Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
Homemade Compost Activator Toplef10Homemade Compost Activator 1zd3ho10

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.

Homemade Compost Activator I22gcj10Homemade Compost Activator 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Square Foot Gardening Forum
[table bgcolor=#000000 height=275][tr][td]
Homemade Compost Activator Toplef10Homemade Compost Activator 1zd3ho10

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.

Homemade Compost Activator I22gcj10Homemade Compost Activator 14dhcg10

[/td][/tr][/table]
Square Foot Gardening Forum
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Search
 
 

Display results as :
 

 


Rechercher Advanced Search

Latest topics
» Spinning Compost Bin-need some ideas
by OhioGardener Today at 4:45 pm

» N & C Midwest: Nov. Dec. 2024
by OhioGardener Today at 10:13 am

» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by KiwiSFGnewbie 10/31/2024, 9:55 pm

» Growing fruit trees in Auckland
by OhioGardener 10/31/2024, 4:23 pm

» New SFG gardener in Auckland
by rtfm 10/31/2024, 4:03 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

» Mark's first SFG
by markqz 10/29/2024, 11:11 pm

» 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

» Happy Birthday!!
by sanderson 10/18/2024, 3:09 am

» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by OhioGardener 10/11/2024, 5:31 pm

» Confirm what this is
by sanderson 10/11/2024, 2:51 pm

» Harlequin Beetles?
by sanderson 10/7/2024, 3:08 pm

» Preserving A Bumper Tomato Harvest with Freezing vs Canning
by sanderson 10/7/2024, 3:05 pm

» Greetings from Southeastern Wisconsin
by OhioGardener 10/6/2024, 12:05 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

» Pest Damage
by WBIowa 9/8/2024, 2:48 pm

» cabbage moth?
by jemm 9/8/2024, 9:15 am

» adding compost yearly
by sanderson 9/5/2024, 2:16 am

» N & C Midwest: August 2024
by OhioGardener 8/31/2024, 8:13 pm

Google

Search SFG Forum

Homemade Compost Activator

+6
BackyardBirdGardner
littlejo
camprn
busygirl
boffer
Cincinnati
10 posters

Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Homemade Compost Activator

Post  Cincinnati 6/28/2011, 8:59 pm

When I purchased my compost tumbler, I received a box of activator. It sells for about $15/box and gives me about 4 wheelbarrows full per box. The last batch quit cooking and I had to add more to get it started again. I have been getting wonderful looking compost, but it is costing me almost as much if not more than bagged compost because of the cost of activator.

I read recently to dump a beer over the raw ingredients. I also read about bone meal or blood meal. I haven't tried any of these.

Is there a good homemade activator/accelerant to get the next batch cooking? Am I being too cheap?, AND the cost of activator worth it for faster compost?
avatar
Cincinnati

Posts : 181
Join date : 2011-06-26
Location : Alabama Gulf Coast

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  boffer 6/28/2011, 9:17 pm

Cincinnati wrote:...I read recently to dump a beer over the raw ingredients....Is there a good homemade activator/accelerant to get the next batch cooking? Am I being too cheap?, AND the cost of activator worth it for faster compost?

LOL I have gotten negative feedback from other forum members for consistently advocating this method, but it has decades of positive results: don't dump good beer on your compost pile, oh no, drink it first, and then pee on your compost pile. Have a kegger and invite your gentlemen guests to by-pass the powder room in favor of your compost pile.

Seriously. Human urine is a compost catalyst. So is green grass, blood meal, rabbit pellets, and alfalfa meal.

Sorry, I really can't speak to making compost quickly. Cut grass is 20% of my compost, but it's ready when it's ready.
boffer
boffer

Male Posts : 7370
Join date : 2010-02-26
Age : 71
Location : yelm, wa, usa

http://boffer.us/

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  busygirl 6/28/2011, 9:46 pm

this suggests comfrey...

http://compostmania.com/blog/grow-your-own-compost-activator
busygirl
busygirl

Female Posts : 88
Join date : 2011-05-30
Location : Southeastern Ohio

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  camprn 6/28/2011, 9:48 pm

boffer wrote:
Cincinnati wrote:...I read recently to dump a beer over the raw ingredients....Is there a good homemade activator/accelerant to get the next batch cooking? Am I being too cheap?, AND the cost of activator worth it for faster compost?

