What do you know about composting?!

[hearts34]

I don't have any little flying bugs in the coop or the run(covered), but I do in the "compost", and I don't like that.

Just remember those little flying bugs are the adults of offspring that are helping break down your compost. In the kitchen, fruit flies are a bad thing. At the compost pile, they are a good thing.

I agree about this thread. Excellent!

 

[Mattemma]

I toss the old pine shavings and poo around my bush plantings.Keeps the weeds down,but the bushes can handle the breakdown.My chickens will go in scratch through everything.

 

[galanie]

It is not true that you have to wait a year before using chicken poo in the garden. You can use it after just a couple of months. You can even turn it in fresh if you wait a couple months to plant. Many organic farmers do this in the fall and winter to prepare the beds for spring planting.

It won't reach that "black gold" stage in a couple months like it does when you let it all sit a year, but it's still safe to use.

 

[laughingdog52]

Thanks--I never thought of that. Also, I forgot to mention that I just picked up a 50# bag of DE to use in my coop, feed, and run. Will that effect composting??

 

[Chicks on DL]

DE is fine we use it EVERYWHERE.

 

[galanie]

Food Grade DE is perfectly safe in the compost bin. It's little more than a drying agent and when wet like in compost isn't going to hurt a thing.

 

[laughingdog52]

Thanks--that is good to know

 

[mandelyn]

We're going to restructure ours, the edges of the "loose" style pile now are promoting bugs because it isn't hot enough. So we're building one with walls to prevent a cool edge. We're thinking of lining it with black plastic or rubber stall mats, with a cover of black plastic to heat it up further and watering it weekly instead of relying on the rain.

There are also products for starting compost... not sure how they help. We're looking into getting a bagging mower this year, since the mulching mower decreases the greens, and we're short on that. We have a lot of browns.

My dad has a worm farm, it's several trays stacked on each other. He has SO MANY worms! Black dirt in 3 months. But you can only put some things in, not everything. It even serves as a seed starter, after the first couple of weeks, he had red pepper starts in the tray! He only puts kitchen scraps in it. I wonder how jazzed up those worms get with his Ethiopian coffee grounds.

 

[flagirl]

DE will not harm anything. I use De in my garden on squash and broccoli to fend off army worms, etc.
You can add peletized lime to compost pile to assist composting and it removes some of the acidity

 

[fireyshamrock]

I use a double barrel system so that it breaks everything down faster and I can actually use it without it getting too heavy. Once I get one barrel filled up to just under half full (you cannot let it get too heavy or it'll break) I just spin that once a day and it'll be ready before ya know it. While that is cooking itself I start loading up the next one and repeat. I have also tossed in a box of red wigglers in each to expedite the process. It's not terribly expensive for the convenience of it all. Everything is contained and out of the way, I actually have it right next to my garage and about 15 feet away from my hot tub and never smell it. Also - if you keep a container underneath it when it rains or you water it you will get compost tea which is super amazing for your plants.