Small Scale Composting

[jthornton]

Just talked to my neighbor and she said I can have all the chicken poop I want. She doesn't compost and has 30-40 chickens.

I could see me trying to add nitrogen that way and a curious pullet walk between my legs to see what is going on. And the do that all the time walk between my legs I mean.

JT

 

[tigger19687]

@KettermanHillCoop Don't you mean, Cop a Squat ?


yeah, no I am not dooing that either. I can't even keep a bowl on the counter because we don't eat enough to dump it every day.
I just toss scraps and coffee grounds out the window into the front area in the "Hen Garden" and they toss it around for me

 

[jthornton]

When I need some compost, I take my wheel barrow & my screener into the run & get out what I need.

What I take out is a fine, black compost. The rough/too large stuff gets tossed back on the ground for further composting.

View attachment 1193457 View attachment 1193458.

Is your screen 1/2" hardware cloth?

JT

 

[Ridgerunner]

A 1/2" hardware cloth i what I use to sift compost. I made a frame out of 2x4's and 1/2" hardware cloth by ripping off about an inch from the 2x4's and using that to hold the hardware cloth to the frame. It fits on top of a wheelbarrow for easy sifting.

As you can see, I also use this frame to cure various veggies for storage. Here it is sweet potatoes.

 

[jthornton]

A 1/2" hardware cloth i what I use to sift compost. I made a frame out of 2x4's and 1/2" hardware cloth by ripping off about an inch from the 2x4's and using that to hold the hardware cloth to the frame. It fits on top of a wheelbarrow for easy sifting.

Are the 2x4's under the frame attached to the frame?

JT

 

[Ridgerunner]

No, it's setting on some lumber just to give fresh air circulation to cure the potatoes.

 

[jthornton]

A while back I replaced the 3 sided bin with a 4 sided bin 8.5' x 4'. I divided it up into thirds the other day and found a piece of tin to cover one section to put my fresh collected grass clippings and dried leaves that got mowed up and collected in my redneck grass catcher.



The new compost bin.



The compost I started last year smells earthy and I think it might be done.



This is some fresh clippings and leaves in bin #3. The temperature in the center is 115°F and ambient is ~70-90°F so I think it's working. I give it a spray of water each morning.



JT

 

[aart]

my redneck grass catcher.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

A while back I replaced the 3 sided bin with a 4 sided bin 8.5' x 4'. I divided it up into thirds the other day and found a piece of tin to cover one section to put my fresh collected grass clippings and dried leaves that got mowed up and collected in my redneck grass catcher.

View attachment 1424668

The new compost bin.

View attachment 1424665

The compost I started last year smells earthy and I think it might be done.

View attachment 1424666

This is some fresh clippings and leaves in bin #3. The temperature in the center is 115°F and ambient is ~70-90°F so I think it's working. I give it a spray of water each morning.

View attachment 1424667

JT

JT, how in the heck do you keep that "bagger" attached to the mower??? Genius idea!!! I love it!

 

[jthornton]

JT, how in the heck do you keep that "bagger" attached to the mower??? Genius idea!!! I love it!

It's a pretty tight fit on the discharge chute but it still came off if I hit a tree or made a tight turn to the left so I added a lanyard with a key ring. The key ring is threaded through the bag and the lanyard is hooked to the pin that holds the discharge chute on.



It's a woven bag so it lets the air out as the clippings go in. As soon as the bad deflates it's full and time to empty. I just tip it up and dump the clippings on the ground in a central location then come back with trash cans and a rake to pick them up. Works better than I expected lol.

Now to just figure out when the compost is done... dunno never composted before.

JT