Compost advice...to pile or bin

missyyclaire

Every time I throw away ends of veggies, peelings, egg shells etc, I feel this pang of guilt. It's been occurring to me that I should invest in either a compost bin or pile. Being a novice gardener, I appreciate that home compost might just be the finest thing I could do for my gardens...and be a good citizen by recycling.

Any gardeners out there care to comment and advise? I live in Texas where we have black dirt mixed with some clay. I've been trying amend the garden soi little by little. My property has quite a few beds that have been negelected over the years. I've refreshed about 20-25% of the beds, but obviously have lots more to go.

I also have a dog and was told by our trainer we could compost her poo. Wow. He reccommended Bil Jac food if we were going to do this. Does it matter?

slocorry

Hi Missy,

I, too, have just started composting. I made a chicken wire pen and have been adding yard clippings and some kitchen waste. All the info I've read said that you do not want to put dog poo in your compost bin as it's basically the same as human waste. Such a shame cuz I have two large dogs Oh, well, I have been told you can add dog hair and human hair from brushes and also horse manure. I also add coffee grounds. Let's hope we both have mounds of "garden gold" in a few months' time!
Also, the county I live in has compost bins for sale at a greatly reduced price. So you might want to check that source.

jennyrider

I would not recommend using your dogs poo as compost material. I have a steel trash can with a lid that I use as my compost bin. Things seem to be perkalating just fine.

sunkisses

I live in a townhouse/villa in the suburbs, and my "yard' is concrete. I used 2 Rubbermaid bins (the big blue ones that look like you could easily fit 2 toddlers in them - ahem, don't take that the wrong way ) I drilled holes all around the sides 3/4 of the way up and through the bottom for aeration and it allowed the earth worms to get in and do some work. I threw my scraps in plus some cheap Black Magic soil to keep the initial stink down.

It takes a while for your scraps to turn to dirt. So throw in lots of veggie scraps, throw in hair (human or animal), eggshells, coffee grounds and filters. I also throw weeds in there. Wait a week to 10 days to turn your compost. Add soil from time to time. When you chop up potatoes and throw them in, they're likely to turn into new potatoes if your compost is deep enough. This is how I ended up with 2 bins. You'll end up accidentally growing a lot of things in there. FL receives a lot of rain, though. So if in TX you don't, and you want to grow things in the bin, water your bin as well.

I would only put animal feces in if they were eating pure, real food, not processed stuff. So maybe that's why the suggestion for Bil Jac food? I don't know. Good luck!

PS Keep a little bin in your kitchen that you can empty in the compost bin daily. Makes life easier.

mem50

When we had a garden we did the bin. It was just a simple three sided wood enclosure. Made it a little less messy. Just remember to turn it every so often.

As for the dogie doo-doo, I have no clue. We had cows and pigs so......

Just went to google it. Says you can use it for ornamental (flower gardens) but Not for food crops.

NatalieWinning

Ihave a 3 wire bin system. Looks like these: http://www.gardeners.com/Wire-Bin-Composter/20706,34-646RS,default,cp.html

Open and in the shade most of the day. I keep 3 bins (about 3cubic foot each) so I can throw in raw things that will rot and toss over some partially composted stuff on top, or grass or garden clippings to cover it. No flys, rot, or stink, in my plan. I won't put the dog poo in it because I don't want to handle it when I turn the compost. I put all vegetable mater in there from the house, mowing, and gardening. I always mix in grass clippings with the rest into a cleared out bin if I can so I can layer it. Grass is "hot" and nitrogen rich so it will stink and "rot" if not mixed in. But it 's great to heat up the more carbon things like headheaded garden clippings and small sticks. No meat, no fat, no paper, no dog doo for me.I want it to get hot in the middle of the pile naturally, but papers take too long to break down. Bread I will put in there. I keep a covered container in the sink for tea, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps and any bread ends. I haul it out, toss from old stuff on top of it so it will break down faster and not be an ugly stinky fly attracting eyesore. When it's too dry I water the compost. After 3 -5 days when I have time I'll go turn the whole thing into another bin tomix it up and jumpstart the process. When I do that consistantly it composts into a great loamy addition to the garden. I can get about 3cubic foot of compost finished every year. There is a covered plastic bin I got from freecycle. I use that in frozen winters here to put kitchen scraps until it thaws. The minute I htink it's thawed I turn it into last years stuff. I save back some carbon like stuff to toss into the "greener" stuff and kitchen things when I get them. I don't have a lot of leaves , so I have to save up things like that when I can. Loooove my compost! I get volunteer flowers pumpkins peppers, and other things growing beside it that make me happy, too.

djdeth

It is actually highly recommended to not use your dog's poop for compost. I was going to do this with my dog, but the more I researched the more that I found that it could have VERY bad conscienceless. I have seen people online do it, but I wouldn't recommend it. As for a compost bin, or a pile ... I would use a bin unless you have loads of compost. It costs more money, but I found it easier.

misslissa555

You shouldn't put egg shells in either or raw meat scraps! I think it's because of bacteria or something. I have a bin in my garden that is a Sterilite/Rubbermaid bin. I read online to just put holes on the sides of it from a semi big nail but not too big. I have a cover on mine but it is full of ants. UGH! I think a pile would have been better but I didn't want my landlord to freak out so I used a bin. I don't think I'll be able to use it in the winter time because it might crack. I have at least 200 worms in it. I bought around 150 of them from Walmart in the fishing department and the others I get after it rains. I go outside and dig and lift rocks to find them.

