Anyone compost?

Erik · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: Anyone compost?

food, waste, whatever- do you compost?

Square_peg · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:57 am Post subject:

Mostly just leaves and grass from the yard. Pretty low key. We just pile it in one corner of the yard, stir it occasionally with a pitchfork and till it into the garden in the Spring.

I've thought about getting one of those composting drums. Maybe one of these days.
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Tom (Pegster)

Erik · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

Cool, Tom! We're really looking forward to composting as much as possible after we move. For waste, I've found this free online book to be extremely informational:

http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html

Erix · quark Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Ohio

Hi guys!

I'm starting up a new compost system this year. We found an old barrel in the woods when we bought this place. It's clean, not an old drum or anything, so I am going to make something like the Compost Tumbler with it this spring. If it works well, I'll make a second one so I can have a dual system. This will help keep my back from hurting as well as keep the compost nutrients from leaching back into the ground. I try to throw anything organic back to the ground and that includes kitchen wastes. I also bring home all the yard debris from my jobs, so have more than enough to keep things going.

The only thing I don't compost is the grass because I like to keep the clippings on the yard.

Erik · Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:20 pm Post subject:

Hey Erika- great to see you here!

That sounds like a fun project! smile

Kate · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:17 am Post subject:

Hey Erika,

Great to see you here, that sounds like a great project! We bought a composting toilet and shipped it to our place in Hawaii. We got really lucky, we found a woman who sells them in Sacramento and didn't cost too much to ship out there.
_________________
Christianity is the belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie who is his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in all humanity because a rib-woman was convinced to eat from a magical tree by an infinitely sadistic being disguised as a talking snake with legs. ~ George Carlin

llanitedave · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:41 pm Post subject:

We have a compost pile, but nothing as sophisticated as a tumbler yet. That's probably a future DIY project.

It's fruit peels, old vegetables, an occasional eggshell, all mixed with a bit of straw.

Erik · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:03 pm Post subject:

If you're interested in humanure composting, this is the toilet we bought:

www.natureshead.net

It's by far the most reasonably priced for what it does. A friend of ours in Hawaii has a nice Sun-Mar, but they're $1700, and cost a lot to ship, due to the large size. The Nature's Head is half that cost, and in some ways, it's better than the Sun-Mar.

I think if more people were aware that this sort of composting was an option, they'd do it. Our place is water catchment, so water is a precious commodity. No use wasting 1.5 gallons with every flush. smile

Erix · quark Joined: 17 Feb 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Ohio

Hi Kate! It's good to see you again.

I remember Erik saying you guys bought a new toilet for your new place. That's pretty cool the way it works. I wonder....we're having septic smells here at our place. If I throw some peat down the toilet, maybe it will smell better. :D

I'm hoping to get the homemade compost tumbler made in the next month, as soon as the ground thaws out. I'm thinking of putting two wood posts in the ground, drilling a hole through the barrel, and then putting a PVC pipe in the middle of it. I'll then put a metal pipe inside the PVC pipe and that's what is going to enable the barrel to spin after I attach the pipe in wood.

I'll cut out a rectangle hole in the side of the barrel and then reattach it with hinges and a latch. I can add chicken wire to a frame to attach as a screen when the time comes to sift it. Drill a few air holes and it should be all be doable.

Kate · Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:17 pm Post subject:

Wow, that's a project!

yeah, if you peat moss it should give it a nice earthy smell, that's what i heard anyway :-)
_________________
Christianity is the belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie who is his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in all humanity because a rib-woman was convinced to eat from a magical tree by an infinitely sadistic being disguised as a talking snake with legs. ~ George Carlin

CaryChleborad · atom Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 11

I found the best way to compost is to compost BIG. You need enough mass to generate heat to really get things going. I use two "bins" made from stacked cinder block. They are about 40" wide 40" deep and 40" tall. I fill one side to start. Then every couple of days I pitch fork it to the other side adding water as I go. Good composting needs fresh oxygen and water to really get it going. I remember late one fall I had a huge pile really compositng fast and it steamed like a factory stack. At any rate, I add new material in layers when I turn the pile. I'll build the pile thoughout the growing season. Then let it sit, after the last fall bits have been added, until spring. Then I'll add it all to my garden area and start the process again.

-Cary
www.opticwavelabs.com

Erik · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject:

That's interesting, Cary. I haven't seen a bin made out of cinder blocks before. Sounds functional- did you start it off with peet moss, or add anything else besides the composting material? We're building two bins side by side out of wood at our place in Hawaii. The two will allow for longer composting without disturbing the process. smile

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CaryChleborad · atom Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 11

Erik · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:31 am Post subject:

It depends on what you're composting though. For composting food, or animal/human waste, two bins makes sense because you can allow the material in one to fully compost, while adding new material only to the second bin. This makes sure that the compost material in the first bin will be sterile for use in a garden with edible plants, etc. smile

_________________
-Erik Wilcox
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos/Peterson pipemount
Orion 10x50 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor

Overcoming
Barriers
Affecting
Mainstream
America

All the hopey changey stuff is working great for me, thank you!

Evolution is both fact and theory. Creationism is neither. -Anonymous

CaryChleborad · atom Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 11

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