I Just started my first compost bin.. Me and hubby built one out of 2x6's and it is only 3x3 I have placed a bunch of dry grass, leaves, house scraps .. banana peels , apple cores coffee grounds.. then I found an old trash can that we covered a few years ago the trash men ould not take it.. soaking wet 2 year old yard scraps.. I put those in too .. the question is what now because after dumping it at the bottom of the barrel was a bunch of acorns.. is that why I should sift? ... Should I try to remove them?
I know i need the green stuff too but that has to wait till tuesday.. .. what more do I need to do .. ?

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album

quote:

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Originally posted by SpringFeaver:
what more do I need to do .. ?

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Water!

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John - Zone 6

I leave all that stuff in..

For me, when I sift, all that bigger stuff that doesn't render down for a long time like acorns, peach pits, pistachio shells, etc.. acts like an abrasive for me, for the finer stuff in it, and as I scrape, it breaks the other stuff down for me.. less work for me, but I also then use that stuff and put it right back in the new pile I'm starting because it's in the process of rendering and has some of the breaking down bacteria on it, and ready to help jump start the new bin....

P/S I only sift when my compost is finished and I want to use it in my seed starting mixes, potting soil mixes and top and side dressings...

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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





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

quote:

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quote:

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Originally posted by SpringFeaver:
I Think the first attemt is always the most frightening..

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You are sooo right..
I have been composting for yearrrrrrrrrssssss,
and when I got the twin tumbler I was like a brand new composter..
I knew all the right things to make it work when they were on the ground, but this method wasn't quite the same....
and it was like, "What am I doin' wrong"
and it's a process you learn by it's feel and you have to pay attention to even WHERE you put it,
in the sun dries out more, where on the property you put it, if it sogs up with rain, or naturally drains in that area... come rain time or spring time it's going to be soggy/boggy and slow...
if it's in a container with a flat top to not allow rain in, or one with a split top that lets in too much rain, if it's in the sun, or shade, or dry shade, sooooooo many desiding factors..

That's why I sat down and read everything I could get my hands on, to understand the process.. and what I had available to do the process..

And even then I still wasn't 100% on target, like in the summer when all's I have is GREEN, I had to start saving stuff instead of putting it all in in the fall time... or I had to go hunt wood shavings/sawdust/woodchips and use those for my brown...

It's an eternal learning process...
and trial and error really..
Error is your best learning tool believe it or not...
*God has a funny way of doing things like that, when you screw up is when you learn the most*
I find the path of learning enjoyable,
and I loveeeeeeee the others' imputs as well, I learn too... I never stop learning..

And don't stop asking questions, I'm not always the speediest, but am dilagent.. as the others are too....

***I get the biggest learning curve when everyone does it differently too, but end up with pretty much the same results..***

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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





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

On all of my bins, they are all open bottoms'....
The twin tumbler is the only one that doesn't touch dirt...

I wouldn't put one on...

I move my bins around and as a bonus, I get a nice worked up area to plant in...
*****I do not plant in it right away, I have found that it can be tooooooo rich for most of my plants up here that need to go to sleep...
and being in the compost pile, they have a hard time going nightie~night in the fall and are too green still when the cold, snow, winds are coming in... so, I cover the area for awhile and let it go for a season or two...*****

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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





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Can you put noodles in??

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album

no sauce at all just figured if I could through it in I would!! I did check some threads and no mention if noodles were ok ... Thanks a bunch I love the loud speaker sorry!!

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album

Gotcha and with no meat!! thanks !

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album

Haha you sound tired tonight weezie!!

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Tonight I am having friends for dinner... Hanibal Lector My Album