In the two images below it took 4 of us 7 hours to build this pile. On all of my original piles I build them tight. You can walk on top without a problem. The materials when first chipped in a pile looked almost 2X as large as this pile.
Due to the lack of nitrogen in the material I added 120 pounds of blood meal. There was just to much carbon (wood) material. This was done in many layers. Next I water each layer. Also I added 70 pounds of bone meal, 60 pounds of alfalfa meal and about 40 pounds of green sand.
Next week Saturday I will water the pile. The following Saturday I will turn the pile into a new spot...thus adding oxygen to the pile. After that the pile will be covered in water proof tarps. This will keep rain water from washing out the pile.
In 90 to 100 days I will turn this pile into what would take nature 4-5 years to do. Once the pile is turned into Black Gold and has stopped "cooking" I will add about 500 earthworms to it. They will continue to enhance the pile by what is called vermicompost. They will take the food value of that pile and enhance it almost 10 fold.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/compost/compost_side.jpg)
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/compost/compost_end.jpg)
As I turn the pile I will post new images. When totally done the volume of the pile should be about 40% of what is pictured.
Olds.
You can't beat great compost for the garden. And the earthworms making worm castings are a great addition to the compost. Nice job!
That is some serious looking stuff. I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands into this kind of thing. Course, I may have the authorities wondering what I buried under the piles ;D
I think we should all check in periodically on SD's wife?? :)
:D I agree! Based on some of his posts, she really has her hands full. ;D
Listen all, there's a reason I always have bruises all over me.....she's tough on me. Course, she says it all has to do with her "indoctrinating" me the correct way. I think she figured I'd be "indoctrinated" after 10 years, but I've always been a little hard-headed. Course, that helps when the cast iron is being thrown ;D She does have her hands full, though. I'm a little kid at heart. I've always lived by the motto: Every man dies; not every man truly lives. I always like to sing like there's no one listening and dance like there's no one watching. She sometimes disagrees with this motto ;D I do embarass her quite a bit. When we go out to eat, I always use the name Stallone when they ask. This way, when they call it out, every one looks at you and wonders. And while I have no specific proff of this, I think we get a table just a little bit quicker ;D. Course, being Italian never hurts the story either. :D
So...we don't need to check on her?...funny that you never answered that...hmmmm...
Ummmmmm, you can call, but I never let her answer the phone ;D This way she couldn't be called to testify against me for any reason ;) ;D ;D
Hee, hee......in all reality, she's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd put myself under one of those piles before I'd let anything happen to her. She does have a weird sense of humor though. Everyone else I know thinks I'm a funny guy. Let's just say that if I was a standup comedian and she was what my audience was comprised, I'd be on the soup line (NO SOUP FOR YOU!) ;D
Yeah my hubby doesn't think I'm that funny either!! (but he's wrong)!! WAY WRONG!! :)!!:)!!
Quote from: La Quinta on May 21, 2008, 06:46:00 PM
Yeah my hubby doesn't think I'm that funny either!! (but he's wrong)!! WAY WRONG!! :)!!:)!!
hmmmmmmmmmm????????????
Domenick
And you're hummmmming about what slinky man?...Hope you live in a one story dude...:)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 02:36:19 PM
And you're hummmmming about what slinky man?...Hope you live in a one story dude...:)
hmmmmmmmmming ::) one story, that depends on if I'm at my house or my apartment.
Domenick
Getting back to the original topic (man yins guys can really take something off-topic, can't you? For shame, for shame :o ;D)
What ratio do you normally put down in your compost piles Olds?
I was reading that a 3:1 (green:brown) works well. Is that what you normally would have done? The reason I ask is that I bag my 2.5 acre lawn and I can see where getting that 3:1 ratio would not be a problem for me at all.
Thanks!
SD
Just lookin out for stairs...slinky man...just stairs...no more...no less...
And SD...you are a major thread highjacker...at least I apologized to Olds...:)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 03:36:39 PM
Just lookin out for stairs...slinky man...just stairs...no more...no less...
