compost wizards: sub/urban compost ideas

Druminmama:
Heres a great site http://www.mastercomposter.com/
You have to sign in but its painless.
I've been composting for many years here and turn out up to 3000 lbs a year.
We have approx. 5 frost free months out of the year, we are just above sea level here in Alaska. We save all our kitchen waste in 5 gal. buckets over the winter and store them under the porch and let them freeze.
We also rake up our leafs in the fall and store them in piles by our compost area and let them winter over under the snow.
When things thaw out in the spring, the games begin!
The trick to successful composting is 1 part green to 30 parts brown. and the right amount water.
Your kitchen scraps count as green, remember no red meat or grease in the compost. Lawn cuttings, fresh weeds, etc...= green. Dead leafs,etc...=brown.
Don't layer, mix them together. Water. Your compost should have the consistency of a pound cake.
People ask my if I put worms in my compost, NO.. When everything starts working the temp can get up to 140*F. The worms would be getting out like the building was on fire.
Have never composted in buckets before, but it is covered on the master composters site.
...............Happy Composting......Dennis.........Alaskan.......

 

Yeah, big Amen to the mastercomposter.com & everything else Alaskan said. Let me add:

Yeah, having some compost ready & some cooking works well for me. Very,very well indeed.

Painting the buckets shouldn't be needed. Like Dennis.........Alaskan....... says, when the compost is cooking correctly, it'll heat up - a lot. I mean, it won't hurt, I guess... but ...$$$

I'd suggest no holes, just keep it moist - kind of like a well wrung out wash cloth.

I wouldn't specialize, I'd want it all to be about the same because that way you'd get the same results & soon get a feel for how much to use. But in reality you'll probably put stuff into the buckets as you get it. And I don't use an activator, in you case, I'd suggest you throw in a couple scoops of fresh, finished compost when you start filling a new bucket. It's have all the microbes etc., and be your activator.

And don't fill the buckets. Leave enough space in them so that then you can roll & tumble them & that way keep the composting stuff well stired <- very important.

Another you can try is to get to know some horse owners, what they clean from the stalls is very good to use - except the stalls of horses getting medicated. Ok... this is gross - but it works really well - take some dried horse crap (aka:shit) & fill a large sock with it. Put that in one of your buckets & let it sit in the sun a few days. You'll make "manure tea", plants LOVE it. You can do the same with finished compost & make "compost tea". I use 5 gallon buckets to make both kinds of tea... liquid gold.

Well, that's all I can think of for now.

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

This is the first time I've tried to attach a photo,

 

Guess it worked, so will down load more into my gallery , will show you my secret to composting......Dennis

 

Heres a couple of pics of our composting operation. Pic #2 is the secret stuff.

 

No lid. Stir them in and cover with 2 feet leaves and grass. Water well and let cook.
Cats,hell..Bears! But thats OK, I've got my hunting license, a rifle handy. Black bear is pretty good eating.
Have never had any critters in the compost yet. Well sometimes the Ravens pull the egg shells out.
.................................Dennis........

 

Even if the cats did get into it, that just adds organic material.

 

I'd rather have the black bears hanging out than cats pooping everywhere.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_toxoplasmosis.htm#what

We're past the child bearing years, but have hundreds of people ( young and old ) come through gardens every season. The idea of toxoplasmosis in our soil ,scares the
begezers out of me.
Thank god theres not to many cats in our area, most of them are house cats due to the number of dogs about. Even our old dog, at 14 and half blind is still up for a merry chase. All you have to do is open the front door and yell " get the cat" and she's off like a 5 year old dog.
By the was her names "Corn-dog"....................Dennis