Needing help! 1st time composting

GarBen · Post by **GarBen** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:42 am

Hello Forum Garden thanks for the add.

In the past 2 months, I have decided to cut my work schedule down and start having a little more time to myself. With this free time I have been a little bored I can't lie but I have also decided to start my own little organic vegetable patch in my back yard and how better to start than your own compost heap? apart from I have no idea what I'm doing.

So, what should I use to create this compost heap? I know that dead leaves and vegetable waste is fine but how much do you use? What else can you use? I have a plot of and 1m by 1m square to heap the compost, in the area I said above roughly how long will it take to get actual compost? and then pretty much anything else you guys can share with me.

Thanks

Example image of what I have being built for my compost

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 1:37 am

Okay...organic ha? Well firstly you could watch the elaboate composting they do on gardening shows ...get frustrated and give up

Or

Do what i do. Basically i include everything and i mean EVERYTHING!!!

You are essentially creating warmth and food for bugs....all bugs not just worms.

What do bugs eat? ....EVERYTHING!

Mostly gardeners will tell you no meat no dairy no solid matter (wood, twigs,pot ash)

Its all a nonsense! Bugs eat everthing and soil breaks everything down.

No bugs....no compost. No soil mixed in.....no compost.

Airate it.....mix it....remember you are cooking essentially meals for bugs.

Thats it.

Or you can do another thing i do and add chook poo and all kitchen scraps straight into your vege garden so youre not double handling.

Turn the soil where you throw stuff onto it and voila

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:47 am

When I was a kid (while I still lived in a property with a garden) we used to have an open coal fire. Then we had a gas fire installed instead. After that the coal bunker outside was redundant.

Now, this coal bunker was not simply a box to put the coal in, but a container, about 1.5m square, with concret slab sides & top, with a lift up wooden lid (just like THIS ONE) where you would tip the coal in. However, at the front, at the base was a little slide up door, where you would shovel the coal out, as & when you needed it.

As you can imagine, this coal bunker served as an excellent compost bin. All sorts of organic matter in the top then, after it's had time to rot down, you can shovel it out from the bottom.

minks · Post by **minks** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 1:59 pm

I also have heard you can add paper, too, and I believe a bit of water every now and then is good for the compost as well.

Post by **LarsMac** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:47 pm

Newspaper (some, not too much, preferably shredded.) egg shells, and coffee grounds are good.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:06 pm

Hence my comment....EVERYTHING! Lol.

When you think of composting think. Rainforest. What happens in a rainforest.

And dont forget ...potatoes, pumpkins, lots of different herbs grow in compost. You dont have to wait to use it. Uou can plant as you build it.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 7:52 pm

Fourpart We also had coal for heat - you'd load the hopper and remove the clinkers from the furnace. great container for compost.

I've also watch my neighbor add coffee grounds & egg shells.

Good luck

Patsy

GarBen · Post by **GarBen** » Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:33 pm

Some great replies here guys and I have learnt so much by just reading this! I am going to put all of the above into practice and keep you guys updated along the way.

GarBen · Post by **GarBen** » Sun Sep 24, 2017 8:45 pm

I thought I posted this already but obvs not. I have come across these Compost tumblers http://www.used.forsale/compost-tumbler has anyone got any experience using one of these? does it make life easier?

Post by **spot** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 6:52 am

The forum software gratuitously purges posts from newcomers that carry URLs, it saves the site from a lot of marketing spam.

As for the items for sale I've known children who crawl into those and fall asleep, it makes for a hectic hour or two searching for them. If you're afflicted that way then you can't keep rotting compost in them, it makes the children very smelly by the time they emerge.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:11 pm

My sister has had a tumbler for a couple of years. There doesnt seem to be much difference timewise with a tumbler. And once it does start breaking down the tumbler becomes quite heavy and you break your back trying to turn the handle or manually turning the bucket itself.

And it stinks on hot days.

Ill stick with aired natural break down

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:20 pm

spot;1512815 wrote: The forum software gratuitously purges posts from newcomers that carry URLs, it saves the site from a lot of marketing spam.

As for the items for sale I've known children who crawl into those and fall asleep, it makes for a hectic hour or two searching for them. If you're afflicted that way then you can't keep rotting compost in them, it makes the children very smelly by the time they emerge.

We're talking mud in another thread and children being naturally dirty. At least the the child would be naturally smelly. Lol

My concern would be the oxygen level for a child in a tumbler bin. Theres a reason why its warm inside them

Vieffy · Post by **Vieffy** » Wed Feb 20, 2019 1:06 am

Well, if you wanna use organic prepare to fight with pests... My dad spent the last year getting moles out of our garden. If it wasn't for this thing https://getting-rid-of-ground-moles.com ... repellents he'd buy Napalm, hahahaha))

Post by **spot** » Wed Feb 20, 2019 1:43 am

Hi Vieffy, welcome to ForumGarden.

