[Guest]

I've got like a dump pile that turns to compost after awhile that I put grass clippings, leaves etc. I've several pallets and was going to try to make a little bit better compost pile. Anyone actually good at turning out compost?

 

[Guest]

I can't be the only one on here composting...

 

[Ecks from Tex]

I have a compost pile the size of my truck. I compost nearly everything.

The keys are to layer brown and green materials and water each layer. Turn and mix as often as you can. And go into it with a plan, i.e. Build a pallet or fence container or something because otherwise you will just add layer after layer and it won't "cook" right. Go in with a plan and after you fill your first space, make a second one to rotate. Then I have bins for ready compost.

Don't let it get soggy by not maintaining pile. It will get bugs and you want to avoid pesticides because you will end up inhibiting growth of the plants later.

Also be very careful about composting invasive weeds. They'll live and end up in your lawn.

I also layer compost accelerator in my piles. It does a great job. You can get it at home depo or you can get some really good stuff at gardeners.com.

You can also spray molasses, which is a natural composting agent and used as a d-thatch product on lawns.

I will say do some research on what you can compost. For example, you may not want to compost your grass after a fungicide application, etc. But don't be afraid to compost entire branches and old plants, etc. They take a year to mulch but it will happen.

When I have compost, i use it as top dressing in the lawn, I combine with peat moss and use as potting soil, I top dress mulch beds as a soil amendment, I put in the bottom of flower and tree holes I've dug, and pretty much anything you can think of. My goal is to be completely sustainable from my property and be able to never have to bring dirt from outside my lawn again (except for sand of course).

Lots of helpful YouTube channels on it, but keep in mind they're all organic gardeners and will tell you do avoid chemicals in your compost materials. That's not necessarily true, but to be honest I'm still learning and not sure where I draw the line yet.

All I know is master gardeners tell you the worst thing you can do to your garden is bring dirt from somewhere else. Always better with similarly composed dirt/compost.

If you have any questions ask away and I'll do my best to answer

@firefighter11

 

[Guest]

@Ecks from Tex what exactly do you do for brown material. My pile is probably 75% all grass clippings and it turns into a sludgy pile when wet

 

[Powhatan]

@Ecks from Tex good info. I'm new to composting, just started my pile this month, and your info helps.

 

[Ecks from Tex]

@Ecks from Tex what exactly do you do for brown material. My pile is probably 75% all grass clippings and it turns into a sludgy pile when wet

Leaves.

If you don't have brown material, the compost accelerator is designed to be a substitute to the brown material so I would just apply that every time you turn the hot mix

If it's sludgy, you need compost accelerator and you may be using too much water. Each layer needs to be coated with water but don't drench the entire pile in the process.

When you turn it, you should be able to open the center of the pile like a volcano and see steam coming from the interior of the pile. That is the composting process - the "hot" compost

 

[Jconnelly6b]

@firefighter11 cardboard (remove tape and labels) works well for cellulose in the compost