Both have stairs, the garage has 3 stories of stairs. Also I have learned don't let anyone (of the female persuasion) be behind me when on stairs :o ::)
Domenick
And that would make...you...uh...chicken excrement? :) (Did I spell that right?) :)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 03:49:07 PM
And that would make...you...uh...chicken excrement? :) (Did I spell that right?) :)
Spell check...............................Everything OK LQ. Continue to post :D
heh...heh...heh...:) thanks Ice...now I'm good with excrement...:)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 03:49:07 PM
And that would make...you...uh...chicken excrement? :) (Did I spell that right?) :)
Just very, very careful :P :P
Domenick
Does Chris ever get on the forum? Just a question...doesn't mean anything...:) uh...really doesn't!! :)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 04:56:26 PM
Does Chris ever get on the forum? Just a question...doesn't mean anything...:) uh...really doesn't!! :)
First off I don't believe you ;) We have an agreement, I don't bother with her forms and she don't bother mine. When she is in town on chat nite she will sit with me. She was here this past tuesday and will be here this tuesday. NO, NO, NO LQ you will not be able to chat with her :o
Domenick
Now that I am fully confidant how to spell "that word" I will only use it when appropriate...now would be a good time...:)
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 04:48:59 PM
heh...heh...heh...:) thanks Ice...now I'm good with excrement...:)
I don't think there was any doubt to that at all LQ :o ;D :-*
Quote from: iceman on May 22, 2008, 04:15:28 PM
Quote from: La Quinta on May 22, 2008, 03:49:07 PM
And that would make...you...uh...chicken excrement? :) (Did I spell that right?) :)
Spell check...............................Everything OK LQ. Continue to post :D
Thanks Ice. Wait untill I send Ann a add on to her spell check, when she used it it changes all the words to Shinney Carrots :D ;)
Back to subject....
Now these images are of the pile when we turned it today. It has been two weeks.
In this image you will see that just after 2 weeks the course stuff is greatly reduced. The white stuff is steam coming off of the pile.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/compost/comp1.jpg)
In this image you will see the steam more clearly:
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/compost/comp2.jpg)
The trick to building a pile is a balance of carbon and nitrogen. To much nitrogen and the pile will go over 160 -165 F and kill the microbes that do the work of breaking down the pile. I've been keeping and eye on the pile and it is running a good 155-158F.
You turn a hot pile (like this one) every 14 days to add back air and water. Or it can sour and if that happens it is all but game over man. Correcting a sour pile is a bitch. I know I created one many years ago.
It looks like 90 more days and the cook will done and I will be adding the composting worms...
Now as to the value of this I suggest for starters if a member here is interested to do a search on compost tea. If a member does have interest and does look it up I will be glad to further my knowledge.
Olds
Olds,
Is the correct balance 3 green to 1 brown? I think I remember reading that somewhere but wasn't sure if it was more complicated than that or not. Also, how do you know if you have the correct balance? Is there a test kit available that measures the balance? I imagine when I get the books, I'll know a lot more but was really wanting to get my pile started today as I'm just out the door to cut the grass.
SD
That is amazing...I think I read somewhere (or somebody told me) that if that was in some sort of enclosure the compost could actually explode? Is that accurate?
LQ I could be off (Olds will answer!) I don't think it will explode, but it could catch fire..We've seen cotton bales do that...not pretty cause you can't put them out..
C
It only really made any sense to me at all because of the "brewing" gases...I'm interested in the earthworm part tho...really...
Quote from: Smoking Duck on May 31, 2008, 11:42:16 AM
Olds,
Is the correct balance 3 green to 1 brown? I think I remember reading that somewhere but wasn't sure if it was more complicated than that or not. Also, how do you know if you have the correct balance? Is there a test kit available that measures the balance? I imagine when I get the books, I'll know a lot more but was really wanting to get my pile started today as I'm just out the door to cut the grass.
SD
I go 50 -50 mixture, and I don't care for layering it. I like it well mixed instead. While there are as many ways to compost as there are ways to fix chicken this my preferred method. Today the pile took that young man 4 1/2 hours to turn. My rule of thumb is once the carbon pieces (wood) has been reduced to a fine feeling soil I will allow it to cook out by not adding any more nitrogen. Once it is cold I will add the worms. Normally I do not add them directly to the pile. I have set up several earthworm farms. This time I'm going to add them directly. The pile will be moved to a more shaded area and there will a "tent" over it to keep out the rain water. I will also add some clean builders sand as the worms need it to break up the food in their guts. After a few months that pile will become a living Micro-Society that makes everything grow.
Never heard of a pile exploding, but I've seen photos of a fence that caught fire. This is due to to much nitrogen. This is one reason I go a little light on the nitrogen in the beginning, so as turn it I can see where more is needed.
Like I said there are about as many ways to build a pile as there are ways to cook chicken. Also keep in mind that by me using blood meal for nitrogen it releases fastest the food that the microbes need.
Olds
Really quite facinating Olds...does ambient temp and humidity play any part? Just wondering...if we could do that here...in dry, arid and hot conditions...? And you may not know...
My assumption...at minimum...is that the pile would at least have to be in the shade? Especially after the "cook time" to add the worms? We have no rain...
I'm so shooting in the dark here...but I really think it's interesting...