Search
Latest topics
» N & C Midwest: Nov. Dec. 2024by OhioGardener Yesterday at 2:58 pm
» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/12/2024, 7:10 pm
» Thanksgiving Cactus
by OhioGardener 11/12/2024, 5:40 pm
» Happy Birthday!!
by sanderson 11/11/2024, 11:57 am
» Need Garden Layout Feedback
by markqz 11/9/2024, 9:16 pm
» Thai Basil
by Scorpio Rising 11/8/2024, 8:52 pm
» How best to keep a fallow SFG bed
by KiwiSFGnewbie 11/8/2024, 8:11 pm
» Preserving A Bumper Tomato Harvest with Freezing vs Canning
by plantoid 11/7/2024, 11:36 am
» New SFG gardener in Auckland
by sanderson 11/7/2024, 12:14 am
» Mark's first SFG
by sanderson 11/6/2024, 11:51 pm
» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by OhioGardener 11/5/2024, 2:29 pm
» Greetings from Southeastern Wisconsin
by sanderson 11/5/2024, 2:01 pm
» Spinning Compost Bin-need some ideas
by rtfm 11/2/2024, 7:49 pm
» Growing fruit trees in Auckland
by OhioGardener 10/31/2024, 4:23 pm
» Vermiculite -- shipping sale through 10/31/2024
by markqz 10/30/2024, 2:27 pm
» N & C Midwest: October 2024
by Scorpio Rising 10/30/2024, 10:38 am
» What are you eating from your garden today?
by Scorpio Rising 10/27/2024, 10:27 pm
» Old Mulch and Closing Beds for Winter
by sanderson 10/26/2024, 11:00 pm
» Ohio Gardener's Greenhouse
by OhioGardener 10/25/2024, 7:17 pm
» Hello from Land of Umpqua, Oregon Zone 8b
by sanderson 10/25/2024, 3:14 pm
» Hello everyone!
by SFGHQSTAFF 10/24/2024, 3:22 pm
» Senior Gardeners
by sanderson 10/23/2024, 6:09 pm
» Hello from South Florida
by markqz 10/23/2024, 10:30 am
» Confirm what this is
by sanderson 10/11/2024, 2:51 pm
» Harlequin Beetles?
by sanderson 10/7/2024, 3:08 pm
» N & C Midwest: September 2024
by OhioGardener 9/30/2024, 4:13 pm
» The SFG Journey-Biowash
by OhioGardener 9/29/2024, 8:33 am
» Fall is For Garlic Planting
by Scorpio Rising 9/28/2024, 12:19 am
» source for chemical-free lanscape fabric
by Woodsong 9/19/2024, 10:51 am
» Hurricane
by sanderson 9/14/2024, 5:42 pm
Google
starting a new compost pile
+12
ImmahGardener
audrey.jeanne.roberts
jimmy cee
Turan
sanderson
CapeCoddess
bnoles
Triciasgarden
Goosegirl
Marc Iverson
TxGramma
southern gardener
16 posters
Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
starting a new compost pile
Had our little helpers over today to build a new compost pile!! Wahoo!!
southern gardener- Posts : 1883
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 44
Location : california, zone 10a
Re: starting a new compost pile
With adorable little helpers like that it makes building a compost pile even more fun!!! Enjoy those gkids!!!
TxGramma- Posts : 199
Join date : 2013-05-27
Age : 57
Location : Texas 9A
Re: starting a new compost pile
They look way too young to be composted.southern gardener wrote:Had our little helpers over today to build a new compost pile!! Wahoo!!
Marc Iverson- Posts : 3637
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 63
Location : SW Oregon
Re: starting a new compost pile
Marc Iverson wrote:They look way too young to be composted.southern gardener wrote:Had our little helpers over today to build a new compost pile!! Wahoo!!
GG
Goosegirl- Posts : 3424
Join date : 2011-02-16
Age : 59
Location : Zone 4A - NE SD
Re: starting a new compost pile
What cuties! They will always remember the time spent with you! They will also remember how to build a compost pile. That is a good hands-on lesson for them! Your composting area looks great, I like the fencing! I remember my grandma putting her leaves in a tire that was cut and turned inside-out. Memories with Grandmas are always great!
