Foo - Any Composters Out There?

I’m an avid composter, been doing it now for nearly five years. Just curious if anyone else composts and what method you use?

When I first started I read many articles online and books from the library. I was undecided on which bin design I wanted to build and was NOT going to buy one from a store. As I was trying to decide which bin design I wanted, I decided I would just start burying my food waste and compostable material in a shallow hole in the back corner of my yard, then cover with leaves to trap in the moisture. Nearly five years later I have not built a bin and don’t plan to; I later found out there’s a name for my composting method – Pit Composting

This method works perfect for me, because I don’t have all that much food waste and it breaks down very fast, because there are tons of organisms (large and small) that just devour it, vice in a bin where the bulk of the break down process is by microorganisms – my pile attracts tons of little composters, including numerous worms. There is practically no maintenance; the only real maintenance I do is turn the pile, which I do as I add food waste/compostable materials, much of which is bulky stuff to keep the pile aerated. I never need to turn the pile between adding food waste, so it’s practically maintenance free.

I’ve used the finished compost on my garden with great results, one of which was tomatoes that grew well over 7-feet tall and were very healthy. Also, my pile is near three large trees, so they’re getting the benefits of what their root systems can suck up. And it’s great to not ever need to buy fertilizer/soil amendments.

Yup, we compost everything we can. Currently we're using a black plastic compost bin. Not my favourite method as it's more difficult to turn over. The best method we've used is simply piling it up in the corner of our yard. However that's when we had a large enough yard that we could hide the pile.

Yes, for the last ~6 years. I cobbled a few old pallets together to create a bin behind the garage. I've been neglectful in turning it but haven't removed anything from it in that time. To be fair, I only throw kitchen scraps in it...not too many longer-term items like the branches/twigs, etc that drop from my box elder and chestnut trees. Since starting, the bin has been composting itself :lol:

We all become compost at some point in time.

I am using a stackable that works well in the given space. I toss a lot out there with the exception of proteins because they don't break down as fast of other foods. Fortunately, the worms came on their own and do a good job at helping to get rid of waste so that I can use the compost at the beginning of every season.

My worms are always alert with the compost being 90% coffee grounds :p

Pile in the corner of the garden. I've also started saving every scrap metal for recycling, even the foil from wine bottles. Now I need to hire one of those guys that make gold leaf to compact it for me.

Yep. I've got one of those green plastic compost bins that is nearly full. I plan on having a vegetable garden this year for the first time at this house so I should have a good start with compost. I use it mainly for grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen waste although once the grass slows down it's growing cycle in the summer heat I usually just mulch that into the yard.

Our current house came w/ one of these:

http://compostbinsthurstoncounty.com/myPictures/image001.jpg

Previously I have only just made a pile.

I just dug 5 gal out of ours.

I also operate a large (dumpster-sized) worm bin at my kids' school. Yesterday I took 2 wheelbarrows' worth of castings out of that one. I emptied it over the summer. I can't quite remember if these 2 wheelbarrows are from all the school lunches to date, or if I did harvest one other time earlier in the year.

Yup, we compost everything we can. Currently we're using a black plastic compost bin. Not my favourite method as it's more difficult to turn over. The best method we've used is simply piling it up in the corner of our yard. However that's when we had a large enough yard that we could hide the pile.

I started composting last year. I got one of those squarish green plastic deals.
It's big enough that I can use a rake to turn the pile. Maybe you can use a shovel
or pitchfork to mix up the compost.

I compost everything I eat.

Also, yes, I have a compost pile for yard waste.

We compost a fair amount. I had one of those black box composters and also wasn't real good about turning it. Passed it down and got a tumbler-type composter. I throw in the scraps, toss in a little water as needed and give it a spin. Great for aeration and speeds along the process.

My main issue is collecting the finished product. I keep piling scraps in, realizing that I should be scooping out some "black gold". I guess I need to start a separate pile for a few weeks to let the tumbler finish up, dump the tumbler and put the second pile in?

We have 1/2 of a plastic barrel, which is open at both ends. This sits in our garden. We throw our compostables in there. Every now and then I move the 1/2 barrel to a new location and work the compost into the soil. It works really well.
I also bury fish in the garden. In the spring I go out and catch several carp or dogfish which I bury about a foot below where the tomatoes will go. My maters do quite well because of this.
I like your pit composting idea.

Irving Berlin was a good composter.

I have a small yard that is mostly hardscape with a couple of planter beds. I have some fruit trees in large pots and use other big pots for tomatoes and other veggies. What kind of compost bin would work for me? A big bin won't fit in my yard.

