I'll admit that I haven't ever composted before. It seems simple enough and I would love to try it. I'm kind of fascinated by earthworms and love to find them while digging around in beds.

I would be very interested in hearing about a composting techinique for a small area. Photos of your composting contraption would be much appreciated.

Patrick

Green and brown, green and brown. Oh, and add water. That's it. Layer green (grass clippings and such household garbage as fruit and vegetable peelings, apple cores, melon rinds, egg shells), then add a layer of brown (shredded leaves and other woody materials). Keep moist. Not wet, but moist. You need a pile that's at least 3 feet across and 3 feet high to start cooking. But that's it. Turn it now and then to stir in oxygen. If you get it right the first time, your pile will reduce by a third without you even noticing. You don't need any fancy container. Just get some chicken wire, or old wood pallets or whatever's handy. Start small and keep going.

there is a great little book called 'Composting for All' published by Green Books

Tel: 01803 863260; www.greenbooks.co.uk my allotment site web address is

www.ladymaryallotments.org.uk

this has lots of tips on composting and a link to Cardiff Organic Gardeners website.

there is a great little book called 'Composting for All' published by Green Books

Tel: 01803 863260; www.greenbooks.co.uk my allotment site web address is

www.ladymaryallotments.org.uk

this has lots of tips on composting and a link to Cardiff Organic Gardeners website.

Ok you've convinced me! I'm going to start a composting pile. I moved 3 months ago to a house on a wooded lot, kind of rural, where everyone dumps their leaves back along a wooded bank. I'm going to put mine to a more intentional use, and reduce my household trash as well. I'll probably be back here with lots of questions. Like this one - does it have to be up off the ground on pallets, or can I just start on the ground?

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Anne, A YardLover from Virginia
Read my Blog

I learned the hard way not to put kitchen scraps that have seeds in them, i.e. tomatoes.    You can put coffee grounds (with the occasional filter), and the best of all...CHICKEN POOP.  I happen to have 5 chickens. 

I also put teabags in.Make sure you dont put meat scraps or dairy products in, velvet

Your compost should be on the ground so the worms can get in there and do their thing!!

My parents have the best compost piles I have ever seen. They started out with a small space behind their Rhododendron with a pile of compost in which they added all their light yard waste and clean kitchen waste for one year. The following year they started a pile in the corner behind the garage. The third year they picked a spot behind the garbage can holder. By this time the first pile had sat for two years and Dad started screening it and adding it to their gardens. By the end of the third season they were ready to use this space for composting the next year. Well, mom and dad have lived in this house for thirty years and always have a compost pile going, one sitting and one for screening. They have gardens to be envious of.

Dad never turns his piles, he just lets the sit and cook on their own, when screening anything not broken down gets added to his new pile. I have to say they also have the most amazing earth worms I have ever seen.

Is it ok to put weeds in the compost pile? I also read that if you cover compost with black plastic it speeds up the process. Any opinions? Thanks, Billy

As a rule weeds added to compost are fine just try to get to the weeds before they go to seed. Removing the seed heads can be helpful, although one thought is that if the compost cooks enough it will fry the weed seeds.

 

Black or clear plastic will speed things up a bit, in my opinion not fast enough to warrant using a petroleum based product

I have added tons of weeds, coffee grounds,  egg shells, and veggie scraps. would a bag of cow manure be good for the pile? Not many brown leaves right now in New Hampshire. Trying to add brown with the green. Thanks Billy 

I don't think the manure is what you're looking for. Manure is brown, but not really plant matter anymore. It's really ready to go fertilizer. The brown stuff you want is indeed dry leaves and stems. These give some air space between green stuff so that oxygen can reach into all parts of the pile. Manure just won't really help in the process. So you might have to wait another month or two for the fall leaves!

Patrick