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my first bin....

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by pagarden on May 16, 2006 04:22 AM
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so far i got to dump in a whole garbage bag of leaves that had been sitting for a while, about 3 grocery size plastic bags of kitchen scraps i had in the freezer, some shredded newspaper, and lawn clippings. i wouldn't let my husband mow the grass until i got it built! LOL so now i am just waiting for it to start cooking.
by rubberbandman on May 16, 2006 04:41 AM
Good for you. I just started my first compost heap last night.

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people tell me I have the body of a god... too bad its buddah.
by johnCT on May 16, 2006 04:47 AM
Great lookin bin! [thumb]

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John - Zone 6
by weezie13 on May 16, 2006 09:20 AM
THAT IS A GREAT LOOKIN' BIN!!!
WOOOOO~HOOOOOOOOO!!!
Another composter...
Yayyyyyyy!!!

Holler if you have any questions still...
And keep layering, you want more browns to greens..

But it looks fantastic!!!

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by pagarden on May 16, 2006 11:06 AM
yea, i'm trying to figure out how to get more browns. i have more newspaper to shred and i can use my daughters hamster bedding when we change the cage too. other than that i'm stumped. i might ask at the local garden and pet store if i can buy hay there. if it's hay for feed i can still use it in there correct? this fall i will save more leaves from the trees and the hay for decorating for next years pile.
by weezie13 on May 16, 2006 01:24 PM
All the above you said are okay..

And then ther'es saw dust, wood chips
*Like when someone's choppin' wood*, bark,
and all the dead debris when you clean your
perennials and vegetables in the fall time and spring time..

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Sir Ts Princess on May 16, 2006 04:05 PM
WOW!! I like your bin, much nicer than mine. Mine's UGLY!!! So, it's empty now, and what was in it is now in a rubbermaid container waiting for worms this summer (have to change my worm's home when the season's change) since mine was just clipping type stuff, I'm going to use it for the worm's bedding. Same principle, just the worms break it all down faster.

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by weezie13 on May 16, 2006 04:17 PM
Sir Ts Princess,
Just remember that it's the stuff INSIDE THAT COUNTS...
not nessessarily what's holding it....

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Dixie Angel on May 16, 2006 04:21 PM
pagarden, I just had my husband look at the picture of your compost bin. I think he will be building me one like yours soon. I am so excited!

Thank you for posting this. I have been trying to decide how I wanted mine and this would be perfect! [thumb]

Dianna

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by weezie13 on May 16, 2006 04:54 PM
Dianna,
When he makes you one, get him to do 3..
That's the ideal amount if you have the room..
***One you are putting stuff into, one you are letting rest
and one you are using the compost out of***

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by patches1414 on May 16, 2006 08:57 PM
Hi pagarden! [wavey]

Hey, that is really a nice looking bin and it should serve you well! [thumb] Actually, I started with only one bin, but I quickly learned that three was definitely the way to go! I made round bins out of hardware cloth and they work great for me! I did, however, have to buy a compost aerator because it was too difficult to turn. I love them [Love] and I don't know [dunno] how I ever managed to do any decent gardening before I started composting.

I even collect the yard waste in the fall from my neighbors, so I'm known as the local "Leaf Thief"! [Big Grin] [Embarrassed] I just go down the street with my garden cart and pick up their yard waste bags. Of course, I only get them from a few select neighbors who know what I'm doing because they mark an "X" on the bags that have heavy sticks and other things that could mess up my mulcher. [Frown] This way I only get leaves and, in return, I fold up any bags that didn't get wet or damaged [thumb] and make them available to them, so the bags get recycled and we save trees!

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"
by pagarden on May 17, 2006 02:33 AM
see the thing about how it "looks"- i really could care less. and i'd love to have a 3 bin system to have continuous compost- my hubby is a neat freak. if i made one it had to be tidy and out of the way. so i had about 4 feet of space behind the shed- so i made a 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet bin and it fit perfect. it's neat for my neat freak husband and it's out of sight. i wish i had room for 2 more but i don't. [Frown]
by Dixie Angel on May 17, 2006 03:25 AM
quote:
Dianna,
When he makes you one, get him to do 3..
That's the ideal amount if you have the room..

Will do, Weezie. Thanks for the tip. I have plenty of room here...

Dianna

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by patches1414 on May 17, 2006 12:54 PM
Dianna, if you've got the room go for it. [thumb] It will go so much faster and you will love it! [Love] I wish I had more room because I would start more, but I have limited space here! [Frown]

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"
by pagarden on May 17, 2006 04:56 PM
woohoo! i'm cookin guys! i have a rubbermaid container i've been keeping in the kitchen to throw scraps in and when it's full i'll take it out. i had a bag load of dryer lint too so my son and i went out back to dump today. i put stuff on top and then turn a couple fork fulls. i had steam! so i touched the area i turned and it was warm! woohoo! this is so exciting!
by weezie13 on May 18, 2006 12:50 AM
IT IS, I AGREEEEEEEEE TOTALLLLLLY!!!!
CONGRATS!!
I am excited for you...
Honestly, you'll be hooked for a long time..
And wait until you get your first finished load,
*for me, that thrill is when I finish sifting the first load into the wheelbarrow full and I run my fingers thru...*
And I forget about all the work that goes into it,
and wish I had a 100 loads of that sifted black gold!!!

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by johnCT on May 18, 2006 03:41 AM
3 bins is definitely the way to go if you have the space. You'll find this out yourself like I did after having 1.....then 2....now three!

You'll also find that you NEVER have enough of the stuff.

