A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 WEEZIE Or SOMEONE HELP!!!!

I Just started my first compost bin.. Me and hubby built one out of 2x6's and it is only 3x3 I have placed a bunch of dry grass, leaves, house scraps .. banana peels , apple cores coffee grounds.. then I found an old trash can that we covered a few years ago the trash men ould not take it.. soaking wet 2 year old yard scraps.. I put those in too .. the question is what now because after dumping it at the bottom of the barrel was a bunch of acorns.. is that why I should sift? ... Should I try to remove them?
I know i need the green stuff too but that has to wait till tuesday.. .. what more do I need to do .. ?

You don't have to sift. If the acorns were wet for 2 years then they're probably not viable and pretty brittle. Even if they are not brittle, they are not going to hurt your compost. Worst case, they will not break down, and you'll have acorns in your finished compost. Even if the acorns do sprout, you can pull them pretty easily.

Ocassionally, I still find peach pits from compost that I've dug into my garden years ago. No big deal.

Water!

Thanks John and Par.. .. should I keep it covered as well .. if so with what ?

I leave all that stuff in..

For me, when I sift, all that bigger stuff that doesn't render down for a long time like acorns, peach pits, pistachio shells, etc.. acts like an abrasive for me, for the finer stuff in it, and as I scrape, it breaks the other stuff down for me.. less work for me, but I also then use that stuff and put it right back in the new pile I'm starting because it's in the process of rendering and has some of the breaking down bacteria on it, and ready to help jump start the new bin....

P/S I only sift when my compost is finished and I want to use it in my seed starting mixes, potting soil mixes and top and side dressings...

Cool Thanks Weezie.. I Think the first attemt is always the most frightening.. ugg did I dso it right ect... I was thrilled to find all the ugly compost in that old trash can .. Nice old metal one so I am sure the stuff was cooked for a while!! yea

You are sooo right..
I have been composting for yearrrrrrrrrssssss,
and when I got the twin tumbler I was like a brand new composter..
I knew all the right things to make it work when they were on the ground, but this method wasn't quite the same....
and it was like, "What am I doin' wrong"
and it's a process you learn by it's feel and you have to pay attention to even WHERE you put it,
in the sun dries out more, where on the property you put it, if it sogs up with rain, or naturally drains in that area... come rain time or spring time it's going to be soggy/boggy and slow...
if it's in a container with a flat top to not allow rain in, or one with a split top that lets in too much rain, if it's in the sun, or shade, or dry shade, sooooooo many desiding factors..

That's why I sat down and read everything I could get my hands on, to understand the process.. and what I had available to do the process..

And even then I still wasn't 100% on target, like in the summer when all's I have is GREEN, I had to start saving stuff instead of putting it all in in the fall time... or I had to go hunt wood shavings/sawdust/woodchips and use those for my brown...

It's an eternal learning process...
and trial and error really..
Error is your best learning tool believe it or not...
*God has a funny way of doing things like that, when you screw up is when you learn the most*
I find the path of learning enjoyable,
and I loveeeeeeee the others' imputs as well, I learn too... I never stop learning..

And don't stop asking questions, I'm not always the speediest, but am dilagent.. as the others are too....

***I get the biggest learning curve when everyone does it differently too, but end up with pretty much the same results..***

ohh one more question.. should I have put a bottom on the box?...
I love trying new things! I like a good chalange!! Keeps me on my toes ... sorry I am at work

On all of my bins, they are all open bottoms'....
The twin tumbler is the only one that doesn't touch dirt...

I wouldn't put one on...

I move my bins around and as a bonus, I get a nice worked up area to plant in...
*****I do not plant in it right away, I have found that it can be tooooooo rich for most of my plants up here that need to go to sleep...
and being in the compost pile, they have a hard time going nightie~night in the fall and are too green still when the cold, snow, winds are coming in... so, I cover the area for awhile and let it go for a season or two...*****

Ohh Great Thanks a Ton for your help weezie .. I will continue doing what I am .. and wait for more questions to pop up.. thanks again!

Can you put noodles in??

Yep, I do...
spaghetti, egg, rotini...

But it's got to be PLAIN...
No sauces....

no sauce at all just figured if I could through it in I would!! I did check some threads and no mention if noodles were ok ... Thanks a bunch I love the loud speaker sorry!!

Okay, let me back up..
Spaghetti sauce is ok..

Just no Mac~n~Cheese, Fetticini, etc..
*milk sauces*

Gotcha and with no meat!! thanks !

oh yes... I am not thinkin' tonight..
No meat, milk or grease...

Haha you sound tired tonight weezie!!