compost tips

Compost feeds the soil and soil feeds the plants and the plants feed you. I picked up 4 pickup truckloads of moldy hay the other day from a horse fella who let it get moldy. Moldy hay will kill a horse, so they give it away. Very nice orchard grass from a run in shed. Today, I picked up a nice...

Well, I set up my worm bin last night. I'm using a 30 gal rubbermaid plastic storage container filled with shredded newspaper bedding. My worms are being delivered today. We will see how this goes inside the house. I'm a little worried about odors, but I am told that shouldn't be much of a...

Is this a real problem? Besides annoying flys. I have the pile a few hundred yards away from my home. I know there is some sort of insect like a mite that eats upon fly maggots. totally forgot the name of them.

I've just started my first compost pile, and had a question. Everything I've read mentions using green for nitrogen and brown for carbon. Well, right now I've got tons of brown, but not much green. Much of my compost, however, includes bedding I've cleaned out of the chicken coop. Will the...

Does anyone have a recipe to make an accelerator? Does anybody have a commercial product they would reccomend? The "composting season" (i.e. the period when the temperature allows bacterial activity) is short where I live, so I'm going to try something to speed-up the process.

Is it better to put the mushroom soil in the garden in the fall after harvest or in the spring before planting, or does it even matter?

I figured this was a no-brainer for an experienced gardener, but among other things like cardboard and paper, is dog feces safe for usage in a compost heap? Didn't know if there was perhaps any bacteria/viruses/whatever that wouldn't be broken down or that may be taken into the plants that could...

Fresh green and "wet" grass clipping CAN be composted with a little work and knowledge. I feel that fresh green grass makes a more versatile compost and mulch than anything else I have used, it works faster, it's free, and it's organic. Another thing I really like about this method is the...

I just noticed a glob on my compost pile.At first glance it appeared to be spray foam insulation,which really confused me as I haven't reached my optimum caffeine level yet. The glob is about two and a half inches long, an inch and a half wide, and dark yellow in color.It seems to be comprised...

So, I guess thats as basic a Question that I can ask. Should I be putting the Ashes from my BBQ into my Compost Bin? This is my first Year taking Gardening seriously, and I have learned so much here. Just like to hear some info on how others have gotten along with adding BBQ Ashes to their...

Hey everyone. So, I know very little about farming, gardening and compost. I am currently trying to build a vegetable garden at home but that's not really relevant to the question I have. :-) The company I work for sells DoD surplus. Currently we are selling 500 cubic yards of Class A...

Im new to the forum, or well been a member for quite sometime, well i decided to try my luck at composting. I decided to go with a 3 bin compost setup, since i want to be involved in creating my own compost. I made my bins out of free pallets from my local hardware store. This setup is a 3 bin...

just for fun, lets see the diverse things we throw into our compost or use as deliberate additions to enrich it. mine are in covered trash cans in the back of the tool shed, have to keep it hidden since neighbors expressed concern when I told them I was starting a compost pile. I think she...

This is my 100 post! Fills like I made a milestone. Started a double layed compost pile in plastic containers. Doing really well and steamy. Composting well. Added about 20 worms a few weeks ago. 3 days ago, worms were all there, can't find them today. Don't think there is a way for them...

I just cut down 3 trees in the yard (1 maple & 2 oak) and have lots of sawdust (the maple and 1 oak were to make room for the garden and to allow for sufficient sunlight). I'm having the stumps ground up as well which will add to the sawdust. Will it be beneficial to through the sawdust into the...

Does anyone have any experiances with the Nature's Head composting toilets? We are looking at getting one for the shabin. I know you are not supposed to use human waste for gardens, but since I have 40acres of trees I suppose they would be ok. Any info on these toilets would be helpful...

I posted a thread in one of the general forums about heating water and house with compost and I figured that a lot of people might miss it if they don't frequent that forum; so here's the link: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=142513 I'd like to talk about how to attain a...

There was a link in another thread about a guy running showers that used hot water produced from compost decomposition. This water would get up to 160 degrees and would last a good while (as much water as was in 100' of 3/4" hose) and would then run at 90 degrees there after. I don't know...

Howdy all, Quick question....Is it ok to the put the ingredients from making bread into a compost bin? The yeast and flour, etc.... I ask because we bought a bread maker today and the first loaf didn't work out and there is still some raw ingredients in the mixture. Thanks, Craig

I just moved to Texas at the end of May. We are about 20 mins south of Dallas and the soil here is unlike any I have ever seen before. It is black and hard as a rock when dry and slick and sticky as snot when wet. How do I prep this soil for next years garden? I don't realy want to use raised...