Re: Compost material from grocery store

Marc Iverson 9/29/2013, 7:29 pm

sanderson wrote:This last Friday night, one stand gave me 4 apples to eat. The older teen of the family was really stoked on SFG. It wouldn't work for their business, but he understood that it was great for home gardening. At a Hmong stand, the teen wanted to know how I grew plants in vegetables.without fertilizer. After I explained that the old plant dies and the baby plant uses the nutrients from the old plant. he said they put all their culls in giant barrels with water and use it as fertilizer! I bet it stinks but is really good tea! But it's basically the same except for the slow release vs. the immediate availability of nutrients. Right?

I bet you could get some anaerobic processing going on there, which could lead to the wrong chemicals getting shed into the water. Unless it was used very quickly.

Probably the kind of thing that people have been doing for thousands of years and largely getting away with just fine, though. But then again, back in the good ole days, entire families and villages would occasionally get wiped out by ergot or cholera or dysentery or botulism, too. By and large we have pretty different standards for acceptable risk, these days.

**Kelejan** 10/1/2013, 6:13 pm

I spoke with the guy who will be opening up in our town to sell the produce he grows on his own farm. He seemed to be sympathetic to my request for old produce, especially when I suggested that he could chop and mix the stuff so that people would not eat it and he thought it was a good idea. I am looking forward to being a regular customer of his when he opens his store.

**sanderson** 10/1/2013, 9:44 pm

Kelejan, Congrats on finding a produce source.

Marc Iverson 10/1/2013, 11:02 pm

Boy, you even got him to chop it up for you? Genius!

**jimmy cee** 10/10/2013, 10:47 am

3 more boxes today....try your local grocery store, they just may be agreeable
Compost material from grocery store - Page 2 Compos11

**sanderson** 10/10/2013, 1:25 pm

Jimmy, You have a good thing going!

**jimmy cee** 10/10/2013, 10:48 pm

Sanderson
Don't I know it.... Compost material from grocery store - Page 2 3170584802

**jimmy cee** 11/6/2013, 9:46 pm

Transferred 1 pile into an open bin today.
All those boxes of discarded grocery's that I've been collecting for the past 4 months have disappeared, just gone, whammo, black stuff with many many worms.
I could have stared screening it, however I am leaving it to cook more until next spring...
After rebuilding #2 pit I'll get some fresh cow manure and start #2 pile up again.....
I sure love composting.... Compost material from grocery store - Page 2 3170584802

**Kelejan** 11/6/2013, 9:53 pm

Jimmy Cee, you really have the composting bug. Way to go! Love reading of your efforts.

Marc Iverson 11/7/2013, 12:06 am

jimmy cee wrote:
I sure love composting....

It *is* pretty cool getting something from "nothing," isn't it?

**jimmy cee** 11/7/2013, 9:03 pm

Better than cool..
I only travel 4 blocks from my home to pick it all up...

2SooCrew 11/9/2013, 1:37 pm

jimmy cee wrote:Just came back from 4 grocery stores - They ALL looked at me like I was CRAZY when I asked if they had spoiled fruits or vegetables for my compost.

One even said "wrong time of the year" - I told her that composting is a year round event, and we DO eat fresh fruits and veggies in the winter too....

I won't give up......

This makes me realize how POOR people eat....Something is wrong here, but I'm out to change it.....
Sorry - just needed to vent...

After picking up about 5 boxes of this every week, I'm thinking I'll have some good compost next year.
Going to add some fresh cow manure soon...maybe some horse also.

Going to let this pile finish, opened it up today, steam bellowed out...

Sponsored content


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.