I am looking for new ways to add air pockets to my compost to keep it from matting down too much, so my bean pods all go in the compost to help with that. My thinking is that a layer of crunchy bean pods are just rigid enough to trap a bit of air for the microbes to breathe. I am tossing in empty toilet rolls and egg cartons as well, for the same reason.
I agree, bean pods and other fibres nice additions. I learned quite a bit about composting from two gardeners in particular here @Dirtmechanic and @Alasgun . I didn't know that air is a big part of the composting process, and I think Dirtmechanic posted a photo once of long pipes with holes drilled into them that were laying in the base of his compost pile (please correct me if I'm wrong on details Dirtmechanic). Alasgun has a homemade fermented compost amendment, I can't remember what he called it, but it's in his thread somewhere. But it's an all-natural compost accelerator; I've wanted to try it myself, but I was finally able to just till up my 14 year old compost pile last year and turn it into a garden. (It was badly done with its green to brown ratios). I wish I could compost more. We have so many bears that it's tricky to do without attracting them even more. I have so much kitchen waste it's a crying shame that I can't use it!
It is always important to blow air.
For those put off by the correct technical terminology, regular cultured buttermilk is your source for a type of lacto bacillus, and feeding it old milk you will throw out anyway is efficient... If you put a tablespoon of buttermilk into whipping creme you will make what the old French Chef types called Creme Friache'...one day warm and then put it in the fridge. Kinda like a sweet nutty sour cream except it has structure and so you can cook with it.@heirloomgal, thanks for the kind words; let me fill in some of those blanks for you! Adding aeration to a compost pile is pretty common and accomplished several ways. Perforated pipes (via @Dirtmechanic) is one method but for us i simply prefer to turn the pile. This is pitchfork work and it takes me roughly an hour to turn one bin. (a pickup bed size pile). Part of my preference is to keep the pile blended which turning accomplishes And lets me make any additions i want as i go along. One addition that get’s turned in every spring is Lacto bacillus serum which is quick and easy to make and doe’s a good job of activating the pile in the spring. It’s an organic digester utilizing anaerobic bacteria.
On the subject of Bears. I know how easily they acclimate to people garbage BUT this is generally thought of as garbage in a can as in “easy meal”. We don’t have the population density you do but we still have them pass thru this area regularly and i’ve often wondered how my operation might affect they’re behavior? We compost ALL kitchen scraps which is a 2 gallon bucket every other day along with a 5 gallon bucket of rabbit offerings every 2-3 Days. In addition to that i keep a 55 gallon poly drum half full of Salmon carcassas in various degrees of decomposition right by the compost area and never have had even an errant dog bother anything. The lacto is what i use to dissolve the fish carcassas and the drum has a tight bulkhead fitting so there’s no smell; to us!
Anyway, a few things to ponder And i re-attached the lacto how to if anyones interested.
We are definitely on the same page with this. I try to occasionally add small sticks and twigs for air, in stacked layers kind of like as you do when playing Pick Up Sticks. And I believe the woody material may also contribute beneficial fungi and bacteria that aren't necessarily present in yard waste and kitchen scraps, which is mostly what I put in my compost bins. Whatever large or undigested pieces are left when I empty the bin form the bottom layer of the next bin to be filled, to get it off to a good start. Usually that is a lot of avacado pits and skins, corn cobs, and broccoli stems-- but I think I will take your advice and add a lot more wood to the mix. Up until now I have only added a very small amount of woody material.
It is also rare for me to turn a compost pile. The creation of the layers is something that I enjoy, kind of like making a lasagna where I give some thought as to what I will put in next. When it is full I top it off with either composted manure or bunny poop, and then I put a lid on it and wait. I usually just let it sit until it has reduced to about 1/3 of what I started with, and then I use the compost on whichever beds I care the most about at that time. I used to try to put a thick layer of compost on the soil, but now I am content with adding thinner layers just to innoculate the soil with micro-organisms. If I am in a hurry to free up the bin I have a half bin that I can move the mostly finished stuff into, so that it can keep doing its thing for a few more months. The lazy approach has worked well for me so far.
