Composters

Where did you get your composter? Is there anywhere in the Denver metro area to get one?

I checked with Home Depot and Lowes, and they didn't even know what one was, although they could direct me to bags of compost. (Where do they think it comes from, anyway?) I couldn't find anything in the yellow pages. I've found some in some gardening supplies online, but if I have to sit at home and wait for the package, that's not going to work.

I don't need, and can't afford, a big one. But I've seen some smaller ones for around, and even under, $100. I'd want something that could even kill weeds. Garden Supply had a couple, but they're no longer offered. I didn't see anything suitable at Lee Valley. Ditto Gurney's. And I want something more than just a bin. If I'm going to just go for a bin, a trash can would do. (Although a trash can in the middle of my garden/yard wouldn't look all that decorative.

Related question: twigs and branches, can they go into the composter?

Yes but they make the forking and turning quite difficult. They do add quite well to soil structure. Compost breaks down in a year or so and sticks branches about 4 to 10 years. I shred mine with my shredder.

For the Sept. Garden Club meeting, I am supposed to host and also give the program. So my subject is composting. I am going to invite everyone who is interested to walk out back to see my compost arena and then i will try to e xplain the process. Sure wish you lived closer Steve as I know you could do a much better demonstration than I.

Here is a photo I just took of my compost piles. I also have a tumbler that works really fast using shredded material and when the weather outside is 100degrees.

Donna

Is that your shredder in the blue? yes we can make compost now quite quickly. The winds kicked up and the air is thick with smoke. Poor forests. There is not fires directly west of us now so yours must be the one clouding up the valley. I am going to the forest service and see what is burning. Good loking compost pile. You do the same thing as I do and dry out the cuttings before you chip and shred. Much easier. Too bad I have to shred all of mine usually in the spring. I use a troy bilt 10hp and it cuts things up pretty well. I just have to use the shovel handle I broke this early summer to stuff into the chopper box. I can always rely on haveing 1 or two every year. I buy cheap shovels cause even the expensive ones break here.

Let us hope MQN checks in to tell you how to vermicompost in great big rubbermaids. The nice thing about it is that you don't have to play by the carbon-ratio rule.
I've got too much compost to contain it, it's just in piles in the drive.
Kenton

Well, I didn't order a composter today. I ordered some bulbs instead.

I agree Kenton why use mathimatics to determine how to compost. Just take what is free and use it and if it isn't cooking add some other free source of nitrogen. I just talked to "Reddy Freddy" today about where he dumps his nitrogen from the portapotties and he says I can have all I want. Soil and all. We were "stool" brothers with me being a vet and he a septic pumper.

No comment, Steve.

(Go Hyger! From whom did you order? I'm a bulbaholic, as you know...)

I ordered some tulips and daffodils from Bluestone Perennials. Only 20 bulbs. I am trying NOT to become a bulbaholic. I ordered Chromacolor and Spring Pride daffs and Harry's Memory tulips.

The smoke is horrible again this morning. Have to keep the house closed up. Last evening even with the smoke I had to get some things done outside. I pruned my two short rows of everbearing raspberries vines and put the prunings on top of the other stuff waiting and drying.

My shredder is a BCS as is the garden tractor , a BCS 725, both made in Italy. Actually I myself do not do the actual shredding, the fellow who works for me does it. I collect material to be shredded.

Here is a photo of what I see looking to the East from my deck, on a not so smokey day. Donna

White_Hydrangea -- Nick's Garden Center has several composters, though not the worm bins. You live so close to them, I'm surprised you did not go there already!

Donna what are the two tall columnar ones in that beautiful picture? I want those! Where did you get them. Lastly is that a fan behind your birdhouse?
With all this smoke I have a wash cloth next to me at the computer to wet and cool my eyes. I never thought when I moved out of seattle I would move to montana to be polluted with smoke. Here is where I'm going tuesday. Ahhhhh

Steve, the two columnar evergreens are Chamaecyparis nootkatensis pendula, Alaska Cedar. I got those two in 2000 from local nursery. I have another out in back garden that is 12 years old and now with the branching looks more typical. The two in fron are starting branching on lower trunk Forest Farm in Oreegon, also carries them.
Must go am playing bridge this afternoon.

