trying2findmygreenthumb
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Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:42 pm
Location: Orange County, California

New to composting

Hello, I need some help.
I bought an envirocycle this summer. I've been happily putting my kitchen scrapes in the unit, some grass clippings, and pine shavings from the chicken coop . I turn it every other day or so,. The problem I see is that the stuff looks so "wet". Not nearly ready to put into the ground yet. What am I doing "wrong?"
Thanks

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soil
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:40 pm
Location: N. California

add more dry materials like some fallen leaves.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Here's something from the envirocycle website:

"How to make solid compost with the Envirocycle Composter:
To add biodegradable materials to the compost bin, simply unlatch the lockable flip-up door and add a 50/50 balance of brown dry materials and green wet materials. (Brown materials include leaves, dry grass, shredded newspaper, and other natural products. Green materials include fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, coffee grinds, and plant trimmings.) ... When your compost has matured, you can simply remove the barrel from the base, place it on the ground, and roll it to any location in your yard. "Unlatch the door or temporarily remove it completely to spread the solid compost on your trees, garden, and lawn.
https://www.compostbins.com/compost-bins/compost-tumblers/envirocyclecomposter.cfm?source=googleaw&kwid=envirocycle&tid=exact

2 things to notice: 1) specifies the 50/50 mix of greens and browns (see the sticky at the beginning of Compost Forum re greens and browns
2) the part about when the compost is matured (finished). They don't make a big deal of it, but it really is designed as a batch composter. That is you add a good sized batch of compostable materials and then turn it and wait until the compost is finished before adding any more. Then dump the finished stuff and load it up again. Otherwise, if you keep adding kitchen scraps etc, in an on-going way, you are always going to have a mixture of finished, part finished, and raw stuff in there all mixed together by the turning, with no way to get at the finished part separate from all the gooey stuff.

It's why I don't have one. You still have to have essentially a compost pile somewhere, to hold compostables until one batch is finished and you can start another one. So why not just have a compost pile?

trying2findmygreenthumb
Full Member
Posts: 27
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:42 pm
Location: Orange County, California

Gosh, I have never been able to make a successful compost pile. With your expertise, should I toss that stinky stuff out and start over or put a bunch = amounts of brown and try it out?
Thanks for your help.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Never hurts to try. Put equal amounts of brown in and then quit adding stuff (but keep turning) and see if it turns in to finished compost. Even in something like that, it will take at least a couple weeks, maybe more depending on what all you have in there, ambient temps, etc.



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