I have a small yard that is mostly hardscape with a couple of planter beds. I have some fruit trees in large pots and use other big pots for tomatoes and other veggies. What kind of compost bin would work for me? A big bin won't fit in my yard.

http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Landscape-Supplies-Composters/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbudm/R-202072718/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It would fit next to the trash cans.

I have a small yard that is mostly hardscape with a couple of planter beds. I have some fruit trees in large pots and use other big pots for tomatoes and other veggies. What kind of compost bin would work for me? A big bin won't fit in my yard.

Another option - Indoor vermiculturing (http://www.franklincountywastedistrict.org/vermicomposting.html) This is more popular for apartment dwellers or people who don't generate much waste and/or would rather not go outside to dump scraps into a traditional barrel or bin.

Got a pen made of loosely stacked cinder blocks out back. Not fancy. Hard to turn. Hard to get at the stuff on the bottom. Not real pretty. But it does swallow up what I make and I make a haphazard effort to mix it some and remove the good stuff when I find a vein.

There could be bears living in there for all I know. Or care. If nature will eat my organic waste, then I will not ask too many questions.

I also just throw a lot of organic material directly it the vege garden bed. Not an elegant solution, but the soil there needs as much structure as I can find.

j

My hometown was selling black composting bins 8 years ago, my parents bought one. We put it behind a toolshed and compost everything we can -- egg shells, coffee grinds, basically anything organic that isn't meat or dairy. Every couple of years they go on a planting spree and use the compost from the bottom of the pile.

It looks like the one HardyWeinburg posted is what we use.

I have a small yard that is mostly hardscape with a couple of planter beds. I have some fruit trees in large pots and use other big pots for tomatoes and other veggies. What kind of compost bin would work for me? A big bin won't fit in my yard.

Two questions: How much free earth do you have and how much do you have to compost?

I’ve set aside the back corner of my lot it’s an 8’ x 12’ area (96 sq. feet) and within that I have a pile of leaves in which I bury food scraps under, this pile of leaves is about 5 foot in diameter and between 12-18 inches tall, and I don’t even use up all the area under the leaves, much less the entire 96 sq. ft. And because I bury the food about six inches underground and that area is covered by leaves I’ve never had a problem with critters.

I like the look of my compost pile, probably because I like a woodland-look to my yard. I’ve done this by ripping up most of my grass around all my trees (that’s what initially made up my compost pile) and replacing with mulch. I don’t buy the mulch I go around to various neighborhoods and gather bags of leaves and bring home to scatter around; also can get free woodchips from tree removal companies. And just recently talked to a landscaper that will send me his collected leaves for free, it’s easier for him to drop it off at my house than to take to a disposal site.

Actually I don’t really have enough kitchen waste to justify such a large composting area, it could handle so much more stuff, but I keep it since I like to watch the soil being created and all the organisms involved with that process. Really all I would have to do is take my kitchen scraps and bury them under the mulched areas, never needing to turn the pile since there are so many earthworms now in my yard, along with other decomposing organisms (not to mention the microscopic decomposers), they do all the work. I can take a bucket of scraps out and bury it and have it be compost in about a month, max. Note: it's not humus, but it's decomposed enough to use in my garden

I generate about 5 pounds of scraps every two days, that’s about average for me. If you generate about the same amount you could just bury it in your planter beds, probably I don’t know how big they are. There really is no reason to turn a pile unless it’s a really big pile. The decomposers do all the work, unless it’s a REALLY large pile, then you get the problem of it collapsing on itself as it decomposes, locking in air and creating a stinky situation, but you don’t have that problem when you bury in very fertile ground.

My kitchen trash can doubles as a composter if I don't empty it often enough.

There really is no reason to turn a pile unless it’s a really big pile. The decomposers do all the work, unless it’s a REALLY large pile, then you get the problem of it collapsing on itself as it decomposes, locking in air and creating a stinky situation, but you don’t have that problem when you bury in very fertile ground.

Depends on how quickly you want it to compost. Turning it speeds the process which is particularly helpful when the grass is growing so fast in the early summer. Even then it fills up eventually.

I slapped together a box with 4 pallets and some heavy duty zipties. It sits near the backdoor next to the garbage and recycling bins. Sometimes I turn it, sometimes I don't. It doesn't really care. It's a fairly cold pile now, but has lots of little critters in there. As spring comes and my neighbors start putting their grass clippings out, I'll steal some to increase the nitrogen content and warm the pile. But like I said, it really doesn't care. It'll all eventually break down.

I also harvest my neighbor's grass clippings out of her yardwaste bin

It's funny that since I started with the composting, I've started noticing how much organic material my neighbors just throw away.

Two questions: How much free earth do you have and how much do you have to compost?



I don't have a lot of free earth. My yard is primarily cement and bricks with a couple of planters (about 2 x 20 ft) on the sides. The planters don't have any free ground space. My city has a community compost pile where they pick up your yard waste and you can go any time and pick up compost, but it's a bit to drive and they only want plant material, not food waste.

Occasionally I check out youtube videos of how others do their composting and came across this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZpCyMUFeAk It's pretty funny, but I also think he makes some good points. It's basically how I do my composting, except I don't bound the pile with wire, nor do I catch the lechate, I just let the 3 big trees around my pile have at it.

I found a perfect compost bin at Costco, of all places. I finished assembling it today and fed it the first batch of kitchen scraps tonight.

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj352/CbadRider/IMG_0025-1.jpg

I found a perfect compost bin at Costco, of all places. I finished assembling it today and fed it the first batch of kitchen scraps tonight.

http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj352/CbadRider/IMG_0025-1.jpg
Did you throw anything else in it? They sell compost activator to get it started, not that it needs it, but just speeds things up a little. However, I think it's a waste of money (compost activator) for the same reason this guy states: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/compost-starter.html

If you don't have enough soil in your yard, just go somewhere close by and get a small bucket full of soil, best soil would probably be under a thick layer of leaves. But no matter what you do the microorganisms will start the process.

Did you throw anything else in it? They sell compost activator to get it started, not that it needs it, but just speeds things up a little. However, I think it's a waste of money (compost activator) for the same reason this guy states: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/compost-starter.html

If you don't have enough soil in your yard, just go somewhere close by and get a small bucket full of soil, best soil would probably be under a thick layer of leaves. But no matter what you do the microorganisms will start the process.

The directions that came with it recommend adding a little bit of nitrogen fertilizer to get the process going.

Our small apartment "complex" have a compost, sort of: biodegradeable waste is stored in its own bin and collected in dedicated trucks. Waste is then driven to a centraliced composting facility.

Pros: all biodegradeable material is OK for the bin, including meat and such, but excluding liquids. The bin is clean and it doesn't smell. The whole system requires minimal effort from us, which also guarantees its use.

Cons: quite a bit of transportation is required, and from what I've understood, the composting facility process is tricky to keep going. When there are hiccups, biodegradeable waste ends up in landfill.

I didn't think you could put meat in a compost pile.

Animal products do compost. The biggest problem is they tend to stink your raccoons will go apey trying to get to it.
Egg shells are fine though, they add calcium to the soil (and there is very little "meat" to stink).

Animal products do compost. The biggest problem is they tend to stink your raccoons will go apey trying to get to it.
Egg shells are fine though, they add calcium to the soil (and there is very little "meat" to stink).

Not only raccoons, but skunks will flock to your pile if there's meat in there.

We use one of those green rolly ones now but have used all kinds of other methods in the past.

We've got 2 of the black plastic ones, a round one, and the square one. They both suck. Always digging out egg shells and orange rinds years later. The city went to the green containers about 3 years ago, they are about 3 cubic feet, and pick up is once a week with everything else. We have a small container under the sink, that gets emptied a couple of times a week.

The city off-sets the cost by charging people to purchase it back, if you want it for your gardens.

Daren

We don't use a container, and we don't bury it. We just leave it in a heap in the yard.

I don't use a composter. My lawn mower is a mulcher, so there are no clippings to get rid of. I have a chipper/shredder and everything else that grows here goes through it, vegetable garden plants and vines, tree trimmings, and raspberry canes. Most of it, along with the food scraps, goes right on the veggie garden. I save some tree trimming chips to use for mulch on the garden every spring, then till it in in the fall. I've gone from dense clay 25 years ago to fairly decent soil. I never use fertilizer or pesticides, and get good yields almost every year.

The directions that came with it recommend adding a little bit of nitrogen fertilizer to get the process going.
Serves the same purpose; I'd just get a couple shovel fulls of good soil for free and let the microorganisms get started.

We don't use a container, and we don't bury it. We just leave it in a heap in the yard.
That's basically what I do when I have enough leaves, but as the leaves break down I bury it, just a little to keep the animals/bugs away. I go around my neighborhood and gather bags of leaves. Just got some yesterday and now have a pile ~3 feet high and 6' diameter.

We've got 2 of the black plastic ones, a round one, and the square one. They both suck. Always digging out egg shells and orange rinds years later. The city went to the green containers about 3 years ago, they are about 3 cubic feet, and pick up is once a week with everything else. We have a small container under the sink, that gets emptied a couple of times a week.

