De-composted.

Weedless_ 3/4/2012, 12:08 am

So my composting technique is obviously lacking, I ended up with slimy, wet and smelly junk in my compost bin. Now I am facing a compost shortage and limited list of places to obtain it with two large new gardens to fill. In GA, at least we had county landfill compost, which was rich, black and awesome (and free!). Here in Bama, we don't have county programs, and the only places to get anything would be big box stores. Disappointed. Just sayin'...

Chopper 3/4/2012, 1:21 am

Dang! Hope you were unaffected by the tonadoes forst of all. I assume so from this post.

What we have here is anaerobic decomposition. Ugly but effective. Take what you have and throuw it over some grass and other garden and kitchen debris and make sure it gets some air and you ought to have something before end of season. Think of it as starter compost. And if you cannot turn the pile, maybe a pvc pipe or two with air holes drilled in and stuck through the center of the pile.

**Furbalsmom** 3/4/2012, 12:58 pm

Nice to see you back Weedless, Hope Alabama is treating you well.

Sorry to hear compost is difficut to find, perhaps there are some Feed stores, or Farm and Garden or Farm and Tractor stores nearby. Locally, those were good sources for different varieties of compost. Local for me includes Roseburg and Eugene, OR each about 80 miles away, but in different directions. I go to at least one of those cities every month or six weeks.

Good luck in your search and getting your own compost going in the direction you want.

Too Tall Tomatoes 3/4/2012, 10:07 pm

Weedless_in_Atlanta wrote:So my composting technique is obviously lacking, I ended up with slimy, wet and smelly junk in my compost bin. .

Welcome to the club Weedless. I "shut" my compost bin down at the end of November and when I restarted it this weekend, I was greeted by the foul smelly mess in the middle of it. My guess is it's the fish I added to it early last November. I sure hope it'll be ready once the beginning of May comes around.

The Cat's Other Mother 3/4/2012, 11:22 pm

What were you composting? If it was mainly kitchen waste, it does sound like it needs more 'browns', like dead leaves or dry grass trimmings. How does your bin work? Is it easy to turn the pile? My box has two access doors at the bottom, so I can shovel some out of the bottom and throw it back on top. Dead leaves are easy to get, and chopping them up with a lawn mower or weed wacker will help them break down quicker. You might still be able to get a usable load of compost for your garden.

Too Tall Tomatoes 3/5/2012, 6:26 am

It's a simple 3 sided bin made with hardware cloth(?) and it has a "door" made with hardware cloth as well. It's made with kitchen scraps, some yard waste, etc. but then towards the end of last year, I managed to get horse manure, alpaca manure, rabbit manure, two buckets of fish scraps, and 2 or 3(can't remember) big bags of leaves that people leave for curbside pickup. I also threw in leaves that I collected on my property.

Now that the weather is warmer(did it ever get that cold here? LOL) I will be turning the compost on a weekly basis.

rod champion 3/5/2012, 3:57 pm

How about the Brand " Black Cow" or Holly Cow?

Aren't they a good compost? And most places have it at good prices

Lavender Debs 3/5/2012, 5:32 pm

Chopper wrote:Dang! Hope you were unaffected by the tonadoes forst of all. I assume so from this post.

What we have here is anaerobic decomposition. Ugly but effective. Take what you have and throuw it over some grass and other garden and kitchen debris and make sure it gets some air and you ought to have something before end of season. Think of it as starter compost. And if you cannot turn the pile, maybe a pvc pipe or two with air holes drilled in and stuck through the center of the pile.

Everything Chopper said ...+1

Compost is like bread dough. After it rises (or in the case of compost, sinks in) you have to punch it down (Compost = turn it) or it gets nasty from lack of oxygen. Like bread dough, once the spent gasses are released and oxygen reintroduced the beasties that do their compost magic can work again. If the "slimy" = too wet than, if possible, protect it from getting wetter and (again, if possible) let your grass clippings dry a day before incorporating them into the pile.

This is free of charge.......

Do not add animals or flesh to the pile. In my opinion it is more yuck than yum. Flesh has been created to brake down from within the animal. Maggots et all need to be able to get to the dead flesh and are attracted to the smell. Milk just rots and stinks with a gag-me stench. Eggshells stay eggshells. I know of a woman who has a container for her eggshells; when she has a full container she grinds them to a powder in the food processor. That might work. Otherwise, do what natives did and bury your fish under the corn, not in the compost.

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