Donna

Did someone say something about vermicomposting in big old rubbermaid containers? Easiest thing in the world to set up and make for under $20 or you could go online and buy can-o-worms or any of the big fancy setups for $100's of dollars. Since I have an ongoing bulb habit that Van Engelen keeps me happily supplied in I went the rubbermaid route. Seriously the cost is whatever you pay for you container or I have heard of people using 2 - 5 gallon buckets (not big enough for me). Let me know if you want details and some starter worms. Kelly Slocum (from another site) is the worlds authority and a most generous teacher.

A few of the reasons I LOVE vermicomposting indoors:
1.) Do not have to go tracking out to the compost heap in the winter - no suprises with rats.
2.) Can continue ALL winter long.
3.) CASTINGS RULE! 12 out of 9 plants prefer castings to any other amendment
4.) Set it and forget it - deal with it as little or as much as you like.

This message was edited Aug 8, 2006 12:19 PM

How big of a container do you use? I just started a 3-gallon bucket indoors because I could only find a handful of compost worms in my old pile. How many worms and how fast do they multiply to get a good system going? Any and all starter worms would be welcome in my home!

How is vermiculture different from putting a pile of manure in my vacant lot and watering it. It is soon full of worms who eventually reduce it to a pile of black castings in a while. Can I use some of those same worms for vermiculture?
I have 2 or 3 big compost piles at all times. They are always full of red worms on the bottom.

pajaritomt - Re: the manure are you sure its full of worms or are they maggots (I once thought the wrong thing and had to be corrected -most embarassing - but live and learn). Composting worms are very specific in very intellectual circles (fishing type folk) they are called red wrigglers as opposed to "nightcrawlers". They are smaller then nightcrawlers (these can get HUGE). Those red worms at the bottom of the compost pile are just the ticket.

Idvogt - start your bucket asap (they do not eat the food you introduce, they are eating what is eating the food - mold etc)- you need drainage for the leachate either drill a hole in the bottom of it and set on top of another to drain or put down NON-biodegradable peanuts (good 2"+) on the bottom then a layer of landscape fabric then a layer of moist (not soaking wet - damp) shredded paper then start adding your food - some people blend their scraps to help speed the process (I did this at first to help get a healthy population going, do not bother now). Aeration is a bit of a factor there are several ways of doing this I find the easiest is just to drill holes on the sides the smaller the hole = more needed. Do NOT worry about them leaving through these holes as long as eveything is healthy in the bin your worms will remain there - remeber they do not care for light so keep them covered. Buffalo grass for worms - good trade eh!

REMEBER this if ONLY this freeze EVERY kind of produce before introducing it to the bin (this helps with decomposing but that is NOT why we are doing this) - the best way to get rid of a fruit fly problem is NOT to have one.

So you are talking about composting indoors. Yes, the red wiggly worms are the one in my compost not the white, cream or tan grubs. I think I am doing the same thing you are, only mine is in a pile of manure outside. The night crawlers are gray and stay in the soil. The worms in the compost pile are red. When the manure goes away, so do they.

Only gardeners could get this excited about worms and night soil. :-)

True. A friend once offered to help with the garden so she could get half the produce. I cheerfully accepted, but she balked when she learned shoveling manure was part of the work.
If you want to hear a wierd one, I notices llamas out at the horse stable about a month ago. And sure enough in the manure bin was poop that looked like large deer droppings. I rushed home and looked it up on the internet and discovered they were selling it for $2 for a 1 lb. bag. I rushed back and got enough to cover my entire squash garden which is now growing like mad.
How many people would be thrilled to find llama poop!
see squash pictures included. These are growing in the vacant lot behind our house. and wall.

B, I'd be thrilled!
Great squash.

Yes, serious composters would know right away that llama poop was a gift from heaven. Luckily it doesn't smell at all.
I had a bit of a run in with a neighbor once when the neighbor on the other side and I hired two teenagers to drive up to Taos and shovel us a large load of chicken poop which has a very distinct aroma. When I tried composting it on the side of my lot closest to the other neighbor I began to receive anonymous letters in my mail box. But what could I do? Sure enough, the smell was gone in 3 or 4 days. The neighbor moved to Colorado -- hopefully not to your neighborhood. Plants really grow when they are planted in composted chicken poop!

Just chicken poo, or will any bird doodoo do? Should I put a bucket under my birdfeeder?

