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Hey now, I'm always researching my favorite hobby this time of year and happened on this site. My hands touch more dirt than key boards, so when I tried to mark the map, it wasn't working for me. I used the post button, but it just wouldn't do anything. This time of year finds me doing everything about gardening except gardening. Not for long, Spring will soon be here in NC. I have several compost piles cooking now with more on the way.
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hey rockfish welcome to the garden helper. i have to say, don't worry about the map, lots of us have had problems getting on it. some get on there just fine, but not me!!
glad you have joined us, sounds like you will have lots of info to share. we have our own "compost queen" in one of our hostesses, weezie. she'll be along soon to greet you.
enjoy your time here and post often, that is how we learn!
Seeded: 12.77.200.2
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compost, COMPOST , COMPOST! COMPOST!!!????? Did somebody say COMPOST??? I just love compost and compost piles, and makin' compost, and talkin' compost and playin' in the compost!!!
Always a Welcome to have a new member that likes compost too!!!!
Welcome Aboard, Rockfish!!!!
Weezie
Hey, How many compost piles do you have???? Just curious!
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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Hey weezie, I hope I'm responding correctly. I guess I'll find out. I currently have about 10 piles. I say about, because I am still in the process of building more. I have ingredient piles lying about. They are Horse manure, Cow manure, Goat manure with hay&straw, old hay and old straw and of course the cooking piles them selves. By Spring I will have at least 6 finished. As the season rolls on it will only snowball for me.
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Wow, I'm jealous!!! I love compost!!!!!! I have 2 different style plastic bins, 3 homemade wooden one's, 1 double barreled compost tumbler, and 2 big piles in the "Back 40"!!! I've had the one for a long time, my first one started, and stopped using it, and now I've planted around it! Well, am looking forward to having you aboard here. We're always talking compost around here, and new gardeners always inquiring about it! Hope you add some info for us, there's always different ways for people to compost, and always enjoy helping people to learn to compost...
And not to be nosey, but how do you come by to have all those lovely ingredients for those piles. Wish I had some of that!!!
Again, we are glad you found us, jump right on it! Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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Hey weezie, I aquire my ingredients from our own horses, cows and goats. I don't even try to collect chicken poop. So I pretty much have an endless supply. I have been composting for about 15 years. The only time I by a vegetable, is when I want a fresh one in the winter. Other than that, I grow everything we eat, to include the meat.
If Weezie likes compost...should have seen one I started a few years ago.
It was a large pile of chipped willow - In the day, I moved it from the street to the back yard, piled like a cone. I took 2 x 20 pound bags of ammonium sulfate and disolved them in two 5 gallon buckets of water, and poured it all over the top until it saturated deep inside. Then placed a tarp over it to trap heat.
It must have been 160 degrees the next morning. I couldn't even stick my hand down in it.
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I have never gotten a compost thermometer, but I know at how hot it can get, and everytime in amazement, not one time goes by that I'm not amazed at the temp's... That even just a pile of just clipped, bagged and piled grass can generate...
And in the spring and fall times, I stand and watch again in amazement the steam coming out of the piles on such a cold day, it's quite mind boggling... The kids love watching it!!!
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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Welcome Rockfish, Sounds like you have the life I can only dream about.Must do lots of preserving too.A gardeners gotta love compost, I feel like a millinaire out in my yard in the spring when I'm carting and spreading mine around.Welcome Rockfish but beware, besides the compost getting really hot, the manure can get pretty deep here too Have fun!!
* * * * I am old, and repotting wont help! Plants: 292 | From: Minnesota | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 68.190.154.5
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My compost isn't composting. I think I put too many leaves in it. I have also put green stuff and turn it regularly. I have added fertilizer a couple of times. I heard that would speed things along. Today it was turned and it's not steaming. It's almost a year old.
