting a compost pile for the shavings, I don't have much green stuff to add, but I will probably go out every now and then and rake up the grass clippings after mowing just to have something to mix in there. also, I know dog poop shouldn't be in a compost pile, but it's either that, or throw it all in the trash can, so I'll just let it rot down really well, it's not like dogs and cats don't pee and poop in my garden anyway...

You’ll find that those pine shavings take a pretty good amount of time to break down. How long will depend on how moist it is and how much nitrogen you put in with them. Turning it makes a difference too.

The concern I’ve read about composting dog and cat poop and using that compost on the garden is that it can transmit some diseases. I don’t know what diseases or how likely that is to actually happen. I also don’t know if the animal’s diet has a contribution to that risk. All the experts say do not do it, but I really don’t know how big the risk actually is or what contributes to making that risk higher or lower.

I dug a pit to use for pure dog poop, not mixed with shavings. When that gets flies or starts to smell I cover it with a layer of grass clippings. That solves my problem but that pit is over 200 feet away from much of anything. I do have nut trees in that area so I have no doubt it will be full of tree roots as it composts. I’m not worried about the trees bringing any pathogens up through the roots to the nuts.

If you only have one compost pile, you will never have finished compost as long as you continue adding to it. I really don’t think the risk is tremendously high if it has thoroughly composted, but I don’t compost dog poop and use that on my vegetable garden. I would be more willing to use that on my ornamentals but I don’t separately compost for that. Just wash your hands after weeding those ornamentals but you probably should wash your hands anyway after playing in dirt.

 

[Kusanar]

Quote:
Yeah, I would probably just use it in a mostly broken down form as a "mulch" on the bushes in the front yard, they're non etable and nowhere near where I'll be growing food (behind the house), but, like I said, chances are, if I have a garden, there will be dogs, cats, and birds pooping in it all the time anyway. I mean, a year or 2 ago I had peppers growing in containers and the dog peed on them every day... so I don't think that the dog poop in the ground is going to effect things as much as that did, especially since he was peeing directly on the leaves and immature peppers... gross little rat... but if he wasn't, the stray cats would.. so oh well.