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Posted: Mar/17/2007 1:08 AM PST
http://xrl.us/pdxv http://xrl.us/q7gy 24 July 2006. This ten horespower machine is used to chop up all waste foliage. I make a pile of foliage, and when there is enough I wheel the machine out, and chop up the waste. It only takes a few minutes. I use to do this with a machette on a wooden block. It disposes of the branches and waste plants in a clean and quick manner. Unfortunately one has to justify the cost, and it probably wouldn't be economical with a small yard. Anyway it is probably easier than taking garden waste products to the dump. The amount of composted material is very minimal. All I get is about 3 to 8 cubic yards of garden ready material, which I spread on the garden in the spring. I even get my neighbors grass clippings from two properties. I leave my grass clipping where they fall. Durgan. |
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Posted: Mar/17/2007 5:25 PM PST
I like the pics of your compost bins. My husband is building one for me today. Is there any reason to have more than one bin? If we have only one bin, will that slow down the process time? What is the purpose to more than one bin? We have a one acre lot in a very woodsy area that doesn't get allot of sun, just dappled sun all day. Will that affect the compost decomposition? Sorry for all the questions, but I don't know much on the subject and I don't know anyone here in my neighborhood that has a compost bin. |
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Posted: Mar/17/2007 9:05 PM PST
Quote: Originally posted by SusiesQs I like the pics of your compost bins. My husband is building one for me today. Is there any reason to have more than one bin? If we have only one bin, will that slow down the process time? What is the purpose to more than one bin? We have a one acre lot in a very woodsy area that doesn't get allot of sun, just dappled sun all day. Will that affect the compost decomposition? Sorry for all the questions, but I don't know much on the subject and I don't know anyone here in my neighborhood that has a compost bin.The two bins make it easy to turn over the compost. I simply fork it over to the adjacent bin now and then. The lattice structure only takes a few minutes to build, and the lattice holes let air into the pile. Also when one bin get full and it cannot be used at that time, it is easy to start a new pile if you have extra bins. Otherwise you have some stuff in the pile that is not brewed enough. Composting is a good way of gettin rid of the much vegetation that can accumulate in a year of gardening. There is too much hype about compost. Just cut the vegetation up and throw it in the bin and turn it over periodically. I cover it casually with an old tarp if I feel it is getting too much rain or is drying out too much. It takes a lot of vegetation to get any quantity of compost. I only use vegetation. Leaves can be a hassle unless they are chopped into nothing with the lawnmower. The leaves tend to stick together and are almost like a paper book if not chopped. Composting means throw vegetation in the pile and forget about it for awhile, and turn it over now and then-mostly then. The layers information is typical urban hype that is not practical in the real world. My real view is all vegetation should be sent to a central site and composted in bulk, since a large system is very efficient, but everybody is on the green mind-set. It is mostly a make me feel good situation. Durgan. |
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Posted: Mar/17/2007 10:04 PM PST
Great, my husband made 2 bins and we'll see how it goes from there. Thanks for the info! |
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Posted: Mar/18/2007 10:23 AM PST
When I first moved into my house six years ago, I was very excited about building a compost pile. I did a ton of research, bought three small compost bins, additives and a chipper shredder the size of Durgan's. And I only have like a quarter acre lot LOL. That shredder was so powerful I swear it could take on bricks (although accidentally dropping a pair of pruning shears down the chute required a new blade). The only thing I had was leaves, grass and garden waste. Every year that shredder got heavier to lug around the yard, and harder to start. Plus, the whole scientific method that I was trying to follow took a lot of time and wasn't causing anything to really decompose any faster. So last year I sold the monster shredder and got this small electric one: http://www.composters.com/docs/acc.html It's much smaller, easier to maneuver around the yard and all you have to do to start it is flip a switch. The only time it didn't suffice was in the fall because there are a lot of trees in my neighborhood. So now I'm looking at one of these: Chipper Shredder vac It may be a bit too much for my purposes, but trying to suck up all the maple leaf seeds with an inverted leaf blower took forever. |
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Posted: Mar/18/2007 11:29 AM PST
Quote: Originally posted by VBKatLou When I first moved into my house six years ago, I was very excited about building a compost pile. I did a ton of research, bought three small compost bins, additives and a chipper shredder the size of Durgan's. And I only have like a quarter acre lot LOL. That shredder was so powerful I swear it could take on bricks (although accidentally dropping a pair of pruning shears down the chute required a new blade). The only thing I had was leaves, grass and garden waste.Every year that shredder got heavier to lug around the yard, and harder to start. Plus, the whole scientific method that I was trying to follow took a lot of time and wasn't causing anything to really decompose any faster. So last year I sold the monster shredder and got this small electric one: http://www.composters.com/docs/acc.html It's much smaller, easier to maneuver around the yard and all you have to do to start it is flip a switch. The only time it didn't suffice was in the fall because there are a lot of trees in my neighborhood. So now I'm looking at one of these: Chipper Shredder vac It may be a bit too much for my purposes, but trying to suck up all the maple leaf seeds with an inverted leaf blower took forever. Everything you posted looks like a good solution for the medium sized home yard. If there is a quantity of vegetation it must be chopped into small pieces in some manner, if for no other reason than to take up less space. In my case the composting is secondary. All vegetation will eventually decompose, we are simply trying to speed up the process. Durgan. |
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Posted: Mar/19/2007 10:08 AM PST
Exactly. My method for composting now consists of trying to have an even mixture of garden waste and leaves - leaves take longer to compost. If I have an overabundance of grass clippings, I add lime to get rid of that sour grass smell. If I'm really in the mood, I'll get out the bins of perlite, vermiculite, wood ash and sawdust and add some for every bag of shredded material. Eventually it turns into very nice compost. Plus it's a great way to get rid of garden waste. |
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