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Posted: May/28/2009 5:45 PM PST
I have had a composter for 7 months and no compost yet. What I am I doing wrong it is just dry leaves and grass in there? I have a stand composter that must be tumbled by hand I do that occasionally and try to give kitchen scraps weekly. I thought maybe its not hot or wet enough any other ideas? |
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Posted: May/29/2009 2:29 AM PST
The balance has to be correct. Maybe it's not getting enough air. There is a product out there to boost composting, but I can't think of the name. Perhaps you composting experts can help with this question. |
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Posted: May/29/2009 5:56 AM PST
I've never had much success with a manufactured composter, and I've tried at least three different types. I think the reason for this is that most exclude water, but that's simply my best guess. We compost in a heap at the top of our garden. It's not really pretty, but we get a lot of wonderful compost that way. |
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Posted: May/29/2009 7:05 AM PST
Things i add to my compost pile that helps it compost faster. Any thing sweet, old milk,soda pop,molasses,stale cereal, and coffee grounds the worms like them. |
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Posted: May/29/2009 4:04 PM PST
You have to have a balance of "browns" & "greens" but how much of which I have no idea I've read different percent ratios all over the boards. I do know that you have to keep the compost moist, not soaking wet but damp like a wrung out sponge. Some piles take a long time I know mine does but I'm constantly adding to it. You can try to add blood meal or manure (horse, cow or rabbit) to get it going & try to turn frequently. I have a tumbler & I can add tons of green matter (kitchen scraps) but it's the brown I have a hard time coming up with. Early this spring we finally dumped & spread it on the garden since it was so full & then tilled it in a few days later. There were a few undissolved pieces but it all decomposed nicely in the soil. Don't give up. |
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Posted: May/29/2009 5:26 PM PST
I don't have this figured out either. I put dry leaves, SOME DIRT and grass clippings. Kitchen waste, have used some shredded paper. Small sticks. I can't get it to go completely to dirt. Not even 1/2 way. Sometimes I leave the top off during a rain storm. Now the other day I pulled weeds, filled up a rubber tub. About a week went by, it rained on it, but when I dumped it I had more dirt than weeds, It had started composting in that little of time. This is my next challenge to figure out. I will be back to this thread to see what others have to say. Tammy |
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Posted: May/29/2009 9:28 PM PST
We also compost in an open pile in the corner of our yard. We use grass clippings, leaves, pine straw, kitchen scraps and the like. We compost it all summer and add fall leaves. Then, by spring time, it's dirt.Even now when we turn it there are a lot of worms. Now, my neighbor puts grass clippings in black trash bags and ties them up. And somehow that seems to turn to dirt. Have any of yall tried that? I havent. |
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Posted: May/30/2009 6:14 AM PST
We did shredded leaves in black trash bags one year. It did ok, but wasn't any faster. |
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Posted: May/31/2009 8:51 PM PST
At the risk of being considered in poor taste, the method I learned from my grandmother to get compost going and turn it into dirt was to add that first morning pee and turn it well so it got distributed throughout. Yeah, I know that sounds gross, but it sure works! |
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Posted: Jun/01/2009 6:57 AM PST
Your compost pile should also get some sun during the day. When I had a compost pile, I only turned mine once every 3 or 4 weeks. I had lots of worms! |
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