I need composting help!

[BabyGotQuack]

Hello all! I’m needing some composting help. I’ve been “composting” for 2 years and still can’t seem to get the hang of it. I really don’t know what I’m doing even though I’ve bought and read a book on it.

Today I got out to start cleaning up the garden. As you can see in my pic of I have 2 piles of leaves and then a pile of old tomato and pepper plants (I still have corn stalks I need to rip out). I also have probably 3 huge wagon fulls of duck bedding (pine shavings). I have those 2 composting bins to use that you can see in the pic. What can I do with all this?? I need green stuff in it right? What would be good to add? I need all the help and advice I can get!

 

[Sally PB]

I need green stuff in it right?

"Green" stuff is the stuff with nitrogen, "brown" stuff is the stuff with carbon. But duck poop is also a good source of nitrogen, even though it's not green.

Do you have an area you can fence off, say, 4'x4'? That's about the right size for a good compost pile. Fencing it off, or any other containment, helps keep it in a pile. Three sides with an open front is the easiest to work with. Mine is made of cinder blocks, with an open front. I three bins, side-by-side.

Put down a layer of leaves, then a layer of poop. Sprinkle some dirt over it. Repeat until:
You're out of materials
The pile is about 3' high.

Water it with a hose until it's good and wet. "Like a wrung out sponge" is the usual description. That actually takes at least 10 gallons for that sized pile, if not more. If it's too dry, the microbes and bugs and worms won't work their magic.

The dirt is to inoculate the pile with the microbes. The bugs and worms will find their way in.

I did not forget about your vines. They will take a long time to break down, unless you can chop them up somehow. You could put them all on the bottom of the pile and figure they might be there for a while. It can take several months for this all to break down.

Or, you can do it this way:
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/

The caveat is that it's a lot of physical labor, because you have to turn the pile every other day. That introduces oxygen and gets the process kickstarted.

My three bins allow me to do it this way easily. The far right bin is the "collection bin." When I have a good pile in there, say most of a cubic yard, I fork it over into the middle bin. I let it sit for 4-5 days, then fork that over into the left bin. Two days later, back to the middle bin. Back and forth, getting some good arm muscles, and then in about 3 weeks, I have compost. It will have chunks of stuff that aren't quite done (like viney stuff), and that just goes into the next pile. Meanwhile, the right hand bin is collecting stuff, and if I want to start a new pile, I get some weeds or rake up some thatch or leaves. I always have lots of chicken poop.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

"Green" stuff is the stuff with nitrogen, "brown" stuff is the stuff with carbon. But duck poop is also a good source of nitrogen, even though it's not green.

Do you have an area you can fence off, say, 4'x4'? That's about the right size for a good compost pile. Fencing it off, or any other containment, helps keep it in a pile. Three sides with an open front is the easiest to work with. Mine is made of cinder blocks, with an open front. I three bins, side-by-side.

Put down a layer of leaves, then a layer of poop. Sprinkle some dirt over it. Repeat until:
You're out of materials
The pile is about 3' high.

Water it with a hose until it's good and wet. "Like a wrung out sponge" is the usual description. That actually takes at least 10 gallons for that sized pile, if not more. If it's too dry, the microbes and bugs and worms won't work their magic.

The dirt is to inoculate the pile with the microbes. The bugs and worms will find their way in.

I did not forget about your vines. They will take a long time to break down, unless you can chop them up somehow. You could put them all on the bottom of the pile and figure they might be there for a while. It can take several months for this all to break down.

Or, you can do it this way:
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/

The caveat is that it's a lot of physical labor, because you have to turn the pile every other day. That introduces oxygen and gets the process kickstarted.

My three bins allow me to do it this way easily. The far right bin is the "collection bin." When I have a good pile in there, say most of a cubic yard, I fork it over into the middle bin. I let it sit for 4-5 days, then fork that over into the left bin. Two days later, back to the middle bin. Back and forth, getting some good arm muscles, and then in about 3 weeks, I have compost. It will have chunks of stuff that aren't quite done (like viney stuff), and that just goes into the next pile. Meanwhile, the right hand bin is collecting stuff, and if I want to start a new pile, I get some weeds or rake up some thatch or leaves. I always have lots of chicken poop.

Ok thanks for all the great info! You’ve been super helpful with this and my strawberries.

So when you say a layer of leaves and then a layer of poop you mean the duck bedding right? I didn’t know if that would be green enough with the pine shavings.

 

[Sally PB]

So when you say a layer of leaves and then a layer of poop you mean the duck bedding right?

Yes.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

Yes.

Alright I’ll do that, thanks!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Sounds like a good approach. I think the keys are to break things up into smaller pieces, and keep it all moist.

 

[DramaBrahmaMama]

We are in our first year of composting. The do's and don'ts are hard to keep up with. I watch as many YT videos as I can on it. Everyone has different opinions on what you can and can't incorporate to you pile.
I love this couple! I follow them for just about everything. They have a much harsher climate than mine, so I figure, if they can make it work, then so can I!!
Good luck!!

 

[BabyGotQuack]

We are in our first year of composting. The do's and don'ts are hard to keep up with. I watch as many YT videos as I can on it. Everyone has different opinions on what you can and can't incorporate to you pile.
I love this couple! I follow them for just about everything. They have a much harsher climate than mine, so I figure, if they can make it work, then so can I!!
Good luck!!

Thanks! I’ll check it out!

 

[BabyGotQuack]

We are in our first year of composting. The do's and don'ts are hard to keep up with. I watch as many YT videos as I can on it. Everyone has different opinions on what you can and can't incorporate to you pile.
I love this couple! I follow them for just about everything. They have a much harsher climate than mine, so I figure, if they can make it work, then so can I!!
Good luck!!

Welcome to BYC by the way!

 

[DramaBrahmaMama]

Welcome to BYC by the way!

Thanks!!!!