/r/composting

Photograph via snooOG

A place to talk about decomposing materials into compost.

Compost - organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment.

Do you have a garden and want an easy way to make fertilizer?

Wondering what to do with all those table scraps, leaves, and grass clippings?

Make compost! It is easy to start and easy to maintain.

Share your tips, stories, ideas, pictures, or questions!

Post requirements:

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  1. Account must be at least 30 days old.
  2. Accounts must have a combined 100 karma points.

Posting Rules

  1. Be respectful to others - this includes no hostility, racism, sexism, bigotry, etc.

  2. Submissions and comments must be composting focused.

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/r/composting

156,843 Subscribers

6

Finally started getting larva in my compost.

I’ve always lived in apartments and had to be very particular about how I kept my compost, so it’s never been tended in an ideal manner, and in the past I’ve always had issues with wet compost and not enough browns. This bin here has been going for several years and I finally got to a place where I can compost outside on the ground floor.

Now to the point of my post with that backstory out of the way; I intend to build or get a proper composter that’s easier to turn and aerate, but I was adding some browns over top this morning and noticed it was filled with larvae. I was pretty excited since I know that they’re excellent for breaking down the pile, but I was wondering what type of larvae these might be since they don’t look like BSFL, fruit fly, or house fly larvae. So I was simply wondering if you good people had an inkling so I can reassure my wife that they aren’t mosquito larvae. Thanks!

1 Comment
2024/03/11
20:27 UTC

1

Temperature sensor & data logger

As I'm making alot of woodchip, manure and coffee ground compost ( fungal dominated ) I'm looking for a data logger to record temperature.

Something like this ;

ThermElc TE-04 ET Temperature Data Logger with External Sensor, PDF & EXCEL Report, USB Data Logger Big Screen, LED Alarm, 35000 Readings, Waterproof, Calibrated for Lab/Clinic/Refridge https://amzn.eu/d/br0zQzk

Ideally I'd want something easier too download data onto phone via Bluetooth . Any advice any1 on products

7 Comments
2024/03/11
18:14 UTC

3

Small White Worms?

Hi,

I started my very first Tumbler compost about a month ago, one side is full and I am getting started with the second side.

I have noticed many flies and tried to add more browns, more liquid, still seeing many small flies..

Last week we had a day of heavy rain and the next day I found these little worms on the top of the tumbler. I have not added any worms to my compost bin, but I would not be surprised if any of them are forming on their own. I'm still curious if these kinds of worms are expected? Is a sign of good progress or should I be doing something different?

All inputs are appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/tx6oz9kmwqnc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2ceb9c9c2fb25ab3366490c57a3da07faa8e60e

1 Comment
2024/03/11
18:06 UTC

4

Really old weed/comfrey tea - safe to use?

Is there any freaky biology that takes over after it sits around a while? I made about 5 gallons in July and only used a little of it. It's been outside in a closed pickle bucket since.

I just opened it and it doesn't look or smell scary and there's no visible mold, but I want to be sure. Thanks.

4 Comments
2024/03/11
17:30 UTC

9

First Haul

This is my first batch, started October last year. Kitchen scraps and cardboard mostly at 2:1 ratio. Seemed wet so I mixed in dry grass 8 and 4 weeks ago once the weather warmed up. I laid it out on a tarp over our future garden location to take a look. Netted about 10 gallons.

I can clump it into muddy balls easily, but it smells very earthy. No rotting smell. The most recognizable thing in there are eggshells (brown and white) and other than the recent grass and leaves I added, nothing super recognizable to me.

How am I doing? I think this is usable, but will it gain any additional benefits if I leave it out to dry for a while? I am debating adding more dry grass or cardboard as well. Located in central Texas so it is pretty dry here. We're excited to get our starters planted and then use this up!

4 Comments
2024/03/11
16:37 UTC

126

House came with a compost bin

How do I care for something this large? There are two more sections the same size.

27 Comments
2024/03/11
13:57 UTC

1

Can leaves break down without moisture? Question about composting in chicken dustbath.