As far as I know any bird do is good, but as for putting a bucket under your bird feeder, you would surely have to compost it before using it, because my experience is that it will have a lot of bird seed in it as well. If you didn't compost it you would soon have a crop of sunflowers, millet and who knows what else? My feeling is that any organic matter that will decompose in a year or so is fair game for composting -- other than meat or salted matter. I am not sure how much you would get under your bird feeder, but it is fair game.

Sunflower seeds & hulls inhibit germination for many other plants. Not so good if you plan to direct-seed in those flower beds.

Maybe spread some woodchips/barkwoodpulp under the messy feeder, then rake up the birdy-guano laced mulch up every now & again to compost it.

I just move my feeder to areas that need a little nitrogen burst. I don't care to have the feeders in the same areas each year. Seed accumulation and growth inhibition from the large amounts of seed. I compost mine also and always have a few sunflowers every where but one of the easyiest weed to control.

I bought some sunflower seeds for next year. I want some kind of privacy screen! I'll have to remember that about the seeds, although I bought some with edible seed, so the plan is for the seed to go into me. Can you compost sunflower plants?

Yes but I shred mine. They are very fibrous and would take a long time to break down. I let mine dry out and then shred them to compost.

The goldfinches are really busy eating the volunteer sunflower seeds now. They can hardly wait for them to get ripe. I really miss my chickadees. Have had a pair for past several years, but this last winter a sharpshinned hawk decided this was a good area for meals and I am sure he/it caught both of my favorite birds.

They are all over here in Kalispell. I have never seen so many goldfinches as this year. They followed the worng river up north. They took the flathead R instead of the Okanogan. LOL

Soferdig/Steve ......Mr. in Alaska - I bought a Gold Finch Feeder from Lowes it said that it would only them from it (they have to hang up side down to access tiny hole under the pirch) I see them trying to......no success...... what can I do to help? THanks!

Not to change subject or anything -- but does anyone know a good source of bulk compost ( and by bulk, I mean tonnage) in the S. Denver area? If possible I need to avoid composted sewage and/ or excessive wood chips. And they must deliver.

MQN, had the same problem with finch feeder. I put a strip of masking tape on it except for where the hole was. I also made the hole a little bigger. I think they had a hard time figuring out where the hole was or "hitting the hole" because the feeder was clear. Not pretty, but it worked. This winter I am going to try the "sock" or "net" type of thistle seed feeder.

Speaking of bulk compost, if anyone knows a similar thing for compost or real dirt (not sand mixed with stuff or lumps of clay) that delivers 60 mi east of sparks NV or 50 miles n of carson city... I could get it one pickup truck load at a time, but I'd prefer someone to just dump a small mountain in my side yard...dreaming, I like dreaming...

For both kmom and greenjay,
Find a horse owner if you are willing to haul your own. Most will be pleased to have it hauled off. Otherwise, call the closest landscaping company to your home. They haul in mushroom compost, manure, pecan shells, various sizes of bark, but they charge.
Some horse stables have a front-end loader which will fill your vehicle for you. Then all you have to worry about is unloading it.
Chicken farms are great sources of manure if you can stand the smell. It is wonderful but must be composted before use. It gets very hot when watered.

Thanks, but I am talking TONNAGE here, and I don't think my Toyota Matrix will hold enough, even with the back seat down. There are a number of websites on recycling that seem to IMPLY that bulk compost can be had -- but no details on exactly how. I was hoping the denverite brain trust hereabouts would have somje ideas...

We already get enormous amounts of horse manure, by the 8 gal bucket, from one of our homeowners. Her 5 horses don't produce nearly enough for the purposes I have in mind....

Being lazy never built a garden. You need to buy someones else's effort to successfully accomplish what you want. Just look here and you will see that in your dreams that will happen. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630769/ But I feel that it is every ones purpose in life to create a soil to propagate the future gardens of the world. With elbow grease and effort you are given the opportunity to visit your creation from heaven. So why not get to the horse arena and shovel (most will dump it into the new trailor) so buy a hauling device and your garden becomes a garden of eden. That is our purpose for gardening, not our personal satisifaction, but the future of the planet. (Note I am a republican)

This message was edited Aug 12, 2006 9:56 PM

>>With elbow grease and effort you are given the opportunity to visit your creation from heaven. So why not get to the horse arena and shovel (most will dump it into the new trailor) so buy a hauling device and your garden becomes a garden of eden.