#71517
Jun 20th, 2007 at 01:47 PM
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Do you guys think is worth buying a compost bin? or are there cheaper ways to make our own compost? i have a lot of organic trash and if i could put it to good use i would love it.
If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Hi Dulci, I have been gardening and composting for years. I wouldn't do it any other way, we have a Rubber Maid composting house. We also fenced in an area of the garden and just throw the composting stuff on a pile. The second method may take longer but it's still do-able. The soil you will get in return is well worth the wait. Actually hubby and I jokingly fight over the "Black Gold" Soil. The soil is a fine texture and does not resemble dirt at all. It's great for growing flowers and veges. We have composted for many years, I would recommend composting to everyone. Kratz7
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Joined: Feb 2006
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I've just started composting, and I also don't have a lot of space, so I have a wooden box made out of pallets, about a meter cubed (1m x 1m x 1m). I then have a black composter bin. I use the two in combination. I fill the wooden first, with all my kitchen scraps, lawn mowings, cuttings, guinea pig beddings, etc. I stir this at least once a week. When this is full (or I reach autumn and need to start a fresh with all the leaves), I empty the black bin, and refill with my almost complete compost from the wooden bin.
The stuff I have 'cooking' in my plastic bin has only been in there a few months, and it's so crumbly and lovely, I think the garden is going to be very happy with me soon :-)
Good luck if you give it a go, it's well worth it! And also dramatically cuts down on your refuse waste - also a bonus.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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I just pile it up in a corner of the garden and turn it once a week or two. It's slow but I got 60 gallons last year. That's quite a haul. And is it great for the garden. I've never had happier plants.
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Joined: May 2004
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Joined: May 2004
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what would cook faster? a plastic bin, wooden bin, or chicken wire bin?
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Joined: Oct 2005
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A Gnome's Best Friend
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A Gnome's Best Friend
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Christy I would say anything that holds the heat in better, like a trashcan with a lid, but still pokes holes in sides and bottom for air circulation. The chicken wire would be a slower process except for the center of the pile. Also I throw in Peat moss to help move it along ( cooking ) faster, as well as beer! Girl I throw a lot of stuff in mine coke, pepsi, beer, fish peatmoss, coconut fiber soil out of pots , Bonemeal/bloodmeal ( like when I have a bit left in the bag ~I just toss in there!)
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
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Joined: May 2004
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Joined: May 2004
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you don't need bins unless you want them. A pile works just fine. I started out with a black 33 gallon trash can with attached lid. turning it was a major pain. And by the time the compost decomposes I didn't end up with enough to make it worth while. Now I have a pile that is the optimal size and I get enough to share with friends.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 9,238
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Joined: May 2004
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i like the idea of the trash can bin, i have fields all around me in the back yard, my neighbor lets it all grow up then bails it, so i get weeds flyin every were, most of my "grass" in the back is realy weeds cut down to look like grass! lol. if we let it get to high it looks like the field behind us! im thinkin if turning becomes a proublem [ cause it is a tall big trash can] i could always lock the lid n give it a good around the yard, lol i would love to just have a pile, but with the weeds n mice im scared to
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The heat kills the seeds and the turning stops the weeds also. As far as mice. If you don't use food scrapes it's not a problem. If you do use food scrapes you'll have mice with or without the bin. They can get in anywhere.
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Some suggestions:
I don't see mentioned in the above posts to keep the compost moist, as in a wrung out sponge moist. Moisture along with heat gets the material cooking. A black or dark tarp over a compost pile and anchored on four corners with rocks is ideal for drawing heat and preventing rain from washing away the good things.
For the trash can raise it about knee high on its side in a sunny spot. Secure the lid and cut a good sized three sided flap in the side of the can. This will make for easier turning of the compost material. Make two fasteners to close the flap. Now that garden tools are on sale look for two sturdy long handle handtool rakes to turn materials. Provide drainge vents or holes.
A totally enclosed composter will produce compost faster than a pile in a open sided bin. A tarp covered pile will produce compost faster than a bare pile.
If compost is smelly it isn't getting enough oxygen. If the pile doesn't get oxygen, water and heat what you are getting is not compost. Turning compost on a regular basis gets oxygen into the mix
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Hi Dulci,
I have been gardening and composting for years. I wouldn't do it any other way, we have a Rubber Maid composting house.
Kratz7 Rubber Maid composting house? Explain?
PattyM
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