Triciasgarden- Posts : 1633
Join date : 2010-06-04
Age : 69
Location : Northern Utah
Re: starting a new compost pile
There is nothing more precious than seeing children in the garden and yours are picture perfect!
bnoles- Posts : 804
Join date : 2012-08-16
Location : North GA Mountains Zone 7A
Re: starting a new compost pile
Thank you My grandson had the job of cutting the corn stalks into little pieces while my grand daughter "hauled" them over to the bin. My grandson loves to help with the composting, and basically understands the process. He just turned 5, so he's still a little young. This bin is inside of our chicken pen, so hopefully the new girls (chickens, see the post, who has chickens ) will keep the pile weed and sow bug free. Paul in the Back to Eden movie does this, so we are gonna give it a try God bless you all, and have a great day!!
southern gardener- Posts : 1883
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 44
Location : california, zone 10a
Re: starting a new compost pile
well, the compost pile is doing REALLY well! We sifted our pile and got 4 barrels of beautiful screened compost, and threw the "big stuff" in the bin in the chicken coop. Threw some fresh lawn clippings on top, and it's steaming today! the girls LOVE scratching through the pile and taking their dirt baths in there. Who knew??
southern gardener- Posts : 1883
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 44
Location : california, zone 10a
Re: starting a new compost pile
My chickens love the lawn clipping too. They work sooooo hard at making compost for me and it eases my load in that area. Sounds like you got it going SG
bnoles- Posts : 804
Join date : 2012-08-16
Location : North GA Mountains Zone 7A
Re: starting a new compost pile
Will the chickens eat the worms, too?southern gardener wrote:This bin is inside of our chicken pen, so hopefully the new girls (chickens, see the post, who has chickens ) will keep the pile weed and sow bug free. Paul in the Back to Eden movie does this, so we are gonna give it a try God bless you all, and have a great day!!
CC
CapeCoddess- Posts : 6811
Join date : 2012-05-20
Age : 68
Location : elbow of the Cape, MA, Zone 6b/7a
Re: starting a new compost pile
we screened our old compost pile and the stuff that was too big went into this compost pile in the chicken pen. MOST of the worms slipped through into the screened compost that we sifted right into barrels, so the girls might have gotten a few, but not all. I'm assuming the worms will head to this new pile, but it seems like the girls don't really dig down that deep, they seem interested in eating the goodies on top, and taking their dirt baths in the top. I'm sure they'll get some, but so far, so good. WHEN we screen this compost, we'll screen it into big barrels, and hopefully capture most of the worms this is all an experiment, so we'll see. I'm hoping they eat most of the sow bugs, there are HUNDREDS of them!! YIKES!!CapeCoddess wrote:Will the chickens eat the worms, too?southern gardener wrote:This bin is inside of our chicken pen, so hopefully the new girls (chickens, see the post, who has chickens ) will keep the pile weed and sow bug free. Paul in the Back to Eden movie does this, so we are gonna give it a try God bless you all, and have a great day!!
CC
southern gardener- Posts : 1883
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 44
Location : california, zone 10a
Re: starting a new compost pile
There are already so many compost topics, so I thought I would use an existing one.
I built my first 3' x 3' x 3' Berkeley pile tonight! My back is screaming and my DH said I need a shower! What, horse manure and sheep bedding smell?? Thank goodness he bought a Papa Murphy's pizza and salad for tonight, 'cuz he would have gone hungry, otherwise.
After thinking about my original design, I redesigned it. There's one last board at the top that isn't shown in the photo. Dummy.
Before:
Now:
I built my first 3' x 3' x 3' Berkeley pile tonight! My back is screaming and my DH said I need a shower! What, horse manure and sheep bedding smell?? Thank goodness he bought a Papa Murphy's pizza and salad for tonight, 'cuz he would have gone hungry, otherwise.
After thinking about my original design, I redesigned it. There's one last board at the top that isn't shown in the photo. Dummy.
Before:
Now:
Re: starting a new compost pile
Looks very nice, Sanderson. What are the dimensions?
I need to start up aj's schedule, 3-4 loads a day. Only I will be moving barn cleanings to the compost pile.
I need to start up aj's schedule, 3-4 loads a day. Only I will be moving barn cleanings to the compost pile.
Turan- Posts : 2618
Join date : 2012-03-29
Location : Gallatin Valley, Montana, Intermountain zone 4
Re: starting a new compost pile
now THATs a beautiful bin! did you make it?? can't wait to hear of your progress. We have 3 BIG piles going on currently. I wish I was able to get out there and turn them. ONE day.........until then...Mother Nature will have to do her thing alone.
Show us more pics!!
Show us more pics!!
southern gardener- Posts : 1883
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 44
Location : california, zone 10a
Re: starting a new compost pile
Turan, The interior dimensions are 3' x 3' x 3'. From what I've read, that's the minimum dimension for a hot Berkeley compost. The browns are chopped dried leaves and straw bedding from lambing pens; the greens are fresh horse manure and coffee grounds and a little bit of kitchen trimmings. Later in the summer I can get buckets of produce culls, but not at this time.
