A couple of newbie questions

I'm new to DG and brand new to composting. I've been gardening for quite a while and having spent lots of $$ on bags of stuff to enrich my sandy soil I decided I MUST compost. Ignorance has largely kept me from composting thus far. But since joining DG I've learned enough that I think I can get started -- thanks to you all!!

If anyone can help with several probably really dumb questions I'd be very happy!!

First, I'm on the beach in Florida. Consequently I don't have brown matter. The only leaves I have are palm fronds and with St. Augustine grass (mixed with a major amount of weeds!) I don't have clippings. So what do I do about brown stuff?

I don't have any kind of chipper or even a lawn mower -- I concentrate on gardening flowers/veggies/trees and have a guy who mows the weeds (read grass). Do I need to chop garden clippings/plant material up? Any ideas about how to do this with minimal equipment?

Does anyone have any tips on clean efficient methods of saving kitchen scraps? Do you just keep some sort of bucket or something in the kitchen and take it out daily? I'm so used to putting everything down the garbage disposal it's taking me some time to get used to saving! LOL!

I have quite a bit of green material -- lots of veggie peelings & other kitchen scraps & clippings & trimmings from plants. Other than brown stuff (once I figure out a source for that) is there anything else I need to add? Aside from some water when necessary....

Thanks so much for any help. I must do this! It's important!

Shredded junk mail is my primary source of brown material.

You don't HAVE to shred garden stuff and plant material for composting. Shredding helps speed up the decomposition process - but its not required.

It is best to shred paper products though, else they clump together and take forever to decompose.

My largest source of greens is pulled weeds. I don't shred them...

And I think if you get started piling stuff up and mixing them together then you start to get a feel for what needs shredding and what doesn't...

I have a canister in my kitchen with a very good seal (important for keeping smell contained!), and I put my kitchen scraps in there. When it gets full, I bring it out to the pile. One word of caution, when you open it, the smell can be awful. Spinach about knocked me out. You can buy kitchen compost containers with carbon filters to help keep the odor down. I only have a problem with it when I open the thing, and if it's as bad as the spinach was, I decide not to compost that stuff in the future. :)

Joe, Do you use all junk mail, even stuff with plastic windows and glossy color?

Chipper/schreaders are some times avalible at rental stores,if not you can call a tree service and they could chip it for you for a rate.A tree service may also be glad to dump their chippings at your request,and more so if they are cleaning up after a storm.I have built a gold mine with the stuff other people discarded,such as leaves,paper shreads and wood chips that the local power company dumps at my site,when it is conveniant for them.Mix all this along with kitchen scrapes,and grass clippings,you got it!!Mike

Just drive around - the lawn services here bag and leave it for the trash service to pick up - Just harvest a few bags a week for yourself, I do.

I've thought about asking one of them to leave any that they haul away at my place, but think I would get far more than I could use very quickly. This way I control the volume.

yup - I do use all junk mail... including the little windows and glossy stuff... (not everyone will do that - it just depends upon your comfort level). Once in a while, I do find a bit of window in the compost, but I don't think all the windows are plastic, as they seem to be breaking down - they may be some type of cellophane (wood based). Some are plastic but after they are shredded they are tiny bits and barely noticeable...

I don't compost newspaper or magazines. I put those in the recycle bin.

I use a plastic 1 gallon ice cream bucket to put kitchen scraps in. I poked a few holes in the lid and I toss a small handfull of shredded junk mail in the ice cream pail. The paper and the holes help keep it from getting too stinky. But usually I dump it every day or every other day so it never really has a chance to get stinky.

I bought my chipper/shredder for leaves and branches at a garage sale. I paid $100 for it and it works pretty good. But I only use it once or twice a year to shred leaves for mulch.

Thanks everyone for all the input. Shredded junk mail is readily available since my mom (who lives with me) shreds all her stuff. Right now we have a bucket in the kitchen for scraps but I'll need to get something covered. One of the biggest hurdles is to change our habits so we remember to save stuff! That'll come though....

Do most people put weeds in their compost? I'm afraid I'll end up with weeds galore. I also have been fighting sandburs for 2 years now since my old grass mower guy brought them in several years ago. So I want to make sure I don't add them.

It would be hard to collect other people's yard waste since people here just pile it out in front of their houses and the garbage company sends a huge truck with a claw to pick it up. But the ideas here have cranked my creative juices so maybe I can come up with some other sources.

This is a great thread and I'm learning a lot. Thanks for sharing everyone!

This message was edited Jun 23, 2006 11:12 AM

vcb,
Just don't add weeds that are going to seed. People say dandelions can continue toward seed after throwing them in your compost (I haven't had this problem). To avoid that, pull off the flowers. If your compost gets hot, it will kill the seeds anyway.

