posted
turning it yes. about every 10 days. Watering it yes. about every 5 days. big wood no. just the branches in the bottom.
I did put some moldy bread in there, about a half a loaf. I was thinking at the time it was a bad idea. Was I right? How much damage did I do? Do I have to trash it and start over?
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.75.209
posted
mold is gone. It smells wonderful. And I think it was the bread. Now the bin is full of ants. Maybe they will haul the bread away for me. Yep it is definitely time to start shredding paper. I'm out of brown and the bin is hungry.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.207.218
posted
The landlord brought me 50 lbs of grass clipping and said he would have twice that much in two weeks time. Wow, I asked him if I could have his newspapers too and he said yes and handed one over immediately. I hope it continues to shrink like it has been or I'm going to have to find a place to hide that extra bag of grass clippings.
While I was down there the homeless guy told me all about this stuff I could add to the compost to make it decompose faster. I wish he would listen before he volunteers information.
So anyway I guess it's time to find somemore of those branches and start on the edging.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.72.171
posted
Wow, T, that's awesome that he brought you all that grass, and will be bringing more. Not too bad of a guy eh? I raked half my yard yesterday after Helen mowed, and am drying it out for some brown before adding it to my pile...what I would give for someone to bring me a bag instead!
* * * * Plants: 1561 | From: z6 S. Illinois | Registered: May 2005
| Seeded: 66.82.9.85
posted
not only brought it but had a guy dump it in the bin for me lol. I felt so pampered. I was wondering last week how long it was going to take him to figure out how much in dump fees he could save if he would just let me help in one way and another. It really hurt me to leave the like new windows in the dumpster this week. But I didn't have anywhere to put them until I could find a gardener who needed them for the greenhouse in frugal gardening. Who was also close enough to come and pick them up. Oh well I'll just keep doing what I can.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.141.253
posted
Just watch how much grass you get in there.. too much, you'll get a slurry mess! (And I've never composted, but I read what weezie said about that..lol.)
posted
Slurry mess? Do you have the link for that Meg. I think I missed that one. Or more than likely I've forgotten the information. I don't want a slurry mess.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.123.223
posted
Yep, Tammy, adding too many greens without enough browns will smell to high heaven. Better get lots more newspaper or leaves to add with those grass clippings. I know from personal experience!
posted
I went over to the neighbors. They recently pruned their very huge oak and there was a lot of brown there. So I was out there striping leaves and crumbling them up lol. Asked the guy leaning his backpack up against the peony to please schooch down about a foot. He had no idea why I would ask such a silly question. But he did move. Hope he doesn't come back and destroy the garden. Thanks for the information. If it were smelly people might stop putting stuff in it that doesn't belong. But they would probably complain to the county and then Jimmy would have to get rid of it so I'll just keep checking it everyday for cans, bottles and plastic. Did a sweep of the parking lot and I do believe I matched the green with brown. So that should take care of the smell. If not maybe this evening I'll sweep the street out in front of some very tall pine trees. I could probably use the acid content lol. Whew I'm hot.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.123.223
quote:Originally posted by tkhooper: Slurry mess? Do you have the link for that Meg. I think I missed that one. Or more than likely I've forgotten the information. I don't want a slurry mess.
quote:Weezie saidAnyhow, I do know that the bigger problem is too much green... when you have too much green stuff in your compost, it turns to a MUSH..... wet and a slurry mess...
The ratio of brown to green is 3/4 to 1/4.... You want more brown than green... the brown is what turns to dirt like stuff, the green is what gets it moving or rendering down...
posted
Well the bin is full for now. Hopefully it will shrink in two weeks. I think it did last time but my time sense is really bad. I read the posts about to much green. Thank you for pointing that out for me. I think I have a solution but we will see lol. You know me always trying to figure something out so that I can save some money and still get what I want. If all else fails I may have to dump and remove the good stuff from the bottom and then refill it. But one way or another I'll get it done. If I can get the compost expense off of my garden shopping list I am going to be sooooooo much closer to achieving a good looking garden.
This is just like chrismas only better!
