Huge Compost pile Questions

I started making a pile last year of leaves I have a old shreeder that breaks the leaves down to a fine dust which I used mixed with potting soil last year 50% leaves and 50% pro-mix it seemed to work well. This year I have really went over board and posted a sign that we wanted leaves. I have now a pile 12 feet tall and 30 feet long of old and new leaves. I have been using the bob cat to flip the pile ever month. New leaves are still being added. I also put 5 lbs of pure nitrogen on the pile and my girl friend has been bringing me 5 to 8 -- 5 gallon buckets of old coffee grounds a week which I have also been adding to the pile. I dug in the pile today and it was extremely hot. Hot enough to burn my hand. My question is what else should I add to the pile? I don't seem to have much green leaf compost to add. Also I wondering at this size and fliping the mix how long before it can be used? Last but not least if the compost is almost strictly leaves and coffee can this mix be used as a potting soil for potted plants in anyway, Can I mix it with peat and make a fairly useful potting mix of is it just best for bedding plants? If anyone has used it for potting soil or mixed with potting soil I would be interested to hear the results and methods.

I will see about getting a photo of my compost pile for the group. Its about as big as a bus.

bwilliams,

Sounds like your on the right track. Keep adding greens to your browns. Make sure the pile has enough water. I'm not sure about all your questions maybe someone else can answer them.

While it's burning hot, I say just keep moist and turn . If moist in the middle but cooled, would be a clue to turn for air. If that doesn't get it hot again, think about more 'greens'

I haven't tried compost as potting soil but I think you will have drainage problems with it, too much holding water. Maybe go with half compost, half fine bark or perlite. See Indoor plant forum for Houseplant soils-a long post. as to soil structure.

Don't use it while hot, of course. Use it when it looks all broken down and has stayed cool.

Wish I had a pile the size of a bus!

It's one of those times when size matters. We are all suffering from pile envy.

katiebear

SIZE OF A BUS!! That is definately envy making! Well done.

I wonder if we can get soferdig in on this - he is always a mine of information about how to use things, and what to do next. You might want to d-mail him and ask him to drop in when he has a moment - But it does sound that you are doing a really good good job on this. Keep it up!

That's it! I wanna move to Ky. Y'all got all the good stuff..............sniff, sniff. I would love to see a picture. Are you getting fine compost on the bottom as yet? You could use it straight or add peat to it if it would be easier to spread. You can also use shredder newspapers, all your veggie scraps, egg shells, no meat or dairy products. But sounds like you're right on the money with it. Good job. You are going to have a wonderful garden with all that black gold.

Well I took some photos today. Not much really I can do on gloomy days till spring gets here. This is a picture of the coffee grounds I am getting. The local coffee shop is giving me 3 to 10 buckets of this a week. They also roast their own beans and have been giving me bags of this very odd bean haul. Which is very airy and light it feels like Styrofoam and I think it would be something extremely good to add to the mix. They say they have a few truck loads of it so I am planning to go get as much as possible. I have been spreading the coffee grounds around the beds and in the compost I am running out of places to use it and think I might just start a huge pile for back up. Anyone know how much is to much??

I don't think you can really tell the scale of this huge pile its around 10 feet tall 15 feet thick and 30 feet long. I have two more similar size piles that I have been moving to this pile with the bobcat, but due to the weather and damp ground I have only been able to move a little so far. By spring I should doubled the amount of leaves in this pile. I was able to add a lot of my tropical foliage that was cut off to the pile and of course tons of coffee and pure nitrogen.

We also have a 10 foot tall 50 x 50 pile of 7 year old wood chips. The pain problem with that pile is the weeds have been taking over and this year I will have to really knock them out before they get going.

Here is a pic were I dug into the side of the pile. It seems nothing more than leaves maybe a few branches and coffee. The steam was pouring out but I was not able to get a good pic of it. It's amazing how hot it can get inside their.

That is amazing, my friend! I'd make a coffee ground pile for sure. You can always use it in your compost. Your garden is going to be super!

Yes, coffee grounds are excellent, get as many as you can.

maybe you should sell compost to the people who gave the leaves, or others.

That's not a bad idea, sallyg. You could do yourself a little "side" business selling compost to other gardeners with all that you have available.

I think selling it is a good idea. Be sure to give a good discount to people who contributed to the pile.

kb

If it's hot, it doesn't need to be turned.

Suzy

I'm impressed!

Maybe I can sweet talk my homeowners' association into starting a massive pile. We pay a landscaping company to mow our lawns and rake our leaves, and I always see them hauling the clippings and leaves away on a trailer every week. We ought to restructure the contract so that we get to keep our leaves and clippings.

Nice work, bwilliams.

Thanks I am not sure yet if I will be selling any of the compost maybe, if I have a huge amount I cannot use. I am sure this pile will shrink as it breaks down.
I have one friend who's beds are at least 3 to 4 feet of compost for his tropical plants. He is able to get rotted fruits and vegetables from a local market that he mixes in to his pile. He has seen all kinds of fruits and vegetables popping up form seeds. Of course he told me sense he lives close to the road that he would throw road kill into his compost. I don't know if I am that devoted yet LOL.

Too true - hold fast to that pile - I have never yet had the luxury of excess! You always need more.

