Composting questions.

I decided to start making compost this year, never wanted to before because I thought it was gross, haha, now I have actually read about it enough that it doesn't scare me anymore. I bought a tumbler and I have a ton of pallets so I think I will make up one or two pallet bins and leave those away from the house and replenish my tumbler with those as needed. For now I am wanting to start the tumbler asap but don't want to screw it up too bad.

I live in a forest so I have lots of pine needles I will use some of those in the pallets, I don't have a lawn so no grass clippings (everybody I know sprays their lawns for weeds so I don't want theirs either), there is a trail ride on the road to my house so I was thinking about asking if I could haul away some poo but the horses don't get here until late May. There is tons of horse manure in the fields that I could go scoop up but would that work if it's not fresh?

I own a coffee shop so that's a plus I have lots of coffee grounds. Some of my friends put coffee grounds straight into their dirt, does that work? What does it do?

Sorry I am carrying on just a few more questions...

What is a good nutritious substitute for leaves? Also I have read about putting fish scraps in and we fish quite a bit but it seems gross like it would attract flies, and get maggots, yuck. What are the pros of composting fish?

Rather than pick up poop from the trails or fields, go to the stable and see if you can get the manure (poop and bedding) from the stall clean-outs. The horse farm near me gives it away for free. It's already a great mix of brown and green material and begins to heat up right away. Actually it's already steaming in the pile at the barn.

One thing to keep in mind, spring is when lots of horses get their shots if that concerns you at all.

Rob C wrote:Rather than pick up poop from the trails or fields, go to the stable and see if you can get the manure (poop and bedding) from the stall clean-outs. The horse farm near me gives it away for free. It's already a great mix of brown and green material and begins to heat up right away. Actually it's already steaming in the pile at the barn.

That's the plan later but the horses don't get here until later May because it's seasonal. So right now I could go scoop the poop in the fields but it's a year old so would that heat the pile?

What about Rabbit and deer poop?

Fresh is much better. Once horse manure sits and dries it gets really hard that doesn't break down very easily. Plus the nutrients in horse manure deplete quickly. I personally wouldnt use random manure i didn't know its origin. Heck I won't use ours within 30 of their shots...

All manure is random to me Rooster! What about cow manure, they get shots too (at least I know calves do). I have some friends that have some cows I could go clean up for.

Or is there a good substitute for manure all together? Truth be told I could live without it if there is something else.

It comes down to personal choice and what you are comfortable with. I use my own manure cause I know what's in it. Some folks aren't concerned about hormones, antibiotics, etc.
You don't have to use manure at all. Find yourself plenty of green stuff.

RoOsTeR wrote:One thing to keep in mind, spring is when lots of horses get their shots if that concerns you at all.

Can that have an effect on the compost?

Hmmmm, green stuff, I will work on this! Thanks Rooster!