How do you store the extra compost?

Tomorrow I'll be mixing up mel's mix but I will have extra compost and possibly extra mix I was wondering what would be the best way to store this? Its not a whole lot, since 8 cubic feet will be in the garden, but I'm going to have extra peat moss and some extra of the other composts. I didn't do well with the measurements when purchasing everything.

I second that question! I was just getting ready to post the same kind of thing! May I also add: how long does compost "keep"?

Thanks for letting me piggyback onto your question. Hope we find the answers.

Take care,
Tracy

I would hold it aside in case the mix in the box settles more than anticipated. If all is well in the box I would pot up some herbs or flowers.

Fearing being punished to the full extent of the law, I would promptly ship them to:

BackyardBirdGardeningSarcasticFool
48372 Compost Way
St. Louis, MO 22554

I'm pretty sure he'd take you off his "list" if you sent him a small donation.


In all seriousness, I would mix them into MM and store in some weatherproof container with a lid on the contents to keep things dry. When my bed settles, I would top up at the end of the season. Or, just add a bit more when I changed my plantings.

The stuff is too valueable to just toss into a compost pile if you have enough to keep making MM.

Sounds good BBG. Now I have to see if I have a container to put it in.

I have a family that all have house cats. I get teased because I get the litter containers. Rofl...I have buckets of compost, peat and mm. I don't mix it all into mm because some of my houseplants don't do as well in mm.

CindiLou wrote:I have a family that all have house cats. I get teased because I get the litter containers. Rofl...I have buckets of compost, peat and mm. I don't mix it all into mm because some of my houseplants don't do as well in mm.

CindiLou:

On page 96 in Mel's book, "ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING" is a list of what and what not to put into your compost pile.

In the "what not" list are the following

Diseased or Pest Laden Materials
Meat or Bones
Grease
Whole Eggs
Cheese
Seeds and Fruit Pits
Cat or Dog Manure
Bakery Products
Dairy Products
Supper Plate Scrapings or Kitchen Scraps {raw veggies OK}

Ken Thompson in his book, "Compost - The Natural Way to Make Food For Your Garden" also said to keep dog and cat manure out of your compost.

Burpee's "The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener - a Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically" states "Some organic materials, such as tree limbs, large pieces of wood, and leathery leaves like those of large-leaved or evergreen magnolias break down slowly and should not be added to a compost pile unless they are first chopped or shredded. Avoid, too, anything that may carry pathogens, such as pet or human feces."

Other things that the book lists to keep out of your compost pile include...

Diseased plants
Grass clippings or any organic matter that has been sprayed with an herbicide or pesticide.
Noxious weeds that have gone to seed or that spread by creeping stems and roots
Allelopathic matter, such as black walnut and eucalyptus leaves, which will stunt the growth of many plants.
Poisonous plants, such as castor bean and oleander.
Large amounts of highly acidic matter, such as pine needles {smaller amounts of pine needles are OK}
Items such as bones, meat scraps, or grease, which will attract wildlife to your compost pile.

God Bless, Ward and Mary

I too use the empty cat litter pails in the garden.

WardinWake wrote:
CindiLou:

On page 96 in Mel's book, "ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING" is a list of what and what not to put into your compost pile.

In the "what not" list are the following

Cat or Dog Manure
....

Good morning Ward! I think CindiLou was referring to the plastic tubs that cat litter come in. Once the litter is dumped into the kitties litter box, the empty tub is great for storing things in. I use mine to transport food scraps out to the composter, but it would be great for storing extra compost near the SFG to have it close by.

Hello hh90. I do my best to reuse those bags the mix ingredients come in. When I have extra mix (it happens) I shovel it back into one of the bags and set it where it is easy to get at. I use it like a bag of potting soil. If I have enough I fill a large pot (15" or better) to plant any determinant tomatoes I might have. Extra mix is great for up potting seedlings.

Last year I had quite a few extra bags of premixed compost-5's that I bagged back up and set under the deck. They were ready for me this spring when I had peat and vermiculite. Keep them as dry as possible. My extra vermiculite was light and fluffy when I set it under the eaves but was as heavy as could be after a year of getting rain and snow. Still usable (didn't need to water the mix in layers) but difficult to move.

Debs....hope that helps

BYBG, first you posted about your willingness to accept seafood and now left over MM components.

Your crackin me up! My coworkers think I'm nuts for laughing out loud at this box.

Oohh - I have 3-4 cat litter containers in the basement. I tried tomatoes in them one summer. They may have drainage holes, but I bet I could plug them. Thanks so much for the nudge / reminder!!!

I have 2 cats at home I know of an extra tub or two. That is a good idea and I could use that. Might also reuse the bag per another answer. These were all great suggestions, thanks!

After I screen my compost, I store it in buckets with tight fitting lids. The ones I have are from dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, five gallon paint buckets. They all work great. My favourites are the detergent ones because they are rectangular so they fit into corners of my garden shed better without wasting space in the corners.

Gwynn

Mixed up my mel's mix last night and as it turns out I didn't have any extra mix, per se. Just a little bit of compost left in some of the bags so I just rolled them up and put them in the shed.

OK, I'm putting my 'use now' home made semi-sifted compost (not MM mix), worms and all, into the empty saved bags from the marble stones we used last year. I'm going to roll the tops and stick on a couple of clothes pins to seal, then store them in the garage.

Does that sound about right?

I have about an 18 gal rubbermaid container full on MM that I am storing until needed. My question is, the mix is wet and will this be a problem with mold. Or should I open the container and mix it around until the mix dries out.

I would open it and let it dry out.

camprn wrote:I would open it and let it dry out.

What happens to the worms and any other livestock?

Well, they probably will go through their life cycle. If you want to have the worms in the garden I suppose you could screen them out of the compost before you store it and then put the worms directly into the garden.

Thanks for your help camprn. In my case, the MM was made with bagged compost purchased from a nursery, so there should not be any worms in there. Will do as you say and leave the lid off the rubbermaid container until the mix has dried out.

CapeCoddess wrote:OK, I'm putting my 'use now' home made semi-sifted compost (not MM mix), worms and all, into the empty saved bags from the marble stones we used last year. I'm going to roll the tops and stick on a couple of clothes pins to seal, then store them in the garage.

Does that sound about right?

I would be concerned about the worms, is there a way you can pull them out and put them in your beds? Kinda copying what camprn said.

I don't know that you need to seal it up like a bag of cereal if you are going to put it in the garage. If you leave the bag open a little bit the worms will be able to breathe and continue to make casts. If you plan on using it in the fall, the worms will make the compost richer. Just my $0.03

I hope this helps. I stored my leftover screened compost in 50 pound dog food bags. If you don't have a big dog, one of your neighbors probably has one and might save the big bags for you. They hold about 2 cu ft of finished compost. I keep them in a covered shed, open at the top.

yolos wrote:I have about an 18 gal rubbermaid container full on MM that I am storing until needed. My question is, the mix is wet and will this be a problem with mold. Or should I open the container and mix it around until the mix dries out.

As said open it up and give it a good stir to get some air into it , it will carry on turning through the composting cycle but doing it slowly .

Then lightly recover with a few sheets of newspaper leaving the top if you have one slightly open . if it is to be potsdie cover with a light plastic sheet and weigh it down .

I've had ten two cubic feet heavy duty rubble bags of fully ready to go MM and 16 bags of well made compost sitting at the back of my garage in the shade with a big sheet of weighted down plastic over them for over four months .

The worms found them and went a playing , I now have some fantastic worm cast enriched MM & composts.