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Garden Gate:  do you make your own compost?  |
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susanreno
True Blue Farmgirl
66 Posts
Susan
West Chester
PA
USA
66 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 09:56:09 AM
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As I settle into our new house, I find myself contemplating the future garden design on a daily basis. We live "in-town" and have a small, very rectangular backyard, all fenced-in. I'll get to the point...
I'm trying to decide whether or not to include a compost bin (or a couple of bins) in a corner of our yard. I've experimented with composting in the past, but don't really know if it's something I'm really going to want to devote the time and space for. Also, we live quite close to neighbors (on both sides) and I'm a bit concerned that if I don't compost perfectly, there will be terrible smells coming from the bins, not a great way to make new friends.
I'm planning on doing lots of growing, veggies, herbs, flowers, etc, so accumulating yard waste shouldn't be a problem. And I like the idea of 'recycling' kitchen scraps to help the garden too. Just not sure if it's the right time in the right yard.
I'd love to hear what you all think about composting at home, how easy or hard it is, the benefits versus the time spent on it, space needed, smells, etc. You get the idea. Thanks in advance!!
Susan |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 11:03:16 AM
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I don't really have a bin. It's really more of a pile! But I've never had any smells coming from it and I don't turn it nearly as often as I should. I still get really nice compost in the spring when I'm needing it to amend beds and fill planters. If I turned it more often, it would decompose faster, but I don't need any during the growing season and I have more than I need in the spring. My pile is in a corner of my veggie garden that doesn't get enough sun to grow anything in and it just happens to be right next to my neighbor's porch. They have never complained about any smells and believe me, if there were any smells, they'd be the first ones to say so!
I will always have a compost pile just because it always seems that when ever I need something for the garden, I'm low on cash. This way, I have no worries.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 11:56:06 AM
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| I'm a very lax composter too, and I've never had a problem with smells. I have had a problem with pests, namely raccoons and rats. If your compost attracts either of those, your neighbors might notice! I'd suggest using an enclosed bin for kitchen scraps, but you can probably get away with just a loose pile for yard waste. You could easily screen it with some shrubs, garden fencing (or even old pallets) to keep it looking neat. |
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soapmommy60543
True Blue Farmgirl
2197 Posts
Ann
Oswego
IL
USA
2197 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 1:49:18 PM
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Hello, Susan from another suburban farm girl. A book I would highly recommend for you is All New Square Foot Gardening. It's the method we use. The author speaks in great detail about making your own composter and the compost in it, too. We compost religiously, and in fact I caught holy heck from my kids today because I threw away some egg shells! LOL Anyway, our 2 beds this year were 4' x @16'. They were divided into 4 smaller plots. Our first plot had snowpeas, beets and lettuce in it until they were all harvested. Then, I planted red clover (yes, on purpose - it's great green manure and also healthy food for our pet bunnies), an acorn squash plant, and my son planted a jalapeno pepper plant. Plot #2 was potatoes and onions, all harvested now waiting for a blanket of compost before winter. Plot #3 was sunflowers, sweet corn, some carrots and a pumpkin plant. Sadly, we lost our beautiful sunnies to the leftovers of Hurricane Ike. Plot #4 was our viney things - cukes, zukes and canteloupes. As they grew, and the pumpkin grew, they made a huge mess of vines which we called Twoey after Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. We also have a jungle of heirloom Roma tomatoes in our front flower bed, herbs in 4 pots, wheat grass in 2 pots, and marigolds in another planter over by the tomatoes to keep nasty bug-beasties away.
If you follow the plan in the book, you'll be amazed at what you can get from your little spread in the burbs! |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 4:49:57 PM
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I use a open-style bin at home for composting, and have never had a problem with odors.
At our school garden, we have several closed bins that you spin to help the stuff break down faster. They work really well (especially when you have lots of kids to spin it)!
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 7:11:32 PM
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I'm an urban composter too and only turn it a few times during the season. Never any smells and I can put some slimy, moldy YUCK in it! If I think there might be an odor I make sure it gets covered with a layer of dirt. I think as long as you don't put any meat, animal products or fat in it and stick to the veggie refuse, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and yard waste there's really not much there to make an odor. As I was crunching up the egg shells from breakfast the other day I realized I LOVE feeding my compost! I wish I had a bin type composter for the winter. On cold days, snowy days I don't like to trudge out to the compost bin.
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
Edited by - acairnsmom on Oct 03 2008 7:14:06 PM |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 9:34:12 PM
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I love feeding my compost heap too! I only once had an odor and that was because we had a load of stuff that went bad in our fridge and I over fed it. I love turning the pile and seeing all the thick fat worms wiggling through it!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 11:08:11 PM
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Mine is a pile. Right now a very big one. ( remember I have a cow!) but it will shrink down alot by spring. I cover the pile with a tarp to help it heat up and shrink down. I add compostable kitchen scraps and leaves to last year's pile to add to my garden in the fall and again in spring. My chickens eat alot of my scraps..but there are always extras (especially during canning season) for the pile. I love it..and as a side effect....free worms for fishing..like Alee said!!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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LisaLu
True Blue Farmgirl
126 Posts
Lisa
Wildomar
Ca
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2008 : 07:26:34 AM
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I love my compost pile too! It's so easy. No animal anything, then layer grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and dry brown leaves, branches paper bags. Keep it moist and I put in worms if I find them around the garden. Turn your pile once a week, and you can see it working. If you start to attract bugs, layer with more brown. There are lots of recipes for compost. You want 2 parts carbon, and 2 parts nitrogen. If you dont let it heat up it wont kill the seeds.....last year was my first year and I made a few mistakes and now I have cucumbers growing in my blueberries!
I purchased a chipper machine, it makes it much easier!
Good luck!
LisaLu
Happiness is homemade... |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 06:55:34 AM
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I too am a Urban composter. I have a bin that we got from our local metro recycling association and it does not take a lot of room - and I have no smells. I was not very consistant in my composting, but still ended up with a nice pile for the garden this last spring. I recently cleaned out the whole bin, re-set it in a better spot and this year have been trying to remember to take all kitchen scraps that are compostable out there. I also practice the lasgna method in the veggie garden in the fall - taking all of the "spent" veggie plants cutting them up, covering with fall leaves, left over "jack-o-laterns" after Halloween and then a layer of steer manure. Let it sit all winter, turning it once in early spring and then tilling one more time later before planting - works great.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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Garden Gate: do you make your own compost? |
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do you make your own compost?