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John - Zone 6
by weezie13 on May 18, 2006 04:20 AM
quote:
Originally posted by johnCT:
3 bins is definitely the way to go if you have the space. You'll find this out yourself like I did after having 1.....then 2....now three!

or 4, 5, 6, [grin] 7 [clappy] [grin]

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by pagarden on May 18, 2006 06:45 AM
i wish guys..... maybe if we ever move (which isn't even in the picture in our future till the kids gratuate school) i'll convince my husband to let me have more! LOL

and a question---- do i HAVE to sift it? i eventually want to put some on top of our lawn maybe towards fall and that i will sift, and if i'm putting it in potted plants i think i should too right? but if i am putting shovel fulls in my veggie garden do i HAVE to? do i just sift and let it sit on top of the soil or do i mix it into the ground around the plants? and to make compost tea i let it sit in some water and then strain out and use the water to fertilize the plants right?
by patches1414 on May 18, 2006 08:15 AM
My compost is pretty well broken down by the time I use it, so the only time I sift it is when I'm potting up new plants or starting seeds.

When I'm putting it in my garden or a new bed in the spring, I don't bother to sift it, I just mix it in with the soil.

When I use it for my lawn I apply it on top, but when I tilled up a portion of my back yard a few years to level the ground and start a new lawn, I raked it into the loose soil. In the fall, I use my compost (unsifted) as a top-dressing in my flower beds.

For compost tea, I put the compost in an old nylon stocking and tie a string around the top then let it sit in the water just like a tea bag. I use the water to fertilize my plants? I once heard you can spray it on plants to control for some bugs or diseases (I don't remember which), but I've never tried that.

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"
by johnCT on May 18, 2006 08:34 AM
quote:
Originally posted by pagarden:
do i HAVE to sift it?
Absolutely not! [thumb]

quote:
Originally posted by pagarden:
and to make compost tea i let it sit in some water and then strain out and use the water to fertilize the plants right?
No, you're better off putting the compost in a mesh bag and putting the bag in the bucket. [muggs]

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John - Zone 6
by pagarden on May 18, 2006 10:45 AM
okie dokie. thanks guys! [Smile]
by weezie13 on May 18, 2006 03:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by pagarden:
do i HAVE to sift it?
My basic thoughts on it are about sifting is......
that when you top dress, the seedlings can go right thru it when sprouting, same for when I make up my seed mix for starting seeds...
And it's not soooooo heavy that roots can go thru it, even the tiniest root hairs...

But when I encorporate it into the soil, I don't want big hunks of things still in the decomposting stage, and when things "break~down" they can rob the plant of nitrogen from the soil,
hence the plant as well...

I always sift and when I do the sifting, I take that and throw it in the new bins to jump start it...
And to me, it's the icing on the cake when I do sift and how it looks...

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by tkhooper on May 19, 2006 02:05 AM
Sifted compost looks and feels so good the problem is to stop playing in it and get back to gardening lol. I love compost. Last time I was sifting it my neighbor from across the street was amazed by how black and sweet smelling it was. She buys stuff from the store and thought my stuff was better woohoo how about that.

I managed to get out there and turn mine today and it looks so good. I have to get some more water out there for it the top layer had dried out but at least I got it turned. Not easy for me since I've gotten soft during the winter lol. But I'll be back out there this evening to finish up out there. The honeysuckle is blooming big time over there and it looks and smells great. I just have to make sure none of it is sneaking into the pile lol.

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by weezie13 on May 19, 2006 03:24 AM
quote:
Originally posted by tkhooper:
Sifted compost looks and feels so good the problem is to stop playing in it and get back to gardening lol. I love compost. Last time I was sifting it my neighbor from across the street was amazed by how black and sweet smelling it was. She buys stuff from the store and thought my stuff was better woohoo how about that.

Hahahaha, boooyyyyyyyy does taht sound firmilar..
I love running my hands thru it in the wheelbarrow and going Mwhahahahahah [devil] [Big Grin] hahahahaah!!
I tell my husband all the time I could just go out there and sleep in it..

And my neighbor used to LOVE seeing me coming with my bucket for her and her Rhubarb, she'd get all excited... and she'd say to her husband, "See, we could have all that!!"
and she started saving me stuff, egg shells, toast, banana peels, etc... and after awhile she couldn't take saving the stuff.. it just wasn't her cup of tea...so to speak...

But I just love it!!!
And the best part of it all is it stretches my
"Dirt~Dollar's" too... for seed mixes, potting soils and regular garden soil/dirt...
Can't beat that...

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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

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by patches1414 on May 19, 2006 07:35 AM
quote:
Sifted compost looks and feels so good the problem is to stop playing in it and get back to gardening lol. I love compost.
What a joy it is to be among compost lovers who understand thrill of making their own compost! [kissies] I LOVE COMPOST!!! [Love] Wow, I can say that here and not have anyone think I'm [nutz] ! So, I think I'll say it again, I LOVE [Love] COMPOST!!! Boy, that really felt good; actually, therapeutic is more like it! [Big Grin]

Besides, like Weezie said, it stretches the "Dirt Dollars", so I can buy more plants which means I need more compost! YEA!!! [thumb]

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"
by johnCT on May 20, 2006 02:04 AM
You guys are definitely compost wackos! [tongue]

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John - Zone 6
by tkhooper on May 20, 2006 03:27 AM
So very true. But if I have to be wacko at least I'm doing it in a way that makes the yard look great and stretches those non-existant dollars lol. And it's good for me to get out there and get some exercise. Or at least it will be as soon as the doctor lets me off of light duty. I'm limited to 20 pounds for lifting. Is there anything that weighs less than 20 pounds?

And of course I just had to start some yeast today and add it to my bin and my pile. It really helps keep the decomposing going at a rapid rate. And I love it.

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by weezie13 on May 20, 2006 03:29 AM
And it keeps all that stuff out of the
garbage dumps that are already over flowin'
with assorted other cr@ppola!!!
This puts wastes' to work...

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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

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

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