My first Seedlings.

Neeco wrote:The only reason I think the soil was bad, was the advice given from another forum of friends. I didn't even know dog manure was bad for the garden or yard before then.

I will take a sample and see if I can get it tested.

Right now, I have a stinky compost that I need to resolve. My neighbors will not be happy if it gets any worse!

Sometimes if the compost gets stinky and you just want to cover the stink,,,, sprinkling a coating layer of wood ashes or crushed limestone over top will help. Do not use quicklime.

camprn wrote:

Neeco wrote:The only reason I think the soil was bad, was the advice given from another forum of friends. I didn't even know dog manure was bad for the garden or yard before then.

I will take a sample and see if I can get it tested.

Right now, I have a stinky compost that I need to resolve. My neighbors will not be happy if it gets any worse!

Sometimes if the compost gets stinky and you just want to cover the stink,,,, sprinkling a coating layer of wood ashes or crushed limestone over top will help. Do not use quicklime.

I am reading the "Are you a hottie" thread as we speak, and thinking I need to test my temps. I know they are hot, as I can't get my hand down the air holes I made, and they are steaming, but not sure if the pile is in the 140's or not.

It was primarily chicken manure and bedding. After I let it sit for a few days, I went and bought a bale of straw and layered it in as I turned the pile. The smell went down, but its still there. Its currently spring here and our temps range in the 50-60's during the day and 20-30's over night. I can't imagine how bad the pile will be come summer, if I don't "get a lid on it" soon. I want an open pile for aeration and the ability to hot compost (as I don't have any and need to get planting soon).

I built the 3x3x3 framed bin out of some wood, and have layered the manure, veggie scraps, and straw as best I could.

I also have a homemade 55gal tumbler I mentioned, that has yet to heat up. Wondering if that is producing the majority of the stink? Eitherway - Stinky compost = not good, specifically for my wife and neighbors!

I think I will be turning the pile again and adding more straw, but it is almost to the top of the bin, so not sure how much more I can add.

If I had to guess, I would say the pile is 80% bedding/manure, 5% kitchen scraps, and 15% dry straw. I would think it needs to be closer to 50-50... My train of thought was that the straw/grass used as bedding would be the "brown" that I needed, and the actual manure and veggie scraps would make up the greens. Guess the ratio wasn't as predicted.

If it is hot right now, too hot for your hand, let it be until the temperature comes down on its own. You probably do not need to add anything to it. Turn it once more to see if it will heat again. The smell will be gone when the microbes finish eating the chicken manure.

I make a lot of chicken coop bedding compost as well. It does stink when it gets off to a hot start, and often will reach 165*. The smell is only passing though and soon it is a rich nutrient full compost good for feeding anything green. It is a bit too much for potatoes though.

Turan wrote:If it is hot right now, too hot for your hand, let it be until the temperature comes down on its own. You probably do not need to add anything to it. Turn it once more to see if it will heat again. The smell will be gone when the microbes finish eating the chicken manure.

I make a lot of chicken coop bedding compost as well. It does stink when it gets off to a hot start, and often will reach 165*. The smell is only passing though and soon it is a rich nutrient full compost good for feeding anything green. It is a bit too much for potatoes though.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

WE'RE COOKIN NOW! Went to check the temps today with my new thermometer, and low and behold, NO Stench and tons of steam!

A little update:

Week 3 has been decent to our little seedlings. We have seen all of our peppers sprout, our maters get their real leaves, a successful turning and reheating of our hot compost pile, and a tiresome 4 hour tilling of my 12x20 garden/dog run. I was able to till down 10" into the original soil this time before I hit super hard clay. I am positive that soil hasn't seen the light of day in YEARS, as we found some interesting things in it!

Anyway, a few pics. Hopefully everyone agrees that the plants are looking healthy! They have certainly grown in the last week, and I think it may be time to introduce some sort of fertilization. I just don't know what to feed them.

Group 1 of the maters:


Group 2 of the maters:


The peppers (and no they are not yellow, that must be the lighting, they are a nice green)


In process of tilling (you can kinda see the depth here as well)


The finished plot:


The Lovely 2 blade tiller, a pain, but better than doing it all by hand!