Turning your compost question

[weeza]

I just built a compost bin about a month ago and its been working out great. I was just wondering how often you should turn the compost over in its bin. I hope that makes sense.

[StellaBlue]

I stir mine up about once a week. I don't know if that is what you are supposed to do, but it's working well for me! I don't really follow the "rule book" of composting though, you know, for everything "green" thing you put in there you put in a "brown" thing. I pretty much put al my yard scraps, appropriate kitchen scraps, and everyonce in a while, a thing of coffee grounds from Starbucks. Did you know they give out there old coffee grounds? :smilie_ju :heff2: :hb:

(Sorry for all the smilies...my little girl is sitting on my lap. I told her she could pick one out, and she just couldn't decide)

[weeza]

Thanks so much!

[LIBRA]

compost loves coffee grounds and so do worms!!! I didnt know they give em out, how cool is that.

I dont follow the rules either, but my compost sucks at the moment. Too much old wet grass clippings, still not decomposed and its been 2 yrs. its all clumpy and wierd. Gotta get it out or what till it breaks down.

Stella I let my son do the same thing,he loves it!!! She picked the ones any lil girl would pick too, how cute!!

[weeza]

I've been loosely follow the rules and the bottom layer is already starting to decompose quite nicely. Whenever I take some food scraps out I put a layer of leaves on top. And it does get hot in there.

[LIBRA]

That sounds perfect Weeza!!! Sounds like your right on track. Also dont let it dry out, spray it with the hose if you have too, to keep it moist.

At first mine was great but then I added too much green grass and its just icky now. I need to start a new one and just let the old pile decompose with out adding any new scraps to it.

Its great the first time you can use it though, I was so excited and it smelled wonderfull!!!

[dynocat]

Bumping an old thread since I just turned my compost (with a pitchfork) yesterday. It's one of my favorite outdoor chores. Our compost bed is about 4' by 8' with old pallets upright on three sides. We, dump food scraps and a thin layer of lawn clippings when we mow on one end. Add a little dirt as needed. When it gets high, I turn it and start dumping in the next area. In no time at all the entire bed is filled with one end more decomposed than the other.

In fall we add healthy garden debris and some of our leaves. It sits all winter under the snow, yet it takes no time at all in spring for the worms to come back up (where do they live in freezing temps anyway?). A turn or two in spring and we have beautiful compost for the garden.

Without compost we'd have to spend a fortune on garden soil. The soil around here (old river bottom) is clay and rocks, stones and more rocks, from the size of pebbles to large potatoes or small pumpkins. It's backbreaking work to plant a tree but well worth it in a few years.

Happy composting, all.

[Pedata]

I am the world's laziest composter. Been dumping organic matter in a flower bed to be, out front. Tried to turn it once but the size makes it awkward. So it sits, slowly decomposing and all sorts of interesting things sprout up in it. One day it will be a flower bed, lol.

My chickens make our main dirt. We're on a hill and at the bottom is a fence with boards. I rake leaves into an old sheet and dump it a bit up hill for the chickens. They rake in the leaves, eat the bugs, and the rain washes it down to the boards. Once in a while I rake it all over to keep it loose. Those birds churn and rake it into some very nice dirt. I pull out the rocks and sticks and branches. Occasionally I lime it, right before rain, to help break it all down.

Hubby has dug a lot of it up for containers in the garden area. There's still a ton of it. Once he's got it all dug out I can start letting the leaves run back into that area. Right now the chickens are getting their leaves in another part of the yard, where it all piles up against a stack of long 2 by 6's.

It amazing how much dirt a few birds can make. They sure do love a pile of leaves, gets them soooo excited.