# My composter



## pmkrv12 (Mar 15, 2012)

Hi all,

We have composter now for several months and recently I have been adding the straw from my chicken coop to it. As I harvested my potato tower I took some of the dirt full of bugs and added that too.

My question is do I add water, or make it wet better said? It seems all very dry.

Thanks

Peter 


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

In most cases the organic matter you are composting should be a little damp for best composting. Don't get it too wet though.

It would help if you had a photo of your composter. It might vary somewhat depending upon what type it is.


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## pmkrv12 (Mar 15, 2012)

mosquitomountainman said:


> In most cases the organic matter you are composting should be a little damp for best composting. Don't get it too wet though.
> 
> It would help if you had a photo of your composter. It might vary somewhat depending upon what type it is.


thanks Mountain man, I guess with the straw going in I was wondering if it got to dry. here is a link to a picture of my composter 
http://www.joyofworms.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/earth-machine-composter-jpg.jpg

thanks PMK


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I think straw breaks down much slower than most other regularly composted items.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

If you have a lot of straw and need to go bigger look into "Pallet Compost Bin" or "composter made of pallets"

Compost organisms can't do their job if they are dehydrated


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

hiwall said:


> I think straw breaks down much slower than most other regularly composted items.


It would need more N in the form of "green" to speed it up. 
Wet grass clippings, green leaves, etc


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

pmkrv12 said:


> thanks Mountain man, I guess with the straw going in I was wondering if it got to dry. here is a link to a picture of my composter
> http://www.joyofworms.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/earth-machine-composter-jpg.jpg
> 
> thanks PMK


I have one of those in my garden. It's okay but doesn't work as good as they advertise it (but then what does?).

Add plenty of fresh green stuff as LinkTex said. Keep it a little damp but not soaked. If it's too wet it will stink. At that point either add some dry stuff or just let it drain a bit. I keep the lid off mine most of the time to let the rain keep it damp. I've never had any luck scooping the finished "compost" out through the little door while just adding more to the top. I just keep filling it until it's full (add more as the base composts down). Then I let it sit for the winter and it's ready to use by spring. I just take the black part off and scoop the compost into the wheel barrow.

The best compost method I've ever used was to take a roll of 2X4 fencing about four feet tall. Cut off sections long enough to make a cylinder about four to feet in diameter (three of them is about right for me). Bind the ends together to make three (or more if you want) cylinders. Now start filling the first one with compostable materials. Generally you want a dry layer like straw or leaves, then a wet (green) layer like kitchen leftovers, grass clippings or plant tops as you harvest things like carrots, etc., then scatter a thin layer of dirt. Keep adding layers like that until the cylinder/bin is full. Now begin the same thing on the next one. Spray them with water if they get too dry.

Stick a steel pipe into the middle every week or so and let it stay there a few minutes. Remove it and see if the part that was inside the compost pile got hot. Be careful it may be over 100 degrees if everything is working right. If it isn't hot after two weeks add more water. You may have to use the pipe to get some inside the pile.

After about a month or so set up your third cylinder next to the first one and fork/shovel the compost from the first pile into the new cylinder. Don't mix in any new material with this pile. The stuff in the first pile should be breaking down nicely by now. I normally just pull up on the outside of the wire cylinder and remove it from around the compost pile to make the shoveling easier.

Do the same with the next pile after it's set for a month or so.

You'll know when the compost is ready for the garden by it's texture. This method will get the compost hot enough to kill the weed seeds as well.

Watch for snakes. They like to lay eggs at the warm, outer edge of the compost pile. You'll know they are there because when you push the shovel into the nest of eggs the snakes will start crawling out everywhere including up the shovel handle! It gets kind of exciting the first time it happens! 

The bins made using pallets are good too. I just like the wire ones best.

Also, use the same 2X4 wire fence for letting your peas climb. Roll the fencing out where you want the peas planted then stand it up using steel posts. Plant a row of peas along each side. The peas will climb the fence. The fence will hold them upright making them a lot easier to pick. At the end of the season take out the posts, lay the fence over and roll it up. The pea plants will stay in the fence and be pulled up by the roots. Once the fence is rolled up set it aside until the vines dry completely. Then on a day when it's safe to do so set the plants on fire. They'll burn hot and fast and when done the fence will be clean and rolled up and ready to use again next year.

It doesn't get any easier than that. :cheers:


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

mosquitomountainman said:


> Also, use the same 2X4 wire fence for letting your peas climb.


Is that 2" x 4" wire fencing? I really like this idea.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Toffee said:


> Is that 2" x 4" wire fencing? I really like this idea.


That's the stuff.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

mosquitomountainman said:


> Watch for snakes. They like to lay eggs at the warm, outer edge of the compost pile. You'll know they are there because when you push the shovel into the nest of eggs the snakes will start crawling out everywhere including up the shovel handle! It gets kind of exciting the first time it happens!


http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg022006598694.html



> Posted by renais on Thu, Feb 28, 08 at 20:14
> The presence of snakes in our outdoor compost piles was the major reason I went to composting inside the greenhouse. It is also important to note that baby venomous snakes generally cannot control whether or not they inject venom when they strike; an adult can control this.
> 
> Consequently, baby snakes pose a more significant risk: they are harder to see, and more likely to inject if they strike. We have a zero tolerance policy for snakes because of the significant danger to us and others, particularly children. A fair number of them meet the end of a hoe each year. Some of the glue traps also work to catch the small snakes. In our area, right next to an outside compost pile is probably one of the best places to put the glue traps.
> Renais


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

These were just bull snakes (AKA Gopher Snakes). They liked to lay their eggs in the compost. A lot of times the shovel would hit a nest and break open a bunch of eggs. The snakes would come boiling out. They are a very beneficial snake to have around.

Never worried much about poisonous snakes in the compost. All of the Kansas natives gave live birth and tended to avoid people.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

hiwall said:


> I think straw breaks down much slower than most other regularly composted items.


All straws are browns & will break down slow.
Pine straw has a wax on it that keeps it dry longer, which makes it a great mulch.
To compost any large or hard to rot martial use a lawnmower or chipper.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

crabapple said:


> All straws are browns & will break down slow.


It helps to mix lots of "Green" (nitrogen) in with the "Brown" (carbon).
Mixing the two helps each other break down.


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