Yours in envy. L

Puddlepirate, if anybody can do the "talk" it's got to be you. :) You can always play the "green, environmentally friendly" card as well.
Bwilliams, I would be reluctant to use road kill also. Your pile is probably hot enough to kill those kinds of pathogens, but I don't use anything in my compost like that since I use most of mine on my vegetables. I'm not that much of a gourmet.........grin.

Is the coffee making it hot? Does it still have an earthy smell? DH is concerned that coffee grounds will make it stink. We have a Brew Monkey around the corner and would like to talk to them if it works the way I hope. Having difficulties heating my pile in winter. Would love to see steam or feel heat.

From what I gather coffee grounds have a lot of nitrogen in them and will help beak down your pile. So adding it should help it heat up. I am not sure yet how much is needed in the mix or at what ratio. I am treating it about as I would wood chips which you can use a ton of with out much problem but to much can make the pile to hot so no more than 50% ration or less. I think should be fine. It will take a lot of coffee for me to get to those ratios.

Just got on to this. First of all well done Bwill. You have a ton of carbonacious content and I dont think you can have enough coffee grounds. I try to mix 1 part N to 2 to 3 parts C. That would be about 1000 buckets of coffee grounds. This isn't fixed and the more nitrogen (coffee grounds) the more worms will be attracted. I would layer the next area you roll the pile on with coffee grounds and roll the compost on top. This will bring on the worms and the bugs to break down the leaf particle. The other thing I would do is leave the pile alone longer. It needs Oxygen but it is getting plenty. I have never mixed compost in peat because I have never had enough. But I do use finished compost tea and pour it on my plants once monthly. They love it. Keep up the good work!

Soferdig,
How do you do your compost tea?

I know the coffee ground I have also have different teas in them as well. The coffee house I get them from said they have just about any grounds they carry in them. I have been spreading it over the pile for the last few months. I plan to once the weather drys out a bit add a ton more leaves and mix it up a bit with the bob cat. I have heard that the coffee grounds are also good for getting rid of bad insects white flys and aphids. From what I have heard put coffee grounds in a bucket of water and allow the water to turn brown then use it in your sprayer to spray the plants. I have not done this yet to see how well it works but it sounds a lot better than the aweful smelling insectizides. I have been spreading the coffee gournd all over on the beds and the compost pile I have to say the smell is enjoyable just not sure how long it will last.

Here is were it all goes. I have not in the past been composting my green leaves. I have been pileing them up in the back acres but I plan to use them more this next season in the actual compost pile. I usually end up with a few truck loads of leaves.

I have read (because I wondered how to make compost tea also) that you simply put a couple of shovel scoops of compost in say, a burlap bag and dip it in a tub of water. Let it seep, then put the compost back in your pile and use a watering can to water your plants with the tea (including dumping on the foliage).

Use finished compost though.

BWilliams! That photo is tres wonderful! Are you really in Louisville? And you grow all those tropicals in Louisville? It's really, really pretty!

Suzy

Wow nice greens! We cold northerners are jealous.
I make compost tea with a bucket of finished compost 1/4 full and fill it with water and let sit. Then I pour it into a sived bucket and pour on the water (tea) nothing fancy.

Wow. My first thought was nice border, and then I spotted the car! That is a lot of greenery.

Those are just gorgeous....you got a jungle out there! LOL

Okay, I'll give the compost tea a try. Iv'e heard of the coffee grounds being used on cycads for scale, bwilliams. Nice tropicals by the way.

Do any of you have problems with trace mineral and vitamin deficiencies in your plants with compost? Is adding compost good enough or do I sometimes have to add supplements?

Good compost already contains everything you need. You shouldn't have to add a thing.

Every thing that composts has in it a plant with all of the stuff that the plant needs. That is why it is far superior to what is supplementally available. Nitrogen is probably the only addition to the compost pile to make it perfect.

Amen, sofer, you're preaching to the choir on that one!! Black gold!! And most of it's free, how can you beat that? Hubby and I snagged about 50 bags of oak and various other leaves. People thought we were crazy, but it's wonderful. And I have the beginning of next year's pile already working. :)

Okay. Good to know!

In October I made what I thought was a monster compost pile until I read this thread! My bin is a 10 x 10 x 3 dog pen. I collected fall leaves from neighboring towns but there is only about 5% green in with the leaves. I added compost starter. As of yet, I haven't turned the pile or checked to see if it is hot. It could be frozen solid for all I know. I'm not sure what to expect when I take a pitchfork to the pile...I don't have a bobcat. My 20' x 40' flower garden is in need of large amounts of organic matter. Here is my question: Is there any harm in tilling the partially composted leaves into the soil this spring and letting the earthworms do the rest? Would doing so cause root rot or decay? I intended to add nitrogen to the bed as instructed from my soil analysis but I don't have a clue as to how much more nitrogen to add if I till in partially decomposed organic matter. Maybe I should till then add gypsum and use the partly decomposed organic material as a topdressing ? My clay soil needs to be lighter and richer. Any tips would be appreciated.

How soon do you plan on planting in the leaves? If it's in the spring I wouldn't till them in.

It won't hurt to till the leaves in. It will help break down the clay a bit more. You should have some good black gold on the bottom of that compost bin. You can use the coarse as well, it just keeps on working where ever it is. :)

I would think adding nitrogen or fertilizer now to the leaves will help it break down a lot before spring. It seemed to make my pile a lot hotter.