I chuck everything in my compost, although if I had convolvulus and wandering Willie I'd think twice...:think: My garden's really small, so I can keep up with grass if it comes up. Because nearly everything's really heavily mulched, I don't see many unwanted plants. My neighbour puts her prunings in my bin and I have nigella and columbine popping up everywhere. Score!
I have 3 working compost bins, No1 I put in layers of whatever I have. I use grass clippings from the lawn mower, horse poo, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, weeds etc. When full, about 6-8 weeks, I turn into bin 2 occasionally adding blood and bone, water and more horse poo. then it all gets turned into bin 3 once again about 6-8 weeks later. The first bin is never as hot as bins 1 and 2. I think the blood and bone and extra horse poo help this however the grass clippings always produces heat in the bins. There is no way that I would have the time or enthusiasm to turn the bins every 2 days. Happy composting
Turning every 2 days, after the 4th day and finishing at 18 days is the Berkeley method of composting. 18 days, small reduction on inputs, 7 turns at about 15-20 minutes for a 1.5 cubic metre pile. The method, and the massive amount of compost at the end, is at least worth doing once a year. No reason why you can't follow your usual methods for the other 347 days.
Thanks S.O.P I think I'm willing to try turning my compost more regularly....I will follow your lead....I need the exercise anyway
I'm not sure that what you get is equal to what you put in. For me, I don't have access to that amount of biomass to really make hot composting work well. If I do hot composting, it goes from buckets full of biomass down to zero in no time (winter is another story, but in the summer I can't keep up with decomposition. Oh, did I mention that if and when I put water on the compost, it starts to smell and the neighbors get curious and mad. I eschew all water from my compost. It makes it's own. Plus, I think I might lose a lot of carbon in the process, not to mention all the CO2 I could avoid creating. Personally I don't have much problem putting half- or 75% composted material on my beds, near my plants with a little fresh straw dressing. I think that they benefit from the humidity and the worms get more active near my plants, which is nice. I'm not sure about doing this near lettuce, which since I'm in shade it's what I have going. But that said, If I did have heavy feeders who were tallish already, I'd throw it on in a second. I think there is more bang for you buck if you have the stuff composting/finishing off right next to your plants. But that's me. And I'm lazy. William
I can vouch for the fact that the 18 day method results in very low volume loss - having made one during my PDC recently. I personally don't have the energy to turn a pile every 2 days though, so it's a slower compost pathway for me.
Hot compost only good for palloted shit cold compost da best for maximen fruitagens check victer schyberger
Personally I think you need a good hot compost (especially if you are adding some more tenacious weeds or ingredients) to begin with, followed by a long cool period, to allow worms the time to turn the compost into humus. And also... What?
Like pebble I had to read catch's post multiple times before I realised that I wasn't being sworn at. I'm still not quite sure what 'palloted shit' is though...
There's a book on that called Eats, Roots, and Leaves. (which is subtly different to eats roots and leaves...)
Eats, Shoots and Leaves! https://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592400876
I have that book! Although to be fair, the poster may not have English as a first language, or may not have English written grammar skills.
Im a cold composter cant be bothered with the work load of a hotty. I find I mulch way more than compost Except kitchen scraps Worms get most of the good stuff and compost is really for when the worms are full and its stuff they dont love.
:blush: Australian is my first language, English my second. I put it down to a senior moment. :blush:
I'm about to try a Jean Pain compost, a large pile of straight woodchip (forest mulch) with a higher than average leaf content and small-ish branches (some large trees in it too). I'll move the pile into a pile of about 2m, wet it all down and cover it (so no nitrogen added besides the green leaves). I figure it's a set-and-forget pile, 6 months to a year unless I keep turning it. Perhaps I will try 2 piles, one non-turn, one turned. Does anybody want me to take photos or updates?
It's not really a 'Jean Pain' method I'm using, he is just a guy who harvested undergrowth from his property by breaking it up into grid squares, making massive piles of woodchip compost, heating all his water and capturing methane gas, then planting food over the top of the pile. https://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/15/the-jean-pain-way/
