Blending compost

jsd 4/2/2014, 2:14 pm

I have my own compost generated from my household. When making Mell's Mix do I need to blend this with other store-bought compost, or will it be sufficient to use alone when I add it to the peat moss and vermiculite?

**donnainzone5** 4/2/2014, 2:26 pm

Welcome to this forum! smiles

The answer to your question depends upon what ingredients are in your homemade compost. If there are at least five, those should suffice.

One ingredient in your compost should be manure. Other examples would be coffee grounds and filters, composted leaves, vegetable/fruit kitchen waste, garden waste, shredded paper/cardboard, eggshells, straw, crustacean shells, small amounts of sawdust, etc.

If manure is lacking, by all means add about 20% of bagged composted manure.

As further questions arise, please inquire. We're here to help!

If you've not done so already, please read All New Square Foot Gardening, 2nd edition.

**sanderson** 4/2/2014, 2:33 pm

Jsd, Welcome to the Forum! $glad you\'re here$ I second what Donna wrote.

grownsunshine 4/2/2014, 2:40 pm

Search "Compost" and you'll see a lot of good stuff has been written in this forum, because compost is probably the most important ingredient in your garden. It's great you're making your own. I 3rd what Donna wrote.

Welcome and good luck!! ...and post pics when you can.

jsd 4/2/2014, 2:48 pm

Thanks, that is very helpful.

CapeCoddess 4/2/2014, 4:03 pm

donnainzone10 wrote:
One ingredient in your compost should be manure.

If manure is lacking, by all means add about 20% of bagged composted manure.

I did not know this. I've never had manure in my compost. The pile that's cooking now for fall/next spring has some chicken poop in it so that'll be a first. If I can remember by then, I'll report back if I notice a difference.

CC

**camprn** 4/2/2014, 9:38 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
donnainzone10 wrote:
One ingredient in your compost should be manure.

If manure is lacking, by all means add about 20% of bagged composted manure.
I did not know this. I've never had manure in my compost. The pile that's cooking now for fall/next spring has some chicken poop in it so that'll be a first. If I can remember by then, I'll report back if I notice a difference.

CC

CC your compost is an exception because of all the seaweed. You lucky girl!

To the original poster, check out the Composting 101 and Are You a Hottie threads

Marc Iverson 4/2/2014, 10:49 pm

Welcome!

If you're already generating your own compost, you're well on your way to success.

FamilyGardening 4/3/2014, 2:49 am

CapeCoddess wrote:
donnainzone10 wrote:
One ingredient in your compost should be manure.

If manure is lacking, by all means add about 20% of bagged composted manure.
I did not know this. I've never had manure in my compost. The pile that's cooking now for fall/next spring has some chicken poop in it so that'll be a first. If I can remember by then, I'll report back if I notice a difference.

CC

I do not understand why the compost would need manure? is there a thread on this? or a link to why a compost would need manure to be good compost to use...

I have seen and read from gardeners that only use non-manure compost and their gardens have done very well!

happy gardening
rose

**sanderson** 4/3/2014, 3:33 am

Borrowing from camp and her comment on the seaweed, that adding 1/5 kelp meal or lobster compost would be decent substitutes. Pound for pound, composted manure is the cheapest and can be found everywhere. In the book, ANSFG, manure is included in the photo of ingredients.

Just thinking out loud.

TxGramma 4/3/2014, 4:05 am

Manure isn't necessary! It's just high in nitrogen and therefore will help heat up the pile , but you can use other sources as well.

Green Composting Materials -the following info is from this link.

"If you don't have access to manure, don't worry. There are lots of alternative ingredients that are high in nitrogen that will give your compost pile a boost. Ingredients such as grass clippings, seaweed, and vegetable scraps will do the trick!"

**jimmy cee** 4/3/2014, 8:03 am

Since last year, I have been saving boxes and boxes of discarded produce from a local grocery store.
Chopped it up with a sharpened ice scraper, put it all in a 3X3 pile..Been sitting there all winter.
Last week I went to a friends and brought back 12 five gallon buckets of fresh cow manure,
1 week ago I emptied the entire pile, when I replace it I layered everything with the cow manure.
I also had chopped leaves, cardboard, coffee grinds, wood chips, and everything else I could find.
4 days later I dug a hole in the middle and lots of steam came rising up, a thermometer inserted 6 inches read 110 degrees F.
I'm going to swear by the cow manure, next week will be some horse manure also....
Blending compost Garden17

**sanderson** 4/3/2014, 12:42 pm

Cardboard surrounds? I have noticed that others have cardboard surrounds. I have fly screening. Does the cardboard serve a special purpose other than containment? ??

**jimmy cee** 4/3/2014, 4:26 pm

sanderson wrote:Cardboard surrounds? I have noticed that others have cardboard surrounds. I have fly screening. Does the cardboard serve a special purpose other than containment? ??

No I suppose I just felt safer having them there, I think maybe I'll just put them there while loading and remove when done, it does need the air. That whole area is in a big state of disarray..I hope to finish it up this year...

Marc Iverson 4/3/2014, 5:44 pm

I'll be interested in seeing how much finished compost you'll get out of your months-long compost odyssey.

I'm surprised you're still adding stuff, especially hot stuff like manures. I would have thought you'd want the pile cooled down and useable sooner.

audrey.jeanne.roberts 4/3/2014, 8:50 pm

I just finished a load of compost and began another one. My flower beds are now nurtured for the year with a couple inch layer as a mulch over the top of wood chips. It will water in. I had MASSIVE earth worms in this load. I have never seen any so larger around here - I thought they were baby snakes there for a minute Shocked

My husband thinks I'm a "composting addict." He thinks there's a program to help people like me, LOL!

**jimmy cee** 4/3/2014, 9:01 pm

audrey.jeanne.roberts wrote:I just finished a load of compost and began another one. My flower beds are now nurtured for the year with a couple inch layer as a mulch over the top of wood chips. It will water in. I had MASSIVE earth worms in this load. I have never seen any so larger around here - I thought they were baby snakes there for a minute

My husband thinks I'm a "composting addict." He thinks there's a program to help people like me, LOL!

Please let me know when you find that program, I need it bad.

**walshevak** 4/4/2014, 1:07 pm

I put cardboard boxes in the bottom of my space and just piled stuff into it. Helped keep the pile in check and eventually composted into the pile.

Kay

CapeCoddess 4/4/2014, 6:22 pm

walshevak wrote:I put cardboard boxes in the bottom of my space and just piled stuff into it. Helped keep the pile in check and eventually composted into the pile.

Kay

I tried this for the first time this winter. My pile was so frozen for so long that I couldn't do anything with it. So I put a small box down next to it and started filling it up. It worked great! I think my next pile will be started in a very large box. I love the idea!

CC

(of course the voice feature on this tablet wanted my next child to be started in the box... Shocked

)

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