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Bestofour, With mine, mine steam when I first put it together, adding the fresh ingredients as I build it. I start mine in spring or fall, (I preferr fall, that's the best time for me, when my grass is still tall or high enough that when the leaves start falling down, and I chop it up with the lawnmower, I get a good healthy mix of both brown and green together, and freshly clipped grass added to brown fall leaves is light a match to gas, If you get what I mean!!! A pile of grass can heat up within an hour it seems like when a few loads are placed on top of each other)
Also, you definately need a higher ratio of brown to green. If you have too much green it turns into a slurry~stinky goo!!
And do layers, I start my piles off with large sticks, twigs, at the bottom of the pile for good aeration, then a bit of old compost, then brown layer, green layer, brown layer, green layer, and some old compost or dirt, dirt is a good starter too, it has alot of the microbe's and critters, to get a jump start on it... The old compost is great, because it's got a the "action" already going on in it!!!
Try either leaving that pile completely alone and don't touch it, and start a new one, or pull it all out and put into a black or brown plastic garbage bag and leave it, it'll render down nicely by fall or next spring, depending on what's in your compost!!!
Weezie
Can you get a picture of your pile to us on that place you posted your other pictures????
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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Hey Bestofour, Okay, don't add any more fertilzer. Compost is organic, commercial fertilizers are not. If you add comercial fertilizers to the pile, you will kill the bacteria that makes compost possible. You Cannot add too many browns to a compost pile. The ratio is 1/3 Green, 2/3 Brown. This time of year you won't see many results. Wait till the temps get up, then the piles will cook. My advice is not to use any commercial fertilizers at all. Commercial Fertilizers use a carrier. The result is salt. If your soil doesn't leach this product, it is retained.
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Rockfish or Bestofour, Why is it that people are told to put in fertilizer??? I'm not sure I've ever heard of it before??? I have heard of a product you put in by RINGER, that speeds up the composting process of bigger, up chopped things like leaves, because they take a while to render down?? Is that supposed to do the same thing????
Just curious??
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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I tried it once about 13 years ago. It really rendered it useless. My best guess is that the fertilizer killed the bateria, since that is what they do in the soil. Ever since that incident several years ago, I have never done it again. Truth is, when it happened, I did not own a computer. So my resources for research were limited, so I relied on my experience. I have found that starting with a good mix and layer effect of 2/3 brown to 1/3 green works best. To start these off I will add a couple shovelfulls of finished compost in the mix, I've even poured in a whole beer. Couldn't bring myself to pour more than one. During the summer I will also pour leftover compost tea into new piles. This really speeds up the process. I usually keep 3 or more piles going at a time. Each pile takes about 3 weeks to cook. As for fertilizers, I don't need them or use them. That's why I use compost and teas.
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I wasn't sure why it was used, or what the reasoning was behind it!!!
I have used beer, usually left over's from a party and/or what's been sitting in the frig and takin' up space...
I've also used Pepsi, wine coolers and fruit juice. Anything with a sugar or fermentation to it... (or yeast) Supposedly gets the "sugars" flowing into the composting process...
My husband is a big Pepsi drinker, and any left overs or ends of the bottles gets put in....
I thought you were going to say You filtered the beer thru your kidney's before you put more than one on it.... I've heard of people doing that too... Also hair and fingernails if "you" want to get really into your compost, pardon the pun!
I am just empting my twin compost tumbler, this weekends' project is empting and sifting.. I always like to sift in the cooler weather here this time of year, than in the hotter days of summer...
Weezie Keep on Composting!!!
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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As a matter of fact, I also filter the beer through my kidneys as well. Male urine contains a high amount of urea. Urea has a high content of nitrogen. This will certainly speed up the process. Some may think this sounds unpleasant, but your thoughts are unfounded. It is no different from the urea of animals that is used in any compost.
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I do compost too, only on a small scale since I have a small yard. I only have one compost bin, made it out of wood pallets from my husband's factory, but it does the job & looks attractive. I had never thought about using male urine for my compost...but since I am convinced that my husband drinks more beer than any man on this planet...I am going to make him start peeing in my compost bin, lol:) The neighbors ought to love that! Thanks for the tip:) Chrissy
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hey rockfish 
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Have fun!! 
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You filtered the beer thru your kidney's before you put more than one on it.... ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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