I use a plastic pitcher for kitchen scraps without a top.I never had a problem with odor since I stopped covering my kitchen compost container. My experience is just like with my compost pile. If I let it get air it doesn't smell. Anyone else do this?

Dave

I compost some newspaper when I'm low on browns. I just tear it so it's not quite so big and it works fine. Cardboard also works well. If you get a large cardboard box just wet it with the hose, pull off any plastic tape, and the box will tear into pieces very easily.

Karen

Dave, good info about the weeds. Once I get a bit of a pile I think I'll add some -- I'm never short on weeds! LOL!

Karen, thanks for the tip about cardboard. I didn't know you could use it.

I started using a bucket for kitchen scraps and I just take it out every day or every other day. We have a lot of bugs here so I need to make sure I empty an open container of scraps regularly or I'll get myself infested. So far this is working fine.

Does anyone have trouble with racoons and other critters getting into their pile? I was wondering how to prevent this when I added some overripe bananas yesterday....

I read that burying food scraps keeps down critter invasion. I haven't had any trouble when I've done this despite the huge number of squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits in my yard. (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!) :)

I'm not too concerned if critters get in. I never really noticed a significant loss in volume.

It's a bit startling, though, when you go to turn it and something squeals. But then, I'm a wimp. :)

Florida has lots of horses and they put sawdust in the stalls and this is the best material to compost. Mushroom compost. I use it extensivly because it is a good mixture of urine, feces, and sawdust and it composts into great water absorbing (sawdust) soil ammendment. I just drive up with my truck and trailor and load it. I pay them if they load it about 10 to 20 bucks for the convience of loading it for me. They are always glad to see me come. When you put this in your soil (composted about 3 months in Fla) it will prevent sand burs from growing because that plant likes dry sterile soil.

Is horse manure just as good as cow? I may have located a source although I essentially live in a city!

xxxxx,
Carrie

If a horse eats grass and a cow eats grass they pass gas er grass. What ever goes in comes out as future plants. Horse manure will have more intact seeds is the only difference. Oh and kenton says cow has more salts (not good) but I have never seen any disadvantage to either.

Just an update here.... I started my pile!! I'm just using a bucket in the kitchen now until I figure out something else. I don't have a bin or enclosure of any kind to contain my compost so I put some leaves from a big white bird of paradise (the leaves are huge!) down and started dumping my scraps and stuff on top. I've layered the kitchen/garden trimmings with shredded up newspaper and some leaves I harvested from my mango tree. And I've watered it when it looked dry. So anyway, I'm on my way and thank you to all who helped me get started!

It's really amazing how the kitchen scraps add up. And to think I've been putting all that good stuff down the garbage disposal before!!! Shame, shame!

Soferdig,
I wish I had a trailer and could handle picking up manure from one of the farms. That stuff is really great I know.

My yard has irrigation and the sandburs still grow! I just dug up another wheel barrow full on Sunday. They're never ending....

-- Vicky

I've enjoyed reading this thread. Vicky, keep us posted!

If I can track down that horse source, how on earth would I move it? In sealed hazardous waste drums in the car? I don't mind the smell, but other people (DH, for instance) might not have the same memories associated with manure as I do. If we have to rent a truck, seems we're almost better off buying the stuff in hermetically sealed plastic bags.

xxxxx, Carrie

Our strongest memories involve smell. Get the manure and do something "special" for DH that he won't forget and the problem is solved. I love the essence of manure and the promise of garden delights it creates. LOL

My memories involve an old bag of dehydrated manure, a few seeds from my mother's spice rack (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dill seeds), clearing out the local flora (clover and male wisteria, I think) and hours of fun "planting" the seeds. I loved that smell! It made me think of pony rides(?) anyway I deliberately smeared it all over myself (my poor mother)! Too bad I planted my first garden in the shade! Otherwise I'm sure I'd be a successful sesame seed grower today. LOL!

xxxxx, Carrie

My memories of manure are very fond! We used to drive out to my mom's family farm in Nebraska from Michigan where my parents would drop my sister and I off for the summers. You know how when you drive and you pass a farm and you can smell the manure? My sister and I used to breathe it in and loved it -- it meant we were getting close to the farm which we absolutely loved!!

Gee, was I ammending the soil?

Memories are in the nose, eh?
Vicky; I enjoy reading about someone discovering the magic of composting. Soon, you'll be squealing aghast at anyone who aberrates and tosses an apple core in the trash bin! I can't wait for you when you harvest your first black gold.
Kenton

Kenton, when I went out to add to my pile yesterday I found two like the guy below eating mangos that had dropped to the ground and which I added to my pile.

I ALMOST squealed!!

--Vicky

What a gorgeous beast. I remember in FL when it would rain how the ground would be covered with them.

I put my kitchen scraps in a plastic bin and keep it in the refrigerator until there's enough to put in the tumbler -- twice a week or so. Is there a reason I shouldn't put it in the refrigerator? (Big fridge, just me and 4 small animals so space in there isn't a factor.)

