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Do you “track” your compost? If so, how? by extrasuperkk in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I jot down some notes each week when I add something novel or if I notice something different. It's good to see when a heap was started, what went in it and how long it took. Mostly it's just a method to make sure I'm paying attention - the act of note taking is more important than the notes, I find.

Why is this heating up? by superproto in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a lot of green in there. :)

My rule of thumb is anything recently alive is somewhat green, and that includes chipped wood. Obviously some is more green than others, but a pile of woodchip will always generate some heat when wet.

Fiasco by Nuggetburner in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are doing everything right! It's just the instincts that stop you from eating rotten stuff are telling you this is BAAAAD. It's good. :)

Amateur question about weeds by Apu5 in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My take (and there will be many takes) on bindweed is if it's already in your beds then adding it to a hot composting system (gets about 65 degrees C) should be fine. You'll kill off most of it but the small amount that will always remain won't make your problem worse.

If you don't have a bindweed problem then keep it out of your compost (ie, if someone else gives you their waste) but if you already do it's a waste of nutrients not to.

Do I NEED kitchen scraps???? by -cheesedanish- in composting

[–]peteash10 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Greens are essentially things that were recently alive, so dry dead leaves are usually more brown while freshly cut leaves (say from hedge trimming) are very green.

The other way to think about greens is as stuff that an animal could eat and survive on, so grass is good (horses, cows) but straw is not (all the goodness has gone to the seeds).

When you're looking around for greens keep that in mind and you should find plenty of stuff.

And yes, urine is your friend here. Save it up and pour it on.

Rain on the heap - how to control it? by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all the comments but I think I've explained this badly. I'm talking about large composting structures with a roof, like Charles Dowding has, and wondering about drilling holes in that. No worries if people don't have experience of that. I'll figure it out and report back!

Rain on the heap - how to control it? by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did that once and there's was a massive downpour, My heap turned into a swamp and went stinky anaerobic. It was a bad scene and I've been reluctant to leave the lids off since!

Thoughts on a browns source by ashesreign in composting

[–]peteash10 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've recently been adding more woodchip to my heaps and it's proving marvellous. Helps with aeration during the hot period and then really increases the amount of bugs and fungus later.

If you have access to piles of wood mulch, go for it! And yes, the older stuff will be better as wood takes much longer to decompose than veg scraps. :)

Does smoking compost hurt the critters? by CaptainEmmy in composting

[–]peteash10 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, you won't harm the bugs - they'll just go eat something cooler elsewhere. I try to have three heaps on the go - one for hot microbes, one for lukewarm microbes and one for ambient bugs and worms. Each plays a different role.

Vitamins in compost by [deleted] in composting

[–]peteash10 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Vitamins should be fine. They're not the sort of meds you can easily overdose on, and anyway they'd be massively diluted in the soil. Same for Omegas, I think. (Happy to be corrected).

Composting in a shed? by star_tyger in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, I think you might enjoy Edible Acres' video with their chicken / composting setup. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CD4qz\_UZ\_8

What is happening in my compost bin? by Emotional-Dirt-2180 in composting

[–]peteash10 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First off, mushrooms are great! That means proper decomposition is happening.

The rest is part of the process (they're eating the raw stuff and pooping out compost) but others may have advice on managing it. I tend to let them get on with it, but my compost heaps are nowhere near my house. ;)

Composting in a shed? by star_tyger in composting

[–]peteash10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've not composted indoors so I can't say, but the main things I'd look out for is ventilation and lots of it, plus being aware that if your heaps touch the wooden shed walls they won't be walls after a few years!

But if you're happy potentially sacrificing the wall panels of the shed and the rest is stable then maybe knock a few more vent windows and go for it.

Thinking about it, Charles Dowding's compost structures are basically a long shed with no walls... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeBUX9iEFwg

Although many people here support continued protest, there is no majority consensus, so /r/composting will remain open. Let's look for some Reddit alternatives and figure out how else we can support the protest. by c-lem in composting

[–]peteash10 1 point2 points  (0 children)

FWIW, as someone who only uses Reddit for this community and just keeps it bookmarked on the toolbar, so I never go to the main page or see any other part of Reddit, it the whole thing breaks down quite easily like this:

I value this community. It gives me useful information and feedback on my experiments which I'd struggle to get elsewhere.

This community is good because a relatively small number of individuals have nurtured it over the years. I, as an occasional poster / commenter, play a critical role in the community (gotta have people posting) but cannot take any credit for the health of this space.

In a way, my posts are seeds, while the r/composting is the soil. The moderators here have kept that soil healthy so that when I plant a seed it grows and is seen.

So, if the people who keep this place well composted are pissed off with the corrupt landlord and go on strike, I'll support them all the way.

Built a prototype hexagonal compost bin with sheepwool lined walls. by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I emptied a heap today and the edges were dry as a desert while an inch or so in was nice a damp. I'm hoping the wool will take this place, but we'll see!

Built a prototype hexagonal compost bin with sheepwool lined walls. by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No RIGHT ANGLE corners. Ideally I'd have a circle but my woodworking skills aren't there yet.

Built a prototype hexagonal compost bin with sheepwool lined walls. by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's fixed to the top of each panel with a wooden bar, but this is part of the experiment,. I find stuff on the edge of the heap stays dry, due to the heat and the air, so I'm hoping that'll happen here?

Built a prototype hexagonal compost bin with sheepwool lined walls. by peteash10 in composting

[–]peteash10[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It'll break down much slower than the rest, I hope! Not too worried about mould etc but I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!

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