[I need to start up aj's schedule, 3-4 loads a day. ?? ]
DH made it for me. Most of the 3 sides have interior fly screening, supplemented by cardboard I retrieved from the recycle bin. DH keeps trying to throw things away and I keep collecting!
[I need to start up aj's schedule, 3-4 loads a day. ?? ]
DH made it for me. Most of the 3 sides have interior fly screening, supplemented by cardboard I retrieved from the recycle bin. DH keeps trying to throw things away and I keep collecting!
Re: starting a new compost pile
Sanderson !!
now there is what I call a real compost bin
Very very nice..
By the way...horse, cow, chicken, lambs manures are all good smelling to me..
now there is what I call a real compost bin
Very very nice..
By the way...horse, cow, chicken, lambs manures are all good smelling to me..
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: starting a new compost pile
3x3x3, great! Somehow my perspective meter was not functioning and it looked tiny..... Yeah, I was also told that you need that volume to get a good hot compost going, I have never checked though. Those are cement pavers on the bottom to keep out fruit rats and such?
I am always intrigued by how adapt to fit these messier parts of gardening into more urban areas. It seems a timely trend.
aj (audreyjean) was talking about hauling wheelbarrow loads of wood chips, 3-4/day. I have a barn to clean to get my spring compost pile going and need to use a similar strategy, 3-4 wheelbarrow loads a day until done. Growing up that was my Dad's requirement of us kids to clean up the winter horse manure build up into his compost pile.
I am always intrigued by how adapt to fit these messier parts of gardening into more urban areas. It seems a timely trend.
aj (audreyjean) was talking about hauling wheelbarrow loads of wood chips, 3-4/day. I have a barn to clean to get my spring compost pile going and need to use a similar strategy, 3-4 wheelbarrow loads a day until done. Growing up that was my Dad's requirement of us kids to clean up the winter horse manure build up into his compost pile.
Turan- Posts : 2618
Join date : 2012-03-29
Location : Gallatin Valley, Montana, Intermountain zone 4
Re: starting a new compost pile
Your bin is sooooo much prettier than my used palette version, LOL! It's already leaning fairly hard since it's three sided with an open front. Oh well.... fortunately it's well hidden at the back of our property. That's the best part of country living
Re: starting a new compost pile
Nice-looking job! Apparently you are handy.
Marc Iverson- Posts : 3637
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 63
Location : SW Oregon
Re: starting a new compost pile
Thanks, Marc. But, my husband does the wood work and really heavy lifting for me. I design, he builds. I do all the little tedious stuff and building, and the gardening.
Re: starting a new compost pile
I built the original pile Monday evening, but it was only 30". It dropped to 20-something" Tuesday morning. So upon Camp's advice, I added more new material Tuesday night to a full 36" height. Right now, at noon on Wednesday, it has dropped to 30" and is 140* in the interior. This photo was taken about 11 AM this morning (Wednesday).
Composting
I am trying a little bit of indoor composting. I am using a square 5 gal. container with lid. I think i started it about a month ago, i've only put in peanut and egg shells, vegetable peelings, coffee grinds and shredded up news paper and cardboard. I know it takes along time for the process but i was wondering if i should use compost starter? Also, outdoors, we have huge mounds of leaves, trees branches and some vines that have been sitting since early last Summer, would i be able to use any of the stuff on the bottom? Like maybe at the very least add it to another compost pile, if not directly in the garden area? Thankyou and happy growing
ImmahGardener- Posts : 18
Join date : 2014-03-21
Age : 44
Location : Maine, USA Zone4b
Re: starting a new compost pile
YOU ARE A HOTTIE!
43 years a gardener and going strong with SFG.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t3574-the-end-of-july-7-weeks-until-frost
There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance. ~ Henry David Thoreau
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t1306-other-gardening-books
Re: starting a new compost pile
I loaded my working pile up with 24 five gallon buckets of fresh cow manure last week
Yesterday I used my aerator a little and lts of steam was coming up out of the holes, many worms working also..
Pretty sight and nice smell... I love the smell of cow manure
Yesterday I used my aerator a little and lts of steam was coming up out of the holes, many worms working also..
Pretty sight and nice smell... I love the smell of cow manure
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
Similar topics
» I can't find compost for my Mel's mix, and my compost pile is not sufficient
» can any of this go in my compost pile?
» First compost pile
» My Compost Pile
» My compost pile
» can any of this go in my compost pile?
» First compost pile
» My Compost Pile
» My compost pile
Page 1 of 3
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum