Things I Have Learned About Composting

   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #11  
Greg I have a question that you may be able to help me with. Last planting season I had a large pile of wood chips that I needed disposed of. I dragged it into a small part of my garden plot and tilled it in deeply. I noticed that the veggies in that area suffered as a result for the entire season. Is there anything that I can do this next season to bring that section of ground back up to par or should I just cover it with a green manure crop such as buckwheat for the new season?
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting
  • Thread Starter
#12  
Pineridge,
I am no expert, but my understanding is that it is very important to make sure your compost is completely done before tilling it into the soil. If it is still working, it will actually rob the soil of nitrogen. There is a fine line between mulch and compost. My understanding of the definition of mulch would be small organic debris that has just begun to compost (break down). An example would be beauty bark (bark dust... it's called different things around the country). If you notice, landscapers use this to keep the weeds down. If you spread it too thick around plants, you can kill them. Compost is mulch that is completely broken down and basically inert. I have read where tilling "mulch" into the soil can really mess up the soil for a year. What I do is spread my "compost/mulch" on the top of the soil each year around our plantings. The next year I turn it under and apply a new top coat. This seems to work pretty good for landscaping. For a vegie garden, I would want to make sure that the compost was "well done" before I introduced it. We just have a very small vegie garden and I make sure I use my oldest, finest compost for it. I would think that your soil would be just fine this year as the composting process should be complete by now. Hope this layman's description helps.

Greg
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Ralph,
Thanks for the tip on the 10-10-10. I may try that as I have a lot of wood chips in my pile. I have a question. Does that cabinet shop you get you sawdust from only use solid stock lumber. My office used to be next to a high end cabinet shop and they used a lot of particle board. I make a lot of sawdust myself out of my shop, but I have always been nervous about the glue residue from plywood and particle board. Maybe it's not as toxic as I think.

Greg
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting
  • Thread Starter
#14  
Don,
That's a nice looking pile ya got... Question about grass clippings. 2 years before I bought my tractor I bought a JD LX277 w/ a mulching deck. Prior to that I had a ton of grass clippings and no FEL. Now I have a FEL and no grass clippings. My neighbor has a ton of grass clippings and they go right by my compost pile to dump them in the back of their property. They use fertilizer and I have been concerned about that contaminating my pile. Do you use any chemicals on your lawn and if so what is the life of the chemicals and does it harm your compost? I'd love to add my neighbors grass clippings to my pile, but the chemicals make me nervous.

Greg
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #15  
Hi...

Newspaper... yep.. good stuff to shred & mix in...
As said... avoid glossy print... but... most non-glossy newsprint is from soy based ink so it's OK to use...

If you can locate a local source (restaraunt) for clam shells you can shred these too...


Dave...
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Dave,
"Clam Shells"???? That's a new one on me. Can you tell me more? I would be afraid of the salt content. We have plenty of shells on our beach....

The paper I put in was shredded white computer/copier paper. I think there must be some super preservative in it, because it's as fresh as the day I put it in.

Greg
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #17  
I would second Greg comment about keeping the pile out in the open,assuming you have the room, so you hit it at all angles with the FEL.

I made a compost bin side by side as pictured compost bins Originally, it was open only on one side as pictured. Keep it open on opposite sides, assuming you have the room, so you can access it with the FEL better. I would use rebar vertically or concrete mesh on the sides to hold up to the pushing; fence wire is too light /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #18  
One word of caution. Don't pile your compost higher than five feet. If it is deeper than 5', then you run the risk of spontaneous combustion.
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #19  
Greg,

I'm a light fertilizer user. I've never really given it a thought because my finished dirt goes right back to where the grass clippings came from. I heard of people using fertilizer to give the compost pile a jump start. I wouldn't think fertilizer has a lasting effect in soil because you have to keep re-applying it to get results on the lawn. I also would think the heat from the compost piles pretty much sterilizes anything in the compost pile.

Don
 
   / Things I Have Learned About Composting #20  
Just replying to the bottom of the thread.

I've been told not to use walnut as compost as it has a natural pesticide in it.

Now for a question, what does one do if mushrooms start on the pile? Turn 'em in and cook em? Pick 'em out? Never composted... Yet...
 

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