I want to put one down there but money is tight. A few questions: Do I need to lay something down or can I just put it on the ground straight up? Can I put up cinder blocks later to reign it in or do I need to make steps to block it in now?
Maybe a worm bin ? Something like a plastic dustbin with a lid...drill some holes in the bottom, add a layer of pebbles or something to aid drainage, start putting in compostable material. Get some worms...over here they're called Brandling worms...basically the worms you find in any existing compost heap. A good handful will do, they multiply pretty fast. Empty the bin every 12 - 18 months...the lower layers will have transformed into good soil. Throw any uncomposted bits - plus the worms - nback in the bin and start again. This is what I have in my small, concreted back yard.
Do I have to compost with worms? I was hoping to do it without them. I'm concerned about there being trash all over my yard.
Worms are what turn organic material into soil. If you were to just pile the stuff up in a heap on natural earth [not concrete or whatever] the worms will generally find their own way in anyway. What exactly do you mean by "yard" ? Mine is just a small walled-in and concreted-over patch, so a worm bin is the only real option. But I know some people talk about their "back yard" and it turns out to be about 3 acres, heavily forested and with a river running through it !
Definitely not an acre but a good size. Our house is about 1520 square feet and it's got a yard that matches it if that makes sense. I have room to put an actual pile that'd require turning. I just don't want to set everything down and then have the breeze blowing it around.
make a box out of shipping pallets...knock off a few of the lower boards..after a year or two just shovel the soil out of the bottom
I was actually discussing something similar with the myhammer.com-guys re-modeling by garden because I wanted /needed to move my old compost pile and they said as long as it has air from every direction any c-pile should be fine...(I was worrying about it being to close to a wall). So as long as you make sure there's some space and not just asphalt around it ;-)
I had a problem with tree and shrub roots growing up from the earth into the compost, so this year the compost heap has a wooden bottom.
I got a shipping crate from the factory I work at, drilles some holes in all four sibes about a quarter way up, works great. Check local factories, they generally throw them out.
You don't need to buy anything. Like BBad and Gypsymama say, you can get what would be called 'pallettes' here in the Uk, for free. You don't actually even need them, as if you pile up organic waste in a pile, it will eventually break down on it's own. Just make sure you don't add any cooked food into it, as that might attract unwanted rhodents.
Like Ripple said, use free pallets. Skids i think they're called too. When they ship stuff in thats what the product sits on top of so they can forklift it around. Go to pretty much any store that has stuff shipped in and they will have some out the back. Pick four that are roughly the same, take them home and nail them together in a square shape. You dont need anything on the top or bottom. Plunk it down in the corner of your yard and Vollia, you have the best composter machine ive ever had. The kinda open sides help air get to it and i found even my winter additions were mostly broken down when i dug it around in the spring. Just remember to water your compost every so often. Its not the prettiest thing but it works and its free (and you're recycling).
I'd say you could put your compost material in a pile and cover it with dirt to keep it from blowing around. As long as you tend to it and keep it covered and damp, I dont think you'll have any trouble. Good luck & Peace
if you do not care about looks you can just have a pile. You can use pallets, plywood (rots over time though), cinder blocks, chicken wire as a border to keep it in if you want. Be creative. All you need to start is 1) brown (leaves) 2) green (grass clipping, food waste) and 3) some soil. Do something like 3:1:1 ratio. layer it and keep it most but not super soggy. Turn it with a pitchfork every few weeks. Starbucks will give you coffee grounds, as will most local coffee places, you can add as well. I am growing some tomatoes in 100% compost, 0 soil, as a test, and they are doing GREAT. Compost is really the best, most organic growing medium you can have. I usually mix 50/50 dirt compost when i plant in containers or something i plant out. I try to add an inch or 2 of compost and till it under on my beds each late winter, before i plant. http://www.howtocompost.org/ EDIT: a tip, do not add too much green. Try bagging up fall leaves to add in the summer when brown is more scarce. this may help another tip. I have 3 side closed in and 1 open. It makes turning it a lot easier.
The Eco King composter by Graf has a capacity of 79 gal. It is made from recycled polyethylene and has a comforable upper opening. It features an optimized aeration system to speed up the composting process. Also like www.compostadores.com
Worms really helps garden to grow organically. Many of them do worm casting which is the best natural growing secret for plants. Even with a very little quantity of worm castings, you get a large amount of beautiful yields extremely rich in texture. It is said that worm castings have large quantity of important nutrients compared to other organic fertilizers.
Worms are helpful in a compost box, but not essential. Natural decomposition will break down your green waste into soil. Take a pitch fork to it now and then to help it break down faster. It is also good to have roughly equal parts dry leaves and weeds/grass and add kitchen scraps such as egg shells, coffee grounds, tea, old veggies, peelings and melons. Don't put meat in a compost box. It stinks, feeds mice and rats and throws the pH off. I haven't had much luck with citrus fruit. The skins seem to be slow to break down.
By the way, brown paper breaks down quickly. White paper is slow to break down. I met a guy who successfully composts white paper (napkins, and junk mail) but he presoaks it a few days in a 5-gallon bucket before adding it to the compost and he is careful not to let it glob up in one spot, mix it up! Don't add dog, cat or human dung. It introduces pathogens and like meat, throws off pH. In dry weather, you should add water to the compost. An old plywood board on top can help it dry more slowly. Compost box seems to do better with morning sun to help warm it up. I don't add tomato or squash vines to compost. They often have insect eggs that will survive the heat of composting and make trouble for you next summer.
Adding to the worm thing, if you have the compost box right on the dirt without a bottom then the worms will come on their own. I checked mine after a few weeks of building it and had lots of worms in it. If your adding a fair bit of green/vegetable scraps then you might want to add some lime to it to balance out the acidity before adding the compost to your garden.
Hey GL! Thanks for chipping in! My problem is the proximity of trees and shrubs that invade the pile. The shade is great, but I can produce my own shade with a simple board. I agree that barring my problem, a direct connection to the soil is better. In Appalachia and the eastern Piedmont (the hilly region from Virginia down to Alabama), most of us have very acid soil and it locks up a lot of nutrients. Add lime and bingo! the minerals and other good stuff is once again available. As nice as kitchen scraps and other greens, you are right on target, they tend to make things acid unless you do something to balance the equation. Good post!
