Easy compost

[estorms]

Last year I put all my grass clippings on the compost pile(I have at least an acre of yard) I added all the kitchen vegetable peels, etc. and a few weeds. I turned it once or twice. I never watered or covered it. This Spring I have beautiful compost. I put on what I have when I have it and let it take care of it's self. This year I am moving the compost pile into the garden to make it easier to get to.

[rainbowgardener]

Everything you mentioned is greens. If you did not also put in some browns (e.g. straw, paper, fall leaves), you are lucky it worked as well as it did vs. turning in to a slimy, smelly mess, which can happen with an all greens pile. Even so, your resultant compost will not be as well balanced, providing carbon compounds, fungal life, etc as if your ingredients were a little more mixed.

[imafan26]

Rainbow is right. An all green pile does break down quickly because it has so much inherent moisture, but is usually a smelly, slimy mess for a while. It would be better balanced with both greens and browns and although you did add vegetable scraps, the pile was made up of basically grass clippings. It is better to have a compost made from a variety of plant sources.

You are lucky your pile worked out. I don't have a lot to work with except weeds and crop residues which are all greens. When I try to compost that in a pile, the compost pile grows weeds and even branches and stumps that I have thrown in sprout. I ended up bag composting, which was mostly just to get rid of the weeds or I take it down to the dump. I do most of my composting in the worm bin.

[rainbowgardener]

the vegetable scraps and pulled weeds are green too....

[Dillbert]

so,,,, I'm with with estorms.

whatever organic "schufft" I have goes on the compost heap. I don't even attempt to worry with greens / browns / purple aliens.

up to the point of "turned it a couple times"

I put it in a heap, I don't turn it. it can rot or slime as it chooses.
in the spring I fork it around and dig it under.

compost, my way.

it is possible to over-tweak the issue.

[brinboise]

it is possible to over-tweak the issue.

I agree ... your method and mine are similar.... and it works fine

[toxcrusadr]

The tweaking will get you a greater return of nutrients, since the smell is the aroma of nitrogen wafting away.

But clearly it all leads back to compost one way or t'other.

[imafan26]

You must not have added much water or had rain. If your grass was partially dried and not freshly mowed, it would have had a better result. As you say it worked out for you.

[estorms]

This year I intend to get a load of sawdust to mix with my grass clippings and weeds. I am not religious about mixing and layering, I just want more. I am not putting leaves in my pile because of the hickory nut trees in my yard. Except for the back yard, they go to the burn pile.

[rainbowgardener]

I didn't understand that, not putting leaves in the pile because of hickory nut tree?


All types of leaves can be composted, including oak, pecan, hickory and walnut (don't use walnut leaves exclusively due to a plant growth inhibitor in them)
https://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/home ... ttext.html

Even the juglone growth inhibitor thing with walnut trees I think is a bit over-rated. I have two shrubs and a flower bed right under/next to my big old black walnut tree all mixed in with the roots. It is pretty shady there, so everything has to be shade tolerant, but they are all doing fine.

[tomc]

I am not putting leaves in my pile because of the hickory nut trees in my yard. Except for the back yard, they go to the burn pile.

Sounds like Estorms is trying to avoid juglone, while a hickory makes less juglone, it too does make some.

[estorms]

My soil is very infertile, I've had early blight two years in a row, and what little dirt I have between the stones packs like concrete. I am doing everything I can to get things to grow. I have had the soil tested, put on all the amendments recommended, and have decided to go with raised beds. This year I am building four, 8X4 feet. I am using screened topsoil and peat moss with compost. My raised bed I was using as a compost pile worked out pretty good except the bottom was full of tree roots. They were massed in there like coarse hair. My sister told me the tree will send out little feeler roots to look for nutrients. When they find something nice, like a raised bed full of compost, they send more. She says if I leave an air space between the bottom of the bed and the ground, they won't penetrate into the bed. Has anyone heard of this?

[toxcrusadr]

An air space? Sounds like a bed completely detached from the ground. It's more like a container then. I have not heard of doing this, not that it won't work. I think it would drain faster and therefore dry out faster in the summer. And containers need a very coarse container growing mix, so it may not work with soil. I have similar problems with roots, I feel your pain.

I would mix all those hickory leaves with the spring grass clippings and other stuff and make some great compost. Juglone will degrade, and actually more of it comes out of the roots than the leaves, IIRC. There have been discussions and links posted to actual testing, and although I can't quote them directly, I would not be concerned about using those leaves myself.