LOL I have gotten negative feedback from other forum members for consistently advocating this method, but it has decades of positive results: don't dump good beer on your compost pile, oh no, drink it first, and then pee on your compost pile. Have a kegger and invite your gentlemen guests to by-pass the powder room in favor of your compost pile.

Seriously. Human urine is a compost catalyst. So is green grass, blood meal, rabbit pellets, and alfalfa meal.

Sorry, I really can't speak to making compost quickly. Cut grass is 20% of my compost, but it's ready when it's ready.
+1 also see this thread from last year Speeding up my compost
camprn
camprn

Forum Moderator Certified SFG Teacher

Female Posts : 14129
Join date : 2010-03-06
Age : 62
Location : Keene, NH, USA ~ Zone 5a

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t3574-the-end-of-july-7-week

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  boffer 6/28/2011, 9:56 pm

camprn wrote: also see this thread from last year Speeding up my compost

I had forgotten about that thread. Why do 'peeing on the compost' and 'seriously' always go together? ROFL

camprn wrote:Time to pee on the compost pile.
boffer
boffer

Male Posts : 7370
Join date : 2010-02-26
Age : 71
Location : yelm, wa, usa

http://boffer.us/

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  littlejo 6/28/2011, 9:59 pm

I will agree that 'boffer' is correct with the urine. Enough said about that!

A good mix of green and brown items should get you a fairly quick compost in a tumbler, but if you are impatient, here is a recipe that I recently used. Mine got very hot, so ya might want to go easy with the ammonia!

1 cup ammonia, from the grocery store.
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup liquid soap
2 gal. water

mix all up, and add sparingly to the composter. It will heat up within a couple of hrs.
mine was some good looking compost, finished in 2 weeks. But, I've got it set aside, curing.
Jo
littlejo
littlejo

Female Posts : 1573
Join date : 2011-05-04
Age : 70
Location : Cottageville SC 8b

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  BackyardBirdGardner 6/28/2011, 11:53 pm

My 6 year old activated the compost today....lol. I looked out the window and ran out to ask him what he was doing. He told me he didn't want to come inside. So, two things genetically passed right down to him from me...

Laziness and multi-tasking.
BackyardBirdGardner
BackyardBirdGardner

Male Posts : 2710
Join date : 2010-12-25
Age : 50
Location : St. Louis, MO

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  Mamachibi 6/29/2011, 8:51 am

Another compost activator is kombucha "mothers." If you happen to make homemade kombucha, you can take your used "shroom" and either just toss it into the pile or stick it in the blender with some water and mix it up. GREAT bacteria in that stuff!
Mamachibi
Mamachibi

Posts : 298
Join date : 2011-06-17
Location : Zone 6b

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  Glendale-gardener 6/29/2011, 11:21 am

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:

Laziness and multi-tasking.

Homemade Compost Activator 523562 fantastic!
Glendale-gardener
Glendale-gardener

Female Posts : 293
Join date : 2011-03-10
Age : 49
Location : Cincinnati Zone 6A

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  pattipan 6/29/2011, 11:44 am

These common plants are good natural compost activators...

Yarrow:
Homemade Compost Activator Yarrow


Comfrey:
Homemade Compost Activator Comfrey


Dandelions:
Homemade Compost Activator Dandelions


pattipan
pattipan
pattipan

Female Posts : 808
Join date : 2010-03-04
Location : WV -- Zone 6a

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/gallery/personal160.htm

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  TN_GARDENER 7/11/2011, 8:30 pm

I too am one of those weirdos that adds filtered beer to his compost pile. Give me some credit...I wait until after dark Very Happy

I've also heard that adding some existing compost will help (shovel full of dirt will probably also work).
avatar
TN_GARDENER

Posts : 228
Join date : 2011-06-16
Location : TN

Back to top Go down

Homemade Compost Activator Empty Re: Homemade Compost Activator

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum