Jen's avatar
Jen farmerjen@nostrplebs.com 3 months ago
Anyone making supercharged compost? I read about it yesterday so today combined my two compost piles with biochar to see what might happen. I had one pile of normal composting garden and vegie waste and the other was just animal bedding and manure. I'm excited to see what the outcome is and how quickly it might break down with all that mix of microbial life. Anyway long way to ask the question... How do you compost at your place? #homesteading #farmstr #gardening #compost

Replies (10)

GJM's avatar
GJM 3 months ago
I recently started composting using a tumbler and a cage. Haven’t been through a complete cycle yet but it all looks promising!
Default avatar
npub19vw7...m7ps 3 months ago
Anything that has lived can live again. It will compost into soil if you give it enough time. For fast hot thermophilic compost I like a pile accessible from all sides which is easy to turn. At least a cubic meter of material covered with a tarp to keep it moist. If it doesn't get hot its too dry or too wet or not enough nitrogen (fresh greens, manure, kitchen scraps). If it stinks its probably too moist (anaerobic) ie not enough air. If it gets too hot (lots of nitrogen) you loose a lot of volume which turns into gasses. You evolve an intuitive feeling for the right mixture and when to turn. If you turn every second day to keep it hot it will sanitize into healthy soil within 18 days (berkley method) . I recomend Jeoff Lawton as a good compost guru.
1 replies ↓
rev.hodl's avatar
rev.hodl revhodl@cornychat.com 3 months ago
rev.hodl's avatar rev.hodl
**Finally putting finished compost to use from the chicken composting system, dressing an onion garden bed in the food forest!** Horse manure is collected, making compost piles in the chicken paddock. The chickens break the piles down, finding bugs and other food to eat within the piles. The chickens get free high quality protein from the piles and they pay a yield eggs for their work in helping to turn the piles. The piles are rebuilt daily moving them slowly from the rear of the paddock towards the front. Once the pile reaches the front of the paddock the compost is done. The first pile of compost for this season is finished and now being used to fertilize a garden bed in the food forest for planting onions. #permies #permaculture #homesteading #meshtadel #chickens #compost #foodforest #vlog View quoted note →
View quoted note →
Default avatar
nobody 3 months ago
i cannot bear to throw away any food scraps or biodegradable things especially with anyone anywhere suffering starvation so i have a compost pile in a trashcan with holes drilled in it at the bottom i throw all my scaps in there with dirt i barely turn w/ a shovel or water it it has a lid it breaks down in its own time
1 replies ↓
Default avatar
npub1k2rv...0zh5 3 months ago
Can't wait to experiment with BE beneficial organisms and compost tea. Just don't do it in a pyramid! Nothing will happen if it's pyramid is aligned properly.
1 replies ↓
Jen's avatar
Jen farmerjen@nostrplebs.com 3 months ago
It's in a pallet sized compost bay as a cube shape. Its getting warmer here and raining now so I'm thinking I'll leave it uncovered but as it dries up I'll add some water occasionally.
signoi's avatar
signoi 2 months ago
This is how we used to do it and it worked great. Two top load side-by-side cubic meter bins made from juniper and 1/2” hardware cloth, with side doors for unloading. Used to get wheelbarrows of produce scraps from a local grocery. Only problem in the city was rats. It didn’t smell like sewer, usually tended towards piss (nitrogen), and it made great compost. We’ve avoided it since moving because we don’t want to attract rodents, but maybe there’s a way.. fortunately our scraps can go in the yard waste bin and get composted by the municipality. Have tried bokashi but it smelled like sewer and I gave up.
↑