[Ag-eq] Compost

[Tracy Carcione]

You guys are so lucky to have manure!
There's a technique where you put fresh manure under some soil under a cold 
frame, and the composting manure heats everything up so you can grow things 
very early.  I'd love to try it, but I don't have any manure, and I'm not 
sure how my neighbors would feel about it, either.
When I've heard the technique discussed, no one mentioned grass coming up, 
though.

Michelle, I've heard about apartment dwellers using a worm bin for 
composting.  I think most people in New York City who want to compost save 
up their kitchen scraps and such and take it over to a community garden once 
a week or so.

I'm kind of a compulsive composter.  I put in kitchen waste, (anything 
vegetable, and eggshells), plus leaves, garden debris, sometimes paper, 
weeds that haven't gone to seed... I used to put in small branches and 
sticks, but not any more--they don't break down so well.
When I first started, I made a pile and surrounded it with a 4-sided cage of 
hardware cloth to keep it confined a bit.  But that started attracting 
rodents, so I bought a big bin with a rodent screen in the bottom.  That 
worked well for years, but, since I keep adding stuff at the top, all the 
compost was at the bottom, and getting it out is something of a chore.  So, 
last fall, I bought a set of compost tumblers.  It's 2 bins hanging on a 
stand, with an axle running through the bins.  When one bin is full, I put 
on the lid marked Finish, and start putting new stuff into the bin marked 
Start.  Every couple days, I give the bin a push to flip it over a few times 
and mix it up.  It's kinda fun, and easier than turning it with a fork. 
Guess I'm lazy.
My big bin has water holes all over, so it got plenty of water just from 
rain.  The new bins only have small holes, so I have to remember to add 
water every few days.
When the compost is ready, one flips the bin over and out comes the compost. 
I've only done it once so far, and it wasn't quite that easy, but it was 
definitely easier than digging it out of the old bin.
I used to put the finished compost into old bags I'd saved, like mulch or 
soil bags, but they tend to break down, and weeds try to get in, too.  So 
last fall I put a plastic garbage barrel by the compost bins, and started 
putting the finished stuff in there.  That seems to be working well.
I made all these changes in the fall, and winter is not primo composting 
time, so I'm interested to see how things work, once it finally gets warm 
and the compost should really start cooking.
Meantime, I have plenty in my barrel to start spreading over my garden.
Tracy