Hi all
I was told by someone from the joraform company that coffee grounds could probably not be used as a carbon source instead of sawdust or wood pellets because it would not absorb enough moisture or provide enough carbon. They said they had not tested it which I found rather disappointing. Of course the grounds can be added and will compost very well so we do add a bit but not instead of sawdust which we luckily managed to source from a carpentry shop.
A new question I now have after using these rotating bins for a couple of weeks is whether there is anything we can do about the large number of maggots in the compost? The 50 degree plus heat is not killing them when we rotate the bins. Anyone know if there is a way to reduce them? it puts the students off wanting to put the food waste in them every few days..
I have been told to use Diatomaceous earth - is this the best option? I hope I can buy it easily and that it is not un-environmentally friendly (through its extraction environmental damage and transport?)..
Thanks
D
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toxcrusadr
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Are these fly maggots (the small ones) or very large segmented ones? Either way you definitely want to address that.
Diatomaceous earth might work fine, it is just mined and ground up former seabed. But I would be looking at the causes - likely too much moisture and too much nitrogen (ie not enough browns).
As for coffee grounds: They are a mild green, almost perfectly balanced. Certainly compostable but do not count on them to add much on the green or brown side. And yes they are already wet, so you can't count on them to absorb any moisture. I would put them in anyway because they make fantastic compost when blended with other materials.
I wanted to respond to earlier discussion about using compressed wood pellets. I am sure they work fine, but I would go with a free brown material like shredded paper, leaves, sawdust from a woodshop, etc. I think you mentioned students - are you in a school here? If so is there a woodshop?
Diatomaceous earth might work fine, it is just mined and ground up former seabed. But I would be looking at the causes - likely too much moisture and too much nitrogen (ie not enough browns).
As for coffee grounds: They are a mild green, almost perfectly balanced. Certainly compostable but do not count on them to add much on the green or brown side. And yes they are already wet, so you can't count on them to absorb any moisture. I would put them in anyway because they make fantastic compost when blended with other materials.
I wanted to respond to earlier discussion about using compressed wood pellets. I am sure they work fine, but I would go with a free brown material like shredded paper, leaves, sawdust from a woodshop, etc. I think you mentioned students - are you in a school here? If so is there a woodshop?
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Guest
Yes, am at a school, so the Science teacher has taken some of the maggots into the lab so that they can see what comes out after pupation - then hopefully we can identify more easily. (Great learning opportunity for students too - one of the points of composting canteen waste)...
We do not have a woodshop/ workshop at school. But, in the city I found a carpentry shop where we can get the sawdust and wood shavings (sawdust is supposedly ideal, but we are going to try with the shavings too [they won't absorb much moisture but hopefully will add good structure to the compost end product]).
We will add some coffee, but not too much. Shredded paper is a no no for these tumblers because apparently is bunches up and forms balls too easily..
We do not have a woodshop/ workshop at school. But, in the city I found a carpentry shop where we can get the sawdust and wood shavings (sawdust is supposedly ideal, but we are going to try with the shavings too [they won't absorb much moisture but hopefully will add good structure to the compost end product]).
We will add some coffee, but not too much. Shredded paper is a no no for these tumblers because apparently is bunches up and forms balls too easily..
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toxcrusadr
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I have tried all sorts of things over the years and have now settled on the following system which works well in the UK producing compost from all kitchen waste (I do mean everything, whole chicken carcasses go in and all your find in the compost is the thigh bones) I also chuck in shredded paper and some brown card board (such a toilet roll tubes).
I use a Jora 250 composter which I found copes well with our family of 4-6 and 4 Bokashi bins.
Kitchen waste goes in the the Bokashi bins first on a cycle so that each one is emptied and filled in turn which takes about 3 weeks but once you get it going it is just continuous.
This process is anaerobic in a sealed tub and seems to infect the compost with microorganisms from the Bokashi bran which produces vinegar which I draw off and dilute with water to fertilise the plants and everything goes pale without seeming to break down very much.
I then empty each Bokashi bin into the Jora composter as I need a new one with 7 mug fulls of sawdust pellets. This then gets really hot and within a week or two breaks down into compost (but I keep adding bins and pellets in the same proportions until that side of the compost bin is full which takes about 4 -5 weeks at our house). I twirl the composter whenever I pass it but no more than twice a day.
I then fill up the other side and by the time that is full the compost in the first section is ready. I then sieve the compost with a wire seive and use it in the garden. It is quite strong stuff so it is fine on grass but other wise I mix it with soil before use. The larger lumps get thrown into the main garden compost heap. I get wheelbarrow full of seived compost each time.