If I were an associate of Ð¡Ð»ÑƒÌÐ¶Ð±Ð° Ð²Ð½ÐµÌÑˆÐ½ÐµÐ¹ Ñ€Ð°Ð·Ð²ÐµÌÐ´ÐºÐ¸ I'd call getting-rid-of-ground-moles a neat domain name though it might raise eyebrows in Salisbury. You're very welcome to discuss current events, your point of view would be interesting.

Post by **LarsMac** » Wed Feb 20, 2019 4:52 pm

We had moles back in Arkansas. I rather liked the little critters.

Annecole · Post by **Annecole** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:50 am

While the process of composition or in the farming process, there are various unwanted pests and plants which comes and interrupt. One has to get rid of these unwanted pests such as bugs. Well, my uncle loves farming, for protecting his farm he does regular pest controlling by [link removed by moderator] so that his farm is secured from unwanted pests and weeds.

Post by **spot** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 3:22 am

Annecole;1522498 wrote: While the process of composition or in the farming process, there are various unwanted pests and plants which comes and interrupt. One has to get rid of these unwanted pests such as bugs. Well, my uncle loves farming, for protecting his farm he does regular pest controlling by [link removed by moderator] so that his farm is secured from unwanted pests and weeds.

This is from the Ethics Code Statement of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association:We practice openness about the relationship between consumers, advocates, and marketers. We encourage word of mouth advocates to disclose their relationship with marketers in their communications with other consumers. We don't tell them specifically what to say, but we do instruct them to be open and honest about any relationship with a marketer and about any products or incentives that they may have received.

We stand against shill and undercover marketing, whereby people are paid to make recommendations without disclosing their relationship with the marketer.

http://www.womma.org/ethics/code/read/

Would you like to to disclose your marketing relationship?

It's a reasonable question, I think. You appear on the Stop Forum Spam database by email address and IP address and username, so you've definitely annoyed other forum administrators as recently as yesterday. I'm not sure whether you're spamming or just being helpful, but I do think your sole intention when signing onto forums across the world is to spread your message rather than to socialize. We don't run this forum as a billboard and if we did I doubt we'd appreciate fly-posters interfering with our monetizing. We do not, as it happens, monetize, but lots of forums do.

TheGardener09 · Post by **TheGardener09** » Mon Apr 17, 2023 2:20 pm

GarBen wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:42 am Hello Forum Garden thanks for the add.

In the past 2 months, I have decided to cut my work schedule down and start having a little more time to myself. With this free time I have been a little bored I can't lie but I have also decided to start my own little organic vegetable patch in my back yard and how better to start than your own compost heap? apart from I have no idea what I'm doing.

So, what should I use to create this compost heap? I know that dead leaves and vegetable waste is fine but how much do you use? What else can you use? I have a plot of and 1m by 1m square to heap the compost, in the area I said above roughly how long will it take to get actual compost? and then pretty much anything else you guys can share with me.

Thanks

Example image of what I have being built for my compost

Hello GarBen,

Congratulations on starting your own organic vegetable patch and compost heap! Composting is a great way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your plants. Here are some tips and advice to help you get started:

What to use to create a compost heap:
You can use a variety of organic materials to create a compost heap, including dead leaves, vegetable scraps, fruit peels, eggshells, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and shredded paper. Avoid adding meat, dairy, or oily foods to your compost heap, as they can attract pests and slow down the composting process.

How much to use:
The ratio of brown materials (such as dead leaves) to green materials (such as vegetable scraps) should be roughly 3:1. This means that for every three parts of brown materials, you should add one part of green materials. Aim for a compost heap that is roughly 1m by 1m in size, as this will provide enough space for the compost to decompose.

Other materials you can use:
In addition to the materials listed above, you can also add garden waste, such as weeds and small branches, to your compost heap. However, avoid adding plants that have been treated with pesticides, as these chemicals can kill the beneficial bacteria that help break down the compost.

How long it takes to get actual compost:
The time it takes to get actual compost depends on a variety of factors, including the size of your compost heap, the materials used, and the climate in your area. On average, it can take anywhere from a few months to a year for compost to be fully decomposed and ready to use.

Other tips and advice:

Keep your compost heap moist, but not too wet. Aim for a moisture level similar to a damp sponge.
Turn your compost heap regularly to aerate it and speed up the composting process.
Cover your compost heap with a tarp or other cover to keep it from getting too wet or too dry.
If you notice an unpleasant odor coming from your compost heap, it may be too wet or have too much nitrogen-rich material. Add more brown materials to balance it out.
I hope these tips and advice help you get started with your compost heap. Good luck and happy composting!