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Re: compost/bloodmeal

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html





>This is a great explanation.  I've never heard of a batch pile before.  How
do
>you assemble all the ingredients of the pile before you build it?

Browns are easy to assemble and store; examples include bags of leaves,
bales of straw, piles of wood chips. I collect fall leaves and hold them in
a 12'x4'x4' area before batching them into 4x4x4 bins, of which I have 6
(Yes, folks, he's ready for the 12 step program...:-) You can buy (ooh, I
hate that word) sawdust and wood shavings for animal bedding; but 'closed
wallet composting' is the goal, IMHO)

Greens are trickier to hold. You can freeze them (I do this outdoors for the
reason that my piles are frozen over, but a freezer also works), you can
store them in buckets usually layered in with something absorbent like
sawdust or peatmoss; the first people I ever worked for put their greens
(kitchen wastes) in a covered concrete culvert, added a bit of lime and soil
on top, and added same to the big leaf pile they collected every autumn.

A batch becomes a batch when all ingredients are added together. Layering
the drys under the wets is usually a good idea for starters just to see how
much of each you have; if you are more ambitious or wish to avoid turning,
mixing yer wets/drys greens/browns all together can be done at the very
beginning. When I do that I use a 21/2 bushel tub, but five gallon buckets
can be used also. Two buckets of browns to one bucket of greens, all mixed
together, and do it again 'till your composter is full.

It should be as moist as a wrung out sponge; to add moisture you can use a
sprinkling can and rain water if you are a purist, or regular water from the
hose. I like to use the misting setting on my nozzle, since it ensures even
coverage and hopefully allows most of the chlorine to volatilize.

Once the pile is built, you need to decide how often to turn it. If weed
seeds are a concern you want a big pile (minimum 3'x3x3) and you should turn
it at least three times during the hot phase, so that all the materials are
exposed to the high heat within the pile. Turn it no more often than once
every three days.

OTOH, if your pile is well homogenized and free of weed seeds, you may
choose to turn it only once or not at all. In that case, you can insure good
aeration by making small vertical holes with a piece of rebar, say every six
inches across the pile.

If your pile is covered (say in a bin) you can check the moisture from time
to time and water it---or just leave the lid off during a rain. Too dry
compost won't do anything but lose value and just sit there.

A batch of compost may be ready in as little as six weeks, but 12 is more
normal. If you used a lot of woody wastes, six months to a year may be
needed, especially if the pile was low in N (nitrogen, or greens).

I like to sift compost, since I use a lot of woody materials; if anyone is
interested, I'll post instructions on how to make a Cantopper compost
sifter, that sits on top of a trash can and lets you use leverage and a
little rock n' roll action to quickly and easily sift composts and soil...


> Also please
>tell me more about your blender method.  Weren't there things (broccoli
stems
>and canteloupe rinds come to mind) that just wouldn't blend?  Eagerly
awaiting
>more...


Others have mentioned that a Vitamix (basically a 2 horsepower variable
speed router motor mounted under a heavy duty blender) will chew up most any
kitchen wastes including poultry bones...

It isn't necessary to blend most kitchen wastes; cutting them up into pieces
an inch or two long is plenty for fast composting...

Frank--he's for the batch method....


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