The only other addition I have is that my composter is outside on a stand that is sold with the composter (it does smell a little probably because either I am not using quite enough wood pellets or I am putting the waste in batches and not as recommended in little bits as it is generated but you don't notice it when it is outside) and have rigged up a big plastic garden tray with a hole in one corner over a bucket to catch the liquid that comes out as that is good diluted and put on the plants or chuck on the main garden compost heap.
All in all works a treat.
I use a Jora 250 composter which I found copes well with our family of 4-6 and 4 Bokashi bins.
Kitchen waste goes in the the Bokashi bins first on a cycle so that each one is emptied and filled in turn which takes about 3 weeks but once you get it going it is just continuous.
This process is anaerobic in a sealed tub and seems to infect the compost with microorganisms from the Bokashi bran which produces vinegar which I draw off and dilute with water to fertilise the plants and everything goes pale without seeming to break down very much.
I then empty each Bokashi bin into the Jora composter as I need a new one with 7 mug fulls of sawdust pellets. This then gets really hot and within a week or two breaks down into compost (but I keep adding bins and pellets in the same proportions until that side of the compost bin is full which takes about 4 -5 weeks at our house). I twirl the composter whenever I pass it but no more than twice a day.
I then fill up the other side and by the time that is full the compost in the first section is ready. I then sieve the compost with a wire seive and use it in the garden. It is quite strong stuff so it is fine on grass but other wise I mix it with soil before use. The larger lumps get thrown into the main garden compost heap. I get wheelbarrow full of seived compost each time.
The only other addition I have is that my composter is outside on a stand that is sold with the composter (it does smell a little probably because either I am not using quite enough wood pellets or I am putting the waste in batches and not as recommended in little bits as it is generated but you don't notice it when it is outside) and have rigged up a big plastic garden tray with a hole in one corner over a bucket to catch the liquid that comes out as that is good diluted and put on the plants or chuck on the main garden compost heap.
All in all works a treat.
Just so you know, Jora changed this and as of about 5 months ago the JK 125 comes with the same height legs as the larger Jora.akt wrote:I just purchased the JK 125 composter. It looks like it will sit nearly on the ground and may be difficult to empty. Is there longer legs for this one. thanks, akt
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Ray Browning
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rainbowgardener
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toxcrusadr
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Wood chips or shavings are indeed a good material to mix with food waste. We've been using them for years here at my office to mix with food waste from the lunch room and a lot of coffee grounds and filters. Coffee grounds can really compact in the composter (we're not using tumblers) so the shavings are a good way to keep the pile aerated.
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wytzeschouten
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I am using the Jora JK125 in the Netherlands. After experimenting with paper and cardboard shreds for its carbon and moisture absorption in autumn, I got a big fruitfly problem. The dealer said this was due to too much moisture and perhaps too little carbon. So I switched to wood pellets.
The moisture dropped and the fruit flies disappeared, which may have had something to do with dropping temperatures. The compost started to feel warmer, though not exactly steaming.
A week ago all the dawn redwoods in our street shed their needles and I added a pile of those to a half full chamber of compost. After all this is much more ecological than buying a processed wood product that has to be shipped to my home.
This was a nice experiment, which for me is half the fun of composting, but the amount seems to have been an overdose. The compost has clustered into dry balls. I'm not sure if I should now add a little water, or just add more kitchen scraps to slowly restore the balance.
Pine/conifer/etc needles are helpful in keeping the compost airy, but they do not disintegrate as fast as food waste. This will differ from species to species, and I'm betting that needles from conifers that are shed annually are not built to be as durable as those that will serve the tree for many years.
My husband is concerned that pine needles will be coated with nasty stuff from the city air that settles on them in the course of a year. Me not so.
I like the idea of adding earhworms and other larger creatures to the compost. Why not do that as soon as you've formed a small base of composting stuff in which the worms can reasonably survive? And why not just add a scoop of soil?
The moisture dropped and the fruit flies disappeared, which may have had something to do with dropping temperatures. The compost started to feel warmer, though not exactly steaming.
A week ago all the dawn redwoods in our street shed their needles and I added a pile of those to a half full chamber of compost. After all this is much more ecological than buying a processed wood product that has to be shipped to my home.
This was a nice experiment, which for me is half the fun of composting, but the amount seems to have been an overdose. The compost has clustered into dry balls. I'm not sure if I should now add a little water, or just add more kitchen scraps to slowly restore the balance.
Pine/conifer/etc needles are helpful in keeping the compost airy, but they do not disintegrate as fast as food waste. This will differ from species to species, and I'm betting that needles from conifers that are shed annually are not built to be as durable as those that will serve the tree for many years.
My husband is concerned that pine needles will be coated with nasty stuff from the city air that settles on them in the course of a year. Me not so.
I like the idea of adding earhworms and other larger creatures to the compost. Why not do that as soon as you've formed a small base of composting stuff in which the worms can reasonably survive? And why not just add a scoop of soil?