Hi. I am wondering if my idea will work.

I was thinking of getting one of those tall 30" raised garden beds to use as a dust bath for my chickens. The dust bath will be under a canopy so it wouldn't get directly rained on. The bottom of the bed is open to the ground and will have direct contact with the earth. I was thinking of filling the bottom 2/3 with leaves and then the rest with soil for the chickens to use for their bath. My idea is that the leaves will break down over time and I would have nice compost in the bottom. However I don't know if this will happen since the bath will be covered and won't be getting rained on. We do get heavy rains in my area so there will be times when some moisture comes through the ground but I don't know that it would ever be fully saturated.

Would this method result in compost/leaf mold or am I just trapping dry leaves under dirt?

Thanks so much for any input.

4 Comments
2024/03/11
13:12 UTC

8

Want to build three bin system in a yard that floods easily… strategies?

Hi there,

I’m planning on building a 3-bin compost system, and need help mitigating the level of rain we get here in coastal SC.

I want my bin to have ground contact to encourage worms coming in, but at the same time I’m afraid of excess water ruining my compost. A tarp will keep the water from pouring on top, but the standing water surrounding the bin will still swamp any design I can think of that will still maintain ground contact.

What kind of solutions are available for people in my position?

6 Comments
2024/03/11
03:36 UTC

3

Horse Manure Pile Question

Follow up to my original post.

So I did cover it as everyone suggested. Its been sitting out there for 6 days. We dropped to 30F this morning but I checked the pile in multiple spots and it was 110F. It mostly consists of horse manure but it does have a small amount of hay mixed in. Age of the mix is both newer and older from a huge pile where I got it.

Question 1: Do I have too much nitrogen as the pile is predominantly manure? I have a new wood chipper, should I add wood chips to balance more carbon? How do I know?

Question 2: Do I need to get it to 130F to kill weed seeds? Does that mean it needs more nitrogen? Or could the lack of carbon be a limiting factor?

Please educate me as this is my first pile. Thanks in advance!

5 Comments
2024/03/11
01:48 UTC

40

I got worms! (A thank you to the community)

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of my pile wondering if I was doing anything wrong and was assured I was doing everything right and just needed to trust the process. I just moved my pile into a big cardboard box with holes in (it’s been pretty windy so I did that to help it from blowing around) and I saw worms found their way through the thick clay soil into my pile! Thanks everyone for the reassurance!

1 Comment
2024/03/10
21:31 UTC

8

Interested in getting started but question about raccoons

I live in the suburbs in the woods and have been informed it is not environmentally friendly (I thought it was oops) to throw food scraps off the back porch into the woods, so I’m interested in getting a compost bin instead. My one big question is, does the compost bin need to be raccoon proof/ is there a feasible way to make it raccoon proof? There are a lot of raccoons in our neighborhood/ woods (neighbors feed them intentionally….) and, since they can climb basically anything, and have hands, I didn’t know if it’s even possible to have a raccoon proof bin, or if it’s just a moot point.

Thanks in advance. I’m still doing research into compost bins but I’m leaning towards

22 Comments
2024/03/10
20:22 UTC

2

What is this insect next to my compost pile [North Texas]

1 Comment
2024/03/10
19:34 UTC

4

Ants in compost

I have my compost in a 40L paint bucket and it recently filled up with ants, I've been adding water to it but it hasn't helped, is there any solution for this or should I just leave the ants be?

8 Comments
2024/03/10
15:52 UTC

12

Would you add it and pee on it? You bet Jurassic I would.

6 Comments
2024/03/10
04:26 UTC

0

Will these ants be a problem long term?

Will ants at the base of this drilled out trash can be a problem for my food scrap compost bin?

6 Comments
2024/03/09
21:39 UTC

5

Lots of clay soil from leveling area around raised beds.