The city off-sets the cost by charging people to purchase it back, if you want it for your gardens.

Daren
Some things don't breakdown quickly, like egg shells, corn cobs...but not really a problem if you bury it -- out of sight, out of mind. BTW, what do you do with this stuff when you dig them out?

As for meat, yes it will compost just like anything else, so I do throw small amounts in, but don't want to deal with large amounts. When I have a chicken/turkey carcass I throw it out back and either the neighborhood cats get it or I've had vultures get them...I got some pretty good pics of vultures. I then throw the bones in the pile.

As for meat, yes it will compost just like anything else, so I do throw small amounts in, but don't want to deal with large amounts. When I have a chicken/turkey carcass I throw it out back and either the neighborhood cats get it or I've had vultures get them...I got some pretty good pics of vultures. I then throw the bones in the pile.

Hey, that's cool. I adore vultures, as odd as that sounds. But do you not have raccoons and other rascals where you are? We have a lot of them, and they're dangerous. I also don't want to improve their overall success i.e. I don't want to contribute to a raccoon population increase. And what about other rascals, such as skunks?

Hey, that's cool. I adore vultures, as odd as that sounds. But do you not have raccoons and other rascals where you are? We have a lot of them, and they're dangerous. I also don't want to improve their overall success i.e. I don't want to contribute to a raccoon population increase. And what about other rascals, such as skunks?
Luckily I don't have issues with raccoons, skunks, mice... The only animals I've seen in my pile are Lizards, snakes, moles and birds, all hunting for insects or lizards.

I just got a new computer and haven't transferred all my pics yet, so I don't have pics (on this computer) of the vultures I've attracted. But I did once get very close to a group of Black vultures once while hiking the Appalachian trail, so I'll load up that pic (I like vultures also). However, the vultures I've seen in my yard are the Turkey vultures.

Some things don't breakdown quickly, like egg shells, corn cobs...but not really a problem if you bury it -- out of sight, out of mind. BTW, what do you do with this stuff when you dig them out?

Throw it back in the compost :). Just kidding, since we've being doing the city compost thing, we don't see much of our old stuff anymore. If we do find some stuff, I beat it senseless with the shovel, and bury it deeper, cursing my crappy composting.

Daren

Throw it back in the compost :).
Daren
That's what I do:thumb:

...since we've being doing the city compost thing, we don't see much of our old stuff anymore. If we do find some stuff, I beat it senseless with the shovel, and bury it deeper, cursing my crappy composting.

Daren
What is city composting? Here in Florida they take yard waste for composting (leave at the curb), but nothing else.

I never leave yard waste, too valuable, so valuable that sometimes I go and pick up others yard waste. And sticks I burn when I barbecue.

Luckily I don't have issues with raccoons, skunks, mice... The only animals I've seen in my pile are Lizards, snakes, moles and birds, all hunting for insects or lizards.


Gators?

Some things don't breakdown quickly, like egg shells, corn cobs...but not really a problem if you bury it -- out of sight, out of mind. BTW, what do you do with this stuff when you dig them out?

Chop 'em up with a shovel or a hoe.

What is city composting? Here in Florida they take yard waste for composting (leave at the curb), but nothing else.

I never leave yard waste, too valuable, so valuable that sometimes I go and pick up others yard waste. And sticks I burn when I barbecue.

A few years ago, the city gave us the 3 cubic foot green bin, with a lockable lid, and a small 1 gallon contain (for under the sink, or wherever). The purpose of the small container is to put any compostable waste in it, and put it in the big container, when the little one is full. When the regular trash collector comes around, its picked up with waste, and recycleables. It goes to a city run compost area, where they make it into compostable soil, that they sell. I can't remember what they charge, but it is cheaper than buying bags of mulch, topsoil, etc., from the local build-all.

Daren

Gators?
No, closest gators to my house is a couple miles away.

A few years ago, the city gave us the 3 cubic foot green bin, with a lockable lid, and a small 1 gallon contain (for under the sink, or wherever). The purpose of the small container is to put any compostable waste in it, and put it in the big container, when the little one is full. When the regular trash collector comes around, its picked up with waste, and recycleables. It goes to a city run compost area, where they make it into compostable soil, that they sell. I can't remember what they charge, but it is cheaper than buying bags of mulch, topsoil, etc., from the local build-all.

Daren

That's nice. Every city should do that.

My town makes compost out of trees. They deliver for free. We got a dump truck full a couple of years ago. When it was delivered, it was still steaming hot. I think it took a couple of days for the surface to cool off.