Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I compost my kitchen scraps, grass cutting, and leaves in pots. I don't have room for composting bins or a space in the ground. It works fine, I have tons of worms and the kitchen scraps are devoured very quickly. I was attending a gardening class at one of our local nurseries and we got on the subject of using compost. The person leading the class said not to use compost in pots, as it is too high in nitrogen and will burn the plants.
I generally mix the compost with soil and have had good luck with growing my vegetables in pots, but wondered if I should be concerned? I am trying to not have to buy potting soil and was hoping that by mixing the compost with my regular dirt I could create a healthy soil for my container plants. Am I causing more damage to the plants and good? Please help.
Hardiness Zone: 10b
By Janice from CA
The below link is a similar idea to yours, but they use a small portion of ground to bury in the compost bin:
www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/
Burying a portion of it in the ground would be best. But if you plan to keep it in pots I would make sure your compost is getting plenty of oxygen by drilling small holes in the pot. Also moving the stuff around in the pot every couple of weeks would be good too. Add some moisture every now and then (but not too much moisture or it will start to decompose into a moldy mess which is not what you want. Mold can be very harmful to the respiratory system, you should use a dust mask when mixing compost anyway). Make sure your bin has a lid to keep the mold and other pathogens from entering your home! Keeping it outside or possibly in the garage would be best.
You may want to introduce some beneficial microbes like BOKASHI into your compost bin as well:
www.squidoo.com/
www.gaiam.com/
Some of the best things to put in your soil besides composted fruits and veggies is composted animal byproducts like fish emulsion, bonemeal, composted chicken crap etc. You would not want this in your compost bin but these things are very beneficial, probably more beneficial than composted veggie scraps from your kitchen.
Also, you will want some trace minerals in there. Azomite Powder and or Limestone Powder adds organic trace minerals to soil.
Hopefully all of this will insure a very large reward in your near future! Good luck!
I was wondering what type of pots you are using. I don't have a lot of space either and would like to do some composting.
I just have some large plastic flower pots that I've purchased at Home Depot. In fact they are the same large pots that I put my tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers in (I have a couple extra). I just started by putting in a little bit of soil in the bottom, then the kitchen scraps, a few dry leaves (when I have them) and some grass cutting that I saved in a trash bag from the summer. Each week I just add my kitchen scraps, a little more dirt, and if I have dry leaves or grass cuttings I'll add them. I mix it all up with a small trowel and cover the pot with a black trash bag. When I first stated I noticed after a couple of weeks a few red worms (they probably got in the pot either through the drain holes in the bottom or from the grass cuttings I had stored).
I never bought any worms at all they just appeared. And now whenever I turn the soil there are tons of big fat red worms. We have always had worms in our soil (big night crawlers in our grass) so I guess we live in an area where worms are very abundant. On a side note, the reason I cover the pots is to keep it dark, I read that worms like it dark. And during the warmer summer months at least once or twice a week, I add some water (not a lot) to the pots to keep it moist. During the winter the kitchen scraps have enough moisture.
I am very new at gardening. I am growing tomatoes, papaya, corn, peas, peppers, etc. I have started collecting all the the peelings from my fruits and vegetables in jars.
How long do I have to wait to mix it into my soil to add to my potted plants?
You probably want one big container v. many little ones. YOu also have to put a certain layer of dried plant matter/dirt interspersed with the fruit peels,etc. YOu also want to cut the peels as small as possible and avoid puting in citrus peels and any sort of animal waste - except egg shells are good.
it takes weeks or months under the right conditions for a compost to work.
It takes a few months of hot weather to decompose. You will know when it's ready when it looks like thick black mud.
I really should have asked the question before now, but this is the question or problem. I started to make compost for my organic garden, I used carrot shavings, potato peels, apple cores, banana peels, and whatever veggie scraps I had at the time. I threw in some dirt and a little water and made sure I stirred it up.
Now here is the problem, its been raining and more water got inside the little bucket of compost. The mixture has turned into mud and with the extra water it smells bad almost like someone took a dunk in it, but I thinks its the potato peels that stink. I still see part of the apple core, it's black.
My question is: Can I still use the bucket of mud as compost. Should I drain the water out of it. Or should I put more dirt in it, or just dump it in the garden. What should I do?
By Angie
What you really need are some leaves or grass clippings. From what you listed, you have lots of greens but not a lot of browns. You want a ratio of 2 to 1 or at least 1 to 1, browns to greens. So at least the same amount of browns (grass clipping, leaves and other yard waste) as greens (kitchen scraps). To get rid of the muck, you can drain the water and add some dry dirt, then try to find some good yard waste to complete the recipe.
Drill holes in your composting bucket to let air in and excess water out.
How can you get a very large pile of grass and horse manure to break down quickly?
Hardiness Zone: 4b
By Margaret from Omaha, NE
Keep it wet, for more info go to-how to compost, good luck.
Turn it several time a week and keep it moist but not dripping.
It takes oxygen as well as water to get the compost bacteria multiplying quickly. You'll know it is finished when it no longer is as hot when you turn it.
If your grass clippings were green and not dry, this pile is going to be very high in nitrogen sources and lacking in carbon sources. Do you have any fallen leaves, shredded newspaper, wood chips, or other low-nitrogen waste you can add to it? High nitrogen piles tend to be more smelly, if I remember correctly.
How do I compost eggshells properly so I don't add any disease to my soil? I am new to composting. I do not have organic eggshells to compost. I've read about so many eggs having disease.
If I hardboiled eggs, then I put the eggshells in the compost because the eggshells have been boiled. However, many times I use eggs out of the shells, so I have been washing the eggshells in the dishwater and rinsing them clean after I am done doing the dishes.
What is the appropriate way to handle eggshells for compost use?
By Carol Rodriguez from South Bend, IN
I just rinse them out and then crush the shells into small bits before adding them to the compost heap. Crushing them speeds the decomposition.
I hadn't thought of the disease factor, though. No-one has ever got sick from eating anything I've used compost on but we never use anything raw from the garden either. I think if you wash salad veg, and cook other veg thoroughly, anything grown in the compost you should be OK.
Are the balls good to put in my compost pile?
By Bill
Is it OK to have a composting box next to a vegetable garden? I'm having problems with insects eating my spinach and chard. I'm thinking that they are coming from the composting box.
By Ian
Check out these photos.
I'm reminded of a joke Redd Foxx told. He said two maids were discussing their employers' garbage. One said, 'You wouldn't believe the good stuff they throw away'. The other said, 'Yes, I would. I bring home all my boss's grape skins. I don't put 'em in their garbage'.
