Best Composting Tips

[ducks4you]

I actually see some breakdown in my new composter!
I didn't think that would happen until late next month, so I am well pleased!

 

[Moon888]

what did you make your compost heap with? Got any pics? Thanks Linda

 

[ducks4you]

DD removed 20+ wheelbarrows full of used stall bedding yesterday. Now, to be Fair, I would have had, in my Prime, filled them higher than She did, but still I kept her company and thus participated in composting the results.
She dumped it all on the west side of the garage.
I should say, that when I have to leave the ponies in their stalls for up to a week, I keep throwing straw and shavings in the stalls to keep them dry.
I started the "off the pasture" 2024-2025 season with 400 bales of hay, and, since I still had straw, over 60 bales of straw, enough to be generous.
Gotta do Something with it!

 

[ducks4you]

what did you make your compost heap with? Got any pics? Thanks Linda

If you are talking about my new composter, I am following general instructions, 2 parts dry, 1 part green. Mostly I am throwing used coffee grounds, along with the paper coffee filters, but anytime I cut off onion tops, or any vegetable part that doesn't go into broth making, like lettuce that has gone slimy, it now goes into the composter and I turn it 3x, as per instructions, as well.
Can't find it on THIS laptop, but I copied an online article many years ago that might help you, since you live in a tropical climate.
This article suggested creating 5 spots for composting piles.
One is left empty. Every week you are supposed to move one pile to the right starting with the pile directly LEFT of the empty one. This aerates your compost piles and makes them break down faster.
Too much work for me!
I have been cleaning horse stalls on This property for 25 years now, and I noticed that pine shavings that are buried take at least 5 years to break down on their own.
Although the garden tiller has become a bad machine of late amongst gardeners, it does work well for aerating used stall bedding, and mine has straw, fine pine shavings, pine pellets broken down to powder, and all mixed with horse urine and horse manure. This breaks them down faster.
I have my original 12'x~30' main garden bed pretty well amended by now, and I have been dumping and later tilling used stall bedding in this bed. First year I used it it was totally clay and plants went there to die.
In 2024, the south part of the bed grew the largest tomatoes I have Ever grown, you know, the ones that you see in images on the Internet that fill your hand?
In 2022, I grew pumpkins and other squashes there, as Fall cover crops that I started by seed in July. I actually got a harvest, too.
They died down and made this bed even richer.
In 2023, my knees were getting worse, and I grew very little there.
I was only able to grow there last year, bc middle DD was visiting to help me and she put up my tomato fencing, 6 ft high and 12 ft long, secured with 6 ft high metal fencing posts. My garden seat also made it possible.
IF I could bury deep enough I would also bury used beef bones, after broth making, but I can only throw them to a landfill right now. I Might tackle and figure this one out, too...we'll see.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I have 3 barrels to use for compost and they are too big for me to handle when full. I just realized, I do not have to fill them to the top. I can fill them way less and dump and put back in. I am dumping them out soon and I will use what I have for the raised beds that I am going to make this year. I have a lot of straw from the rabbit bedding that i can put on the bottom.

 

[Branching Out]

I have 3 barrels to use for compost and they are too big for me to handle when full. I just realized, I do not have to fill them to the top. I can fill them way less and dump and put back in. I am dumping them out soon and I will use what I have for the raised beds that I am going to make this year. I have a lot of straw from the rabbit bedding that i can put on the bottom.

I compost. Here we use three of the big black lidded plastic compost bins. I like that the bin tapers at the top and has no bottom, so when it's time to flip the compost the bin just lifts off. That feature makes it really easy and even kind of fun to flip. No heavy lifting involved.

 

[digitS']

No heavy lifting involved.

Too much heavy lifting here ... I have 5, 5-gallon buckets and the wheelbarrow to use for compost and grass sod transport to other garden beds or to the compost "bins." The large pots are full of yard clean-up stuff to go in the trash. So, I'm limited for "material handling equipment."

I have finished filling 1/2 the below ground bins (pits) with sod and I'm 1/2 way to removing sod over a new bed. Digging out the bed as well as the shovel can do, cutting dead tree roots, applying compost and covering with soil as I go along. Initially, sod was removed to be buried in a 2024 bed, 2 layers of sod beneath 8-10 inches of soil. Now, I have the pits under the greenhouse and chicken coop decks so I'm and digging and moving sod after digging and moving compost ...

Winter compost occupied some of those buckets and was applied with the sod. I have one more current bucket and it will go into the next of the 6 pits to fill. I'd like to have more of that diverse material but may decide to go off to the garden center for a couple of bags of manure to layer in the middle of the sod layers. Those peelings and such from the kitchen would be a better choice with grass sod. Anyway, bluegrass sod makes very good compost.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

I compost. Here we use three of the big black lidded plastic compost bins. I like that the bin tapers at the top and has no bottom, so when it's time to flip the compost the bin just lifts off. That feature makes it really easy and even kind of fun to flip. No heavy lifting involved.

Smart to work Smarter, not harder. I am going to do the same, using my gasoline pump to put gas into ALL of my power equipment. I am working through a pulled right lower back muscle as I work on PT, pre July knee surgery.
I have found that working on straightening out my left leg and stretching it and walking left straight leg takes all of the pressure off the muscle and allows me to walk without the pain.
I have been Looking for an excuse to not take any more pain medicine...except at night.