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Compost Connundrum

By BadDoggie (Sun May 27, 2012 at 12:24:39 PM EST) (all tags)

We have a composting box. We also live at a higher latitude than most of the populated parts of Soviet Canuckistan. Did I just fuck up or did I miss an important step?

This raised garden bed should've been built and set a couple of months ago but that didn't happen. Today I emptied the stench that is our composting box consisting of layers of kitchen vegetable waste and last year's leaves. It smells worse than confined pigshit and I've both smelt and slopped out the latter.

So... what did I do wrong? More importantly, if I just twist this shit to the bottom of the dirt pile are we OK (keeping in mind my wife is not physically tolerant of moulds). Can I fix this and if so, how?

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Compost Connundrum | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)

Kitchen waste by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #1 Sun May 27, 2012 at 12:36:45 PM EST

What sort of kitchen waste went in? Any animal products will make your compost spell like death.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

All vejable. by BadDoggie (2.00 / 0) #2 Sun May 27, 2012 at 12:57:34 PM EST

Some eggshells but beyond that, we're talking shit I'd normally make stock with, plus leaves, except this shit stinks like a captive pig stall but isn't as runny. It seemed to be warming itself for a few weeks but apparently, that was only done to increase the stench I'm now dealing with.

woof.

Jesus Christ you're a tool -- Dr Thrustgood

[ Parent ]

: eggshells by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #9 Sun May 27, 2012 at 07:33:58 PM EST

Make sure you clean them before dumping.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman
[ Parent ]

Sounds like... by Vulch (4.00 / 3) #3 Sun May 27, 2012 at 01:00:28 PM EST

It got too compacted and possibly too wet and so went anaerobic. Dig it over and mix it all up and it should be fine. You could also get away with mixing it with soil and putting it in the base of your raised bed with a decent topping of plain soil.

If you find yourself in need of some exercise and you have a compost heap, it's always worth emptying it out, mixing it round and putting it back in the bin again. It'll stop layers going manky and make things work much faster. I've got three bins and turn them over from one to the next as they fill.

Main bins

Experimental bin, compost dalek and output.

How much by sugar spun (2.00 / 0) #4 Sun May 27, 2012 at 01:20:10 PM EST

is a decent topping?

[ Parent ]

How long is a peice of string by Vulch (4.00 / 1) #5 Sun May 27, 2012 at 01:37:55 PM EST

Depends largely on what's going in on top. A traditional bean trench would be a foot to 18" deep with around 6" of soil to cover as the bean seeds would go a couple of inches down. It needs to be enough soil for the plants to establish before they put their roots into the composting material, so 6" or so for seeds sown on top, more if it's planting out things from pots.

[ Parent ]

30cm bed by sugar spun (2.00 / 0) #10 Mon May 28, 2012 at 02:01:29 AM EST

Seeds from seeding trays.

No go with the compost?

[ Parent ]

Borderline by Vulch (4.00 / 1) #11 Mon May 28, 2012 at 04:07:05 AM EST

I'd be inclined to give it another run through the bin and try again with it next time. Dig it into the bed when it's empty again in the autumn.

[ Parent ]

: Thanks. by sugar spun (2.00 / 0) #12 Mon May 28, 2012 at 07:52:50 AM EST

I didn't think it was ready but also didn't want to be over-cautious.

[ Parent ]
: Bed unlikely to be empty by BadDoggie (2.00 / 0) #13 Tue May 29, 2012 at 05:59:00 AM EST

But thanks, will give it a second round rather in the bin than just shoving this smelly shit underneath the tonnes of (now very wet) dirt.
woof.
Jesus Christ you're a tool -- Dr Thrustgood
[ Parent ]

compost perfectionism by clover kicker (2.00 / 0) #6 Sun May 27, 2012 at 04:07:35 PM EST

You're supposed to have the proper mix of "wet" and "dry" compostables, and aerate things frequently.

Kitchen scraps is typically "wet", leaves/lawn clippings are "dry".

I bought a barrel composter last fall, it lays on it's side and you spin it every time you add more stuff. It definitely mixes stuff up, too early to judge the effectiveness.

In practice any damn thing will compost but it might take years. I had a pile of leaves/branches in the back yard that didn't do anything for a year, I kind of forgot about 'em . That was 6-7 years ago now, and this spring I dug it up and it's gorgeous compost, at least once you rake out the branches that didn't rot down.

Barrel composters by Vulch (2.00 / 0) #7 Sun May 27, 2012 at 04:15:39 PM EST

They're excellent, but tend to be stupidly expensive. The main drawback is you'll probably need to introduce worms as they can't find their way in like they do in a traditional pile built on the ground, although that can often be done just by putting a couple of shovelfuls of soil in and not being too energetic about knocking excess soil off weed roots before they go in.

[ Parent ]

: barrel compster by clover kicker (2.00 / 0) #8 Sun May 27, 2012 at 04:41:56 PM EST

I've been eyeing them for years, this fall I saw one on clearance and didn't hesitate.

[ Parent ]

Thanks by jimgon

(2.00 / 0) #14 Tue May 29, 2012 at 06:02:08 AM EST

This post got me to stop putting off turning my compost over.

---------------
Technician - "We can't even get decent physical health care. Mental health is like witchcraft here."

I don't think anyone asked by sasquatchan (2.00 / 0) #15 Tue May 29, 2012 at 04:36:05 PM EST

what's the screen size of the stuff ? Whole leaves, or shredded leaves ? (ie the yard stuff needs to be ground up pretty well. If you just pick up the leaves and dump 'em in, even with regular turning, it'll take a LONG while).

: That would explain a few things by BadDoggie (2.00 / 0) #16 Wed May 30, 2012 at 01:31:49 AM EST

I didn't think that the leaves, what with being completely dead and starting to decompose, would have needed shredding and I didn't see anything on sites about basic composting.
woof.
Jesus Christ you're a tool -- Dr Thrustgood
[ Parent ]

Compost Connundrum | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)


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