Good luck! :bigsmile:

Helice

Our government sent us round these tiny compost bins and told use we had to use them and that they would come and collect it.
The problem with these is that they were containers that had to be kept inside.
And compost absolutely stinks..
Another thing is, why should we do this for them..
So they stopped doing it, but we all got to keep the containers..
The thing with compost is that it really has to be an outside thing.
But when left outside it attracts snakes, etc..
And depending on where you live, it could become dangerous.
And if you keep the compost bin next to the fence that separates yours and your neighbors gardens, the smell could really piss them off..

jennyrider

Sprinkle some crushed lime in it every now and again. Supposed to cut the acidity and kills any larva that may be thriving (like maggots).

sunkisses

You shouldn't put egg shells in either or raw meat scraps! I think it's because of bacteria or something.

You can compost egg shells. I've been doing it for years. No problem. I researched before I began my compost. But, you're correct, you can't do meat. You want earth worms, not maggots and flies.

livnlite

The reason fecal matter (although high in nutrients, especially nitrogen) is not currently used for compost material is because it can harbour harmful bacteria and organisms, and even disease.. more specifically from any meat eating animal or human.

It is probably not wise to spread that to a flower bed where it could come in contact with people (including the gardener) .. and especially it is not healthy to utilize in consumable products like vegetable or fruit plants/trees.

jennyrider

The reason fecal matter (although high in nutrients, especially nitrogen) is not currently used for compost material is because it can harbour harmful bacteria and organisms, and even disease..

Are you saying dog poo or poo in general?

NatalieWinning

Here's my system. Cheap, has enough volume to compost up to 160 F in the center when its reallly cooking. The next empty bin is the one I start forking it into when I get more material.

catelabow

If you have the room, I'd pile rather than bin. Piling it up is free. But it just depends on your yard. I have a pile I try to turn frequently and sometimes mix in shredded paper from work (acidic). I also have a "tumbler" that came with a base, but instead I roll it around the yard and let the good stuff leach into the soil in various beds. The openings in the bottom also let the earthworms in to do their work. Composting is great!
Tip for collecting the smelly stuff inside: try keeping it in a gallon plastic bag in the freezer until you're ready to take it outside. That keeps it from smelling and kills any fruit fly eggs.

catelabow

Wow, that is some gorgeous compost, nammyl!

NatalieWinning

Wow, that is some gorgeous compost, nammyl!

Why thank you! I've been doing it this way with less attractive bins for years. This was a plastic square with lid and no bottom having vents on the sides. It was sold by the city then. I found it better than nothing, but over the years I decided my wire cube 3 bin system was the best for me. When I had only one I took it apart (pins at each of the 4 corners) and just reassembled it and tossed the old stuff to the location right beside it, mixing it. Here's me 14 yrs ago. Before that, I built a 3 bin system with 2 X 4's when my older kids were little. That would put it at 22 years i've been composting! Wow!

livnlite

The reason fecal matter (although high in nutrients, especially nitrogen) is not currently used for compost material is because it can harbour harmful bacteria and organisms, and even disease..

Are you saying dog poo or poo in general?

Yes .. as does any animal or human that eats meat. Just look up the hazards of handling septic material. Know anyone that handles poop that doesn't wear gloves? ... Have you ever wondered why it is recommended to wash your hands after going to the bathroom?

missyyclaire

Everyone has contributed such wonderful information, thank you! One of you mentioned leaves for compost. Have I got leaves! I've got 6 Oak trees, 1 Pecan, 3 Hackberries, 1 Peach and numerous tall things that no one knows what they are. Leaves are at an endless supply around here!

I will be pondering the best place to put a compost pile, it will certainly be full! I love the idea of encouraging the worms. A few years ago we started our first beds, amending an old bed by our driveway. The dirt was so hard and rocky with NO worms, but we perservered and added lots of organic compost and mulch from the nursery. This year when I planted white Caladiums, the soil was nice and soft and full of long healthy looking earthworms. Go worms, do your aerating poop thing!

Easy question...we make lots of Jasmine iced tea (steep 4 bags with 1 bag of Tulsi). Can I toss in the tea leaves, and the bags?