Garden -- Compost

Oldman · May 17, 2008, 05:26:26 PM

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.

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.

pensrock · May 17, 2008, 08:06:38 PM

You can't beat great compost for the garden. And the earthworms making worm castings are a great addition to the compost. Nice job!

Smoking Duck · May 18, 2008, 04:43:27 AM

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

La Quinta · May 21, 2008, 02:24:47 PM

I think we should all check in periodically on SD's wife?? :)

Wildcat · May 21, 2008, 02:54:38 PM

:D I agree! Based on some of his posts, she really has her hands full. ;D

Smoking Duck · May 21, 2008, 05:31:24 PM

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

La Quinta · May 21, 2008, 06:22:57 PM

So...we don't need to check on her?...funny that you never answered that...hmmmm...

Smoking Duck · May 21, 2008, 06:42:34 PM

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

La Quinta · May 21, 2008, 06:46:00 PM

Yeah my hubby doesn't think I'm that funny either!! (but he's wrong)!! WAY WRONG!! :)!!:)!!

huhwhatliar · May 22, 2008, 01:47:42 AM

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

La Quinta · May 22, 2008, 02:36:19 PM

And you're hummmmming about what slinky man?...Hope you live in a one story dude...:)

huhwhatliar · May 22, 2008, 03:12:47 PM

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

Smoking Duck · May 22, 2008, 03:32:15 PM

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

La Quinta · May 22, 2008, 03:36:39 PM

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...:)

huhwhatliar · May 22, 2008, 03:47:14 PM

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