"Is there a reason I shouldn't put it in the refrigerator? "
Nope. Sounds like a pretty good idea.
K

You can put it in the frig, or you can put it on the counter... either way works fine!

I've heard that some people put their kitchen container in the freezer - freezing the material helps the material compost quickly. (...something about the freezing breaking down cellular structure in plant material...) Just to clarify, I don't do this myself I am only repeating what other compost wackos have told me...

True.
It is not necessary, but can contribute to physical breakdown with certain material. (The other benefit: Frozen stuff doesn't stink up the countertop, eh!?)
Think of a fresh (stiff, rigid) carrot and a thawed (previously frozen) carrot. The ice crystals broke the cell membranes. Think of lettuce. Ever had frozen?
This technique can be good for folks who have small-time vermicomposts and love their worms enough to soften their food...
K

I have had a compost pile since last fall, pallets tied together, in the back corner of my yard, very low-tech. The one thing I've been consistent about is my compost bucket-coffee filters, salad trimmings, any other compostable stuff....Most of the time I mulch my lawn trimmings, every once in a while I compost them,it's a chore trying to get the kids to put things in the bucket (they mostly don't), but I think it's worth it-I'm going to get a good chipper/shredder this fall-we have lots of leaves!

I put my kitchen waste in a garbage barrel on my back porch until it is ready to carry to the compost. I think this readies the material and starts the bacterial breakdown and that makes it black gold much quicker. Why slow the process down in the refer. Unless you plan on eating it later. LOL

Compost piles don't smell if they get enough oxygen, correct? (mine never does). So doesn't it follow that kitchen scraps won't smell either if they get oxygen? I leave mine in an opem container on the counter (or under the sink if company comes ;^) ) I never have an odor or bug problem. Believe me, DW would put an end to it if we did.
Kenton & Steve, does this follow compost logic?
Dave

Well asking me for logic is kind of fun. My kitchen scraps are kept in a Stainless Steel (easy to rinse out) container. I dump it 1 to 5 times a day when it is full right out my back door on the deck. It never smells. Then I have a 20 gallon plastic container with a plastic garbage bag that is open to the air or closed in winter this has slight odor. but people never comment when the tours are on and they are looking at my Seedlings in the potting bench nearby. Please note I am ambitious and like my kitchen scraps on the compost pile ASAP.

You, ambitious? Is there sand on a beach? Is the ocean wet?
xxxxx, Carrie

Oh dear I'm am figured out! My DW likes me to work and so does' she like to work. Well in the garden. Thank you Carrie. Well I went to a gardener friend last night for dinner and Marguritas. That was fun but my car is now full of plants from their garden in Seattle to take back to Montana. Oh Boy!

Heaven if i've ever heard of it.
Indeed, Carrie. Montana's own beer-guzzling energizer bunny.

I do not have cover/lid for my "compost tin," which is a rectangular tupperware thing. Some things, like teabags, bits of paper, and lettuce scraps won't smell sitting there for a day or two. Other things, like melon rinds and coffee grouns will, so these are taken out normally daily to be composted while they are fresh.

But 1-5 times a day? You must get a lot of guests for meals, Steve!

I don't know how true it is, but I feel that fresh material has more to offer to a pile. Fresh fall leaves can heat up breifly once by themselves, grass clippings start to heat up within an hour by themselves (but turn to mush if you let them). Again, strait-from the chipper tree branches (inlcuding green leaves) will breifly heat up until the leaves are gone. Bacteria start to work on theses things immediately so I guess I like to select the bacterium I want doing it. (The compost breed as compared to the winemaking breed) I figure that if I can have them in the compost sooner, the better. A nominal difference I'm sure, but some of us are nuts that way!
Kenton

What an honor to such a humble man. Thank you Kenton. So how do bacteria compete. One,out numbers the other and reproduces to become the chief organism. So a few yeasty wine babies hitting a pile of Attila the Hun swarms I think looses and the yeast become meals for the Huns. Right Kenton? The sooner the pile gets stuff the sooner it heats up. And I feel that the longer you add kitchen scraps the hotter the pile.
Yes we have a 1/2 gallon Stainless Steel pot that sits in the sink and my wife likes it outside as soon as it fills. 2people one day = 2 bananna peels, melon shell 1/2, 4 egg shells, Strawberry cleanings, radish tops, celery trimmings, (my snack is celery with peanut butter), 2nd 1/2 of melon, lettuce leaves, left over salad with dressing dogs didn't eat, Daikon radish tops from garden, carrot peels, 2 beer tops (oops) and two bowls of peanut shells. Breakfast/lunch/dinner and a movie. 3 trips to deck holding area.

This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 10:37 PM

This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 10:39 PM

Wow. Don't forget the unpopped kernals from the movie!