More Info on Compost
If you research composting on the net you will find out all you wanted to know and more. I guess I want to temper what you will read with my own findings. I have experimented a lot with various things in compost, including composting paper mill sludge. Compost is used to remediate contaminated soils from gas etc.. Many big cities compost their solid waste as well as yard waste.
Here are some facts: An ideal carbon/nitrogen ratio is 40:1, 40 parts carbon, 1 nitrogen.
Carbon is saw dust, brown leaves, wood chips and paper. Nitrogen is food waste(not meat), grass clippings, garden waste, manure.
A working compost pile will reach 140 degrees plus, when it reaches that point it needs to be turned to aerate it. If you don't it will kill the microbes and the pile will become anaerobic and may cause a smelly pile.
Next, wood chips are usually big and take a while to compost, they are good to keep the pile loose and get more air, but don't provide good carbon source. Hence I like saw dust and very small wood chips like from a home chipper shredder. I don't hold to the 40:1 ratio absolutely, I put a layer of leaves and saw dust, maybe 3 inches, and then toss in a thinner layer of grass clippings, not too thin, a couple inches maybe, water lightly as water is an important ingredient in the pile. It should be moist enough to stick together when squeezed but not mushy, but don't worry any excess water will run right through the pile and out the bottom. Food waste can be put on the grass or you may add daily but digging a hole in the pile and place the food waste in and cover. I have compost thermometer, but you can us any type that goes above 140 degrees. When it gets to around 140 turn the pile, usually by tossing it into the pile next to the one you are working in, then water it lightly as you place it back in the original pile. It is then aerated and watered and will be much cooler again but will rise tow or more times, so you will need to keep turning it as it gets high again.
When measuring the temp of the pile it is good to have a long thermometer to reach the middle of the pile, where most of the heat is.
In the next blog I will explain bins to compost in.
Here are some facts: An ideal carbon/nitrogen ratio is 40:1, 40 parts carbon, 1 nitrogen.
Carbon is saw dust, brown leaves, wood chips and paper. Nitrogen is food waste(not meat), grass clippings, garden waste, manure.
A working compost pile will reach 140 degrees plus, when it reaches that point it needs to be turned to aerate it. If you don't it will kill the microbes and the pile will become anaerobic and may cause a smelly pile.
Next, wood chips are usually big and take a while to compost, they are good to keep the pile loose and get more air, but don't provide good carbon source. Hence I like saw dust and very small wood chips like from a home chipper shredder. I don't hold to the 40:1 ratio absolutely, I put a layer of leaves and saw dust, maybe 3 inches, and then toss in a thinner layer of grass clippings, not too thin, a couple inches maybe, water lightly as water is an important ingredient in the pile. It should be moist enough to stick together when squeezed but not mushy, but don't worry any excess water will run right through the pile and out the bottom. Food waste can be put on the grass or you may add daily but digging a hole in the pile and place the food waste in and cover. I have compost thermometer, but you can us any type that goes above 140 degrees. When it gets to around 140 turn the pile, usually by tossing it into the pile next to the one you are working in, then water it lightly as you place it back in the original pile. It is then aerated and watered and will be much cooler again but will rise tow or more times, so you will need to keep turning it as it gets high again.
When measuring the temp of the pile it is good to have a long thermometer to reach the middle of the pile, where most of the heat is.
In the next blog I will explain bins to compost in.
posted by Reflections at 8:04 PM
1 Comments:
Perfect. Husband builds. Plenty of sawdust available.
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