I need to increase the volume of my compost pile in less time. Do you think it would be alright to add different store bought (mushroom, cow, chicken, etc.) to my cuurent homemade pile to increase?
Thanks...Venom in TN
-
Venomous_1
- Cool Member
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:59 am
- Location: Murfreesboro, TN - USDA Zone 6b
-
rot
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 728
- Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:15 am
- Location: Ventura County, CA, Sunset 23
..
That's store bought compost right? Not uncomposted in-laws or anything.
The thing about the compost types you listed, mushroom, cow, chicken, in-law, etc, is that they tend to be limited in their ingredients and therefore limited in the stuff living in them and therefore limited in what they will return. No BFD.
Take your home made stuff and mix it well with the store bought stuff. If your home made stuff isn't finished, let the newly mixed batch cook a little longer and let the living critters in your home made stuff migrate and inoculate the store bought mixed in. Spread the life and that will be the payoff.
We have a mushroom farm not too far away. If I ever bother I could get loads cheap plus the price of gas. I would mix it like hamburger helper in my regular home made stuff. Otherwise I'd get a limited return nutrient and life wise. I understand the mushroom stuff often can stand a little more cooking anyways.
Have at it.
To sense
..
That's store bought compost right? Not uncomposted in-laws or anything.
The thing about the compost types you listed, mushroom, cow, chicken, in-law, etc, is that they tend to be limited in their ingredients and therefore limited in the stuff living in them and therefore limited in what they will return. No BFD.
Take your home made stuff and mix it well with the store bought stuff. If your home made stuff isn't finished, let the newly mixed batch cook a little longer and let the living critters in your home made stuff migrate and inoculate the store bought mixed in. Spread the life and that will be the payoff.
We have a mushroom farm not too far away. If I ever bother I could get loads cheap plus the price of gas. I would mix it like hamburger helper in my regular home made stuff. Otherwise I'd get a limited return nutrient and life wise. I understand the mushroom stuff often can stand a little more cooking anyways.
Have at it.
To sense
..
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
For more volume, if your property and kitchen doesn't produce enough materials (a little hard to imagine, given how much comes from my little city lot), bring home some from other places. A good combination is other people's bagged up fall leaves (browns) and coffee grounds ("green" 
) from Starbucks or other places.
For faster, the main thing is more turning. Ultimate in that is get your self a compost tumbler. I haven't tried them, but they say they produce finished compost in a few weeks.
) from Starbucks or other places. For faster, the main thing is more turning. Ultimate in that is get your self a compost tumbler. I haven't tried them, but they say they produce finished compost in a few weeks.
-
The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
Paper scraps (office looking to ditch it's shredding bags?) would be a good fit...
You want more browns (carbon) than greens (nitrogen) if you want to bulk up (you want more in general anyway). Mushroom compost is pretty caboniferous by design, but can have salt build-ups. I'd say that would be a good fit, just be sure to rinse it pretty well...
HG
You want more browns (carbon) than greens (nitrogen) if you want to bulk up (you want more in general anyway). Mushroom compost is pretty caboniferous by design, but can have salt build-ups. I'd say that would be a good fit, just be sure to rinse it pretty well...
HG
Last edited by The Helpful Gardener on Fri Mar 19, 2010 12:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
Bloody Boots
- Full Member
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:03 am
- Location: Wisconsin
-
Venomous_1
- Cool Member
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:59 am
- Location: Murfreesboro, TN - USDA Zone 6b
I've got one pretty good size pile (3x3x3 foot) 'cooking'. I turn everyday, sometimes twice, but I'm still concerned that this is not enough. That's why I'm trying to bulkl it up some. My thought was to buy a bag of chicken, mushroom, moo-nure and humas and add a little of each everyday and stir in to increase the volume.
Also, I have a friend who has horses, in good ol' horse poop good for the pile at this point or should I start another batch?
Thanks...Venom in TN
Also, I have a friend who has horses, in good ol' horse poop good for the pile at this point or should I start another batch?
Thanks...Venom in TN
-
The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
WARNING!
About the only digestive system on the planet worse than humans is horses. They do a poor job of nutrient use and send huge amounts of undigested material, including weed seed, through unscathed.
So if you are thinking about adding horse manure to the compost, just know you will have to get it good and hot to be sure to eliminate weeds.
That said it's a fine addition, but be sure to get it cooking...
Your other compost-helper recipes seem fine, but the pile does seem like a minimal size fro good heat retention. Adding some bulk to all the other nitrogen rich stuff seems like a good idea. Think leaves, paper, sawdust (untreated), carbon intensive stuff like that, to add the real bulk. You are adding lots of bacterial side, but the carbon intensive stuff is where you will get your bulk from...
HG
About the only digestive system on the planet worse than humans is horses. They do a poor job of nutrient use and send huge amounts of undigested material, including weed seed, through unscathed.
So if you are thinking about adding horse manure to the compost, just know you will have to get it good and hot to be sure to eliminate weeds.
That said it's a fine addition, but be sure to get it cooking...
Your other compost-helper recipes seem fine, but the pile does seem like a minimal size fro good heat retention. Adding some bulk to all the other nitrogen rich stuff seems like a good idea. Think leaves, paper, sawdust (untreated), carbon intensive stuff like that, to add the real bulk. You are adding lots of bacterial side, but the carbon intensive stuff is where you will get your bulk from...
HG