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.123.67
posted
shoot...hit reply too fast. I was gonna say, even if you spread out the grass clippings on your flower bed for a day or so, just to give it a chance to dry up before adding to the compost bin might be a good idea - even though that adds more work.
* * * * Plants: 1561 | From: z6 S. Illinois | Registered: May 2005
| Seeded: 66.82.9.81
posted
Where have I been tk? I must have missed a post or 10. Where is your compost bin? Who is the homeless man? Who is the person leaning on the peone?
I started composting 3 years ago because we have a TON of leaves. Mine is outside in a wire fence. I just started using it in the spring. I put some moist, brown, wormy, compost in the garden Sunday. It's great.
posted
I think the saga of the nasty nieghbor may have been what you missed lol. Along with occassional posts about other strange characters that live in my community lol.
My compost bin is a black plastic big trashcan with drainage holes and wheels. And it sits behind the building hiding from the county man who would make Jimmy get rid of it.
The homeless guy is a guy that Jimmy lets hang around. He occassionally does an odd job for Jimmy and loves to burst into conversations with little or no knowledge of what is going on. He inveriable wants to tell me how to garden. Because you see he has a landscaping business. And He's so successful at it he is sleeping in his van that barely runs.
The guy leaning on the peonies? Probably one of Jimmys customers. I live above a Greyhound Bus Station and my landlord Jimmy runs it.
Composting is great. The idea I won't be spending ooddles of money on top soil to get the garden into shape really makes me happy. I had no idea until I started reading Weezie and duckie and longy and others how quickly waste could be turned into rich sweet smelling soil.
And then to have it work!!!!! When I tried it, amazing. I have two mature poplars and one maple. Where I'm going to "hide" the brown so that I have it throughout the summer to mix with the green I'm not sure, but I'll figure out something.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.72.99
posted
tk, sounds like you have an interesting life. My husbands family would fit right in. His father was a truck driver turned preacher. His mother cussed, smoked, and wore more makeup than Tammy Faye Baker, his oldest sister, who for years was the piano player in the church left her husband, moved in with a man she new 30 years ago, bought a mother cycle, started smoking and stopped playing the paino. His next sister had an affair with a policeman, who eventually left his wife and married her. Now they are both alcoholics with an adult son that is too. His next sister lives with a man that is 16 years younger than she is. She met him at church. His youngest sister has 2 children out of wedlock by 2 different men. The first man was married to someone else and he and his wife took the sister to court and got custody of the baby. One of his brothers got sent to jail when he was 14 for stealing cars. He ended up in the Raleigh State Penetentary and stayed 20 years for inside crimes. He's not out and lives on the street. (prisons really don't rehabilitate), and his other brother is a crack addict. He's never had a real job, lives from place to place. He's 45 years old and never even registered for the draft back in the day when men were supposed to. He hasn't had a drivers license in years but drives everywhere.
posted
Well there is a stretch of public land directly behind the parking lot across from the building. Jimmy mows it but refuses to admit that he owns it. It is all weeds. I asked if I could plant some stuff back there and he said yes as long as I didn't touch the area near where the retaining wall is falling down. So I have a 20 x 18 foot strip of steeply sloped dirt to play around with. It is all weeds. This year I've managed 2 tiers of plants but I need to have an edging so that when we get heavy rains it doesn't all slide down on me lol. So with the help of the members here. We've come up with the idea of making a bentwood type edging. I am currently walking around the neighborhood looking for branches that will work. And getting information about how to use branches for verticals without accidently starting plants that I don't want lol. I started a garden once awhile back but then moved so I never really got to see the results. This time I'm pretty well set where I am so I'm hoping to be able to see this one become something. I'm really enjoying seeing what different plants look like up close and personal. And seeing how they respond to the environment here. It's very interesting and rewarding so far. I'm not sure how I'm going to react to winter when the annuals die and the perennials go dormant, but I can try.
Your husbands family do sound like they would fit right in.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.141.145
login | 
| 
| 
![[grin]](graemlins/grinnnn.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[shocked]](graemlins/shock.gif)
Better get lots more newspaper or leaves to add with those grass clippings. I know from personal experience! ![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
![[wayey]](graemlins/wavey.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this garden