Hey all, this winter I leveled the area around my raised beds so I could put pots around them. I ended up with a rather large amount of excavated soil which I piled in my backyard. The pile, right now, is a mixture of probably 10-20% top soil, 10% compost, 10% uncomposted organic materials and 60-70% clay.

My plan is to continue to add and mix in organic materials and slowly work it into my raised beds over the next few years until, hopefully, it's gone.

Question is, is there hope for this mixture to be useful in the garden? Will the addition of food scraps and other organic materials help break it down/loosen the clay up? Or, should I be looking at other avenues to use/get rid of the pile?

9 Comments
2024/03/09
18:00 UTC

5

We have some charcoal that was left out in the rain for months (oops)

Can we compost this? It hasn't been burned, so it's not the ashes, just the charcoal itself. If not, how would you recommend disposing of it?

In the UK.

9 Comments
2024/03/09
17:47 UTC

15

Best way to remove worms from finished compost?

So I use my finished or mostly finished compost in recycled potting soil because that shit is expensive!

However, I feel really weird trapping worms in a pot, so I try to get them out before mixing (also helps remove the walnuts that squirrels inevitably bury).

Anyway my method for the past few years has been to sift with my hands a shovelful at a time and toss worms and intact pinecones and such back into the bin.

That’s… a lot of work, and I’m hoping there is One Weird Trick I can use to save time and energy. Everything I had on hand to try to sift with was too small, and I’m reluctant to buy something else without a testimonial.

I think I read about using water to make them retreat but I also don’t want to risk drowning them and idk if it would work that well anyway

There’s got to be a better way! Any ideas?

28 Comments
2024/03/09
16:54 UTC

1

110 degree compost pile, too hot to use?

I finally moved into a property where I'll have a yard big enough to make a significant amount of compost.

In the meantime, I ordered 8 yards of compost from a local producer. It was delivered (dumped) yesterday at 4pm and this morning at 8:30am it's already at 110 degrees. My understanding is finished compost should not heat like this. I planned to dig this in and plant into it this weekend. Will I regret this?

7 Comments
2024/03/09
16:52 UTC

17

Compost from entirely mulched dead leaves and fresh cut grass?

Hey all, I'm pretty new to this and trying to figure out the green/brown balance to my pile. I've got a really big yard with lots of trees. My question is, can I make decent compost just from mulched dead leaves in the fall, and fresh grass clippings in the spring/summer? We don't produce enough food waste for the green side of things compared to the amount of leaves I've got every year. I wasn't sure if just fresh cut grass would balance it out or if I'd need to find other sources.

9 Comments
2024/03/09
15:38 UTC

2

Cow manure

Hello everyone, I was curious if there’s a fast paced way to turn fresh cow manure safe for my garden?

2 Comments
2024/03/09
15:07 UTC

15

Cardboard and paper

I am new here and have not seen anything about using paper for browns. Along with all the kitchen waste, which we generate about 2-3 gallons a week. We toss in used paper towels (no cleaners),napkins, copy paper, cardboard, plain paper mail etc. I shred all my Amazon boxes, cereal boxes that aren't shiny, dull soda boxes etc. I also use my neighbors horse manure/shavings. I fill a 25 gallon trash can full of shredded cardboard and paper every 2 weeks. It's mostly air. I don't believe the cardboard is ever actually recycled at the curb. All that cardboard makes the fluffiest soil! The vegetables grow and produce beautifully. And we're keeping the landfills free of some stuff.

15 Comments
2024/03/09
14:57 UTC

50

I started composting because I have Guinea pigs.

Hello! I’m new to composting and started because I have Guinea pigs. I understand that I need a certain ratio of wet materials and dry. Sometimes it seems like dry is referred to as browns, am I understanding that correct? Will the leftover hay from my Guinea pigs qualify as this material or does it fall more into the greens category? Am I also correct in assuming their poops are safe to add as well?

Final set of questions. I also live in south Texas. I see people talking about watering their compost piles, is this something I may need to do as it starts to heat up in the summer?

Thank you!

9 Comments
2024/03/09
13:35 UTC

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