newbie composter

[nachoqtpie]

So, my husband and I are new to all things farming, composting, etc! We never composted when I was growing up... at least we didn't call it composting... we called it mucking pens and waiting till spring to dump it on the corn fields before they were tilled!! LOL

So... we decided to give it a whirl!

We got one of those big black plastic bin things at Sams Club and started throwing kitchen scraps, some dirt, and some shredded newspaper in there. We did have it in a large rubbermaid bin before that and hubs was trying to keep it in the house and I put my foot down and told him it went or he did, so he finally set up the actual bin. Now, when we went to put it all into the big bin, there were maggots in it (EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!) should we be worried? I did add a bunch more shredded newspaper, and it seems to be blending in right nice!

I turned it today and didn't see any maggots, but, I didn't exactly have my head in there either. Should I keep a closer eye out for them??

 

[vfem]

Composting, I'm still not the best at it. I have a black bin and a huge pile at the back of the property... but its pretty much just 'there' until I get around to it.

This is DEFINITELY Boggy's department. He'll be a world of help. Try to look up some of his previous threads.... great info!

 

[calendula]

I think you had the right idea adding more newspaper. It does sound like you need more "browns" in your compost, like straw or dried shredded leaves. We turn our pile frequently, and if it seems that it's getting too wet, we add some sticks to improve air circulation. I don't think the maggots will hurt anything, but they are creepy.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I have been glued to this site most of the day!! LOL

Hubs really likes that I've been reading this all day and didn't even mind I didn't clean!!

 

[journey11]

I have been glued to this site most of the day!! LOL

Hubs really likes that I've been reading this all day and didn't even mind I didn't clean!!

That's easy to do! I try to get something done everyday. Had to can my FB...I'd much rather spend my free time on here!

Sounds like it's not getting hot enough. Kitchen scraps take the longest to break down. Theres a ratio to it, but I just compost stuff as it comes along. If mines not cooking well, I add grass clippings, spent hay from my horse and lots of manure...mostly chicken poo...to get it going again. I have a tumbler, but I do better with just a big ol' pile somewhere out of the way. I even bury dead stuff in mine and most of that kitchen waste will do better if you bury it too (otherwise, around here, it just draws oppossums.)

The thing with the maggots though, you want to get it hot enough to kill/prevent them. There are some very beneficial compost visitors, like soldier flies, that you can feed the larvae to your chickens if you have any, but plain old fly maggots will come back to haunt you...especially if your neighbor has horses! Then they come over and bite you all summer long, or the houseflies try to move in with you in the fall. I prefer not to help increase their numbers. LOL

 

[nachoqtpie]

Well.. the only other animals around here are some dogs and cats. Our one neighbor does have a few chickens, but because they let them free range 100% (I don't believe they shut them in at night either!) they only have a few left! We don't have chickens yet, but, we hope to have some next spring. I'm hoping to do the deep litter method to cut down on the smell as well, but I also want to do a raised coop, so I don't know how that will work. Would it work at all?

We live in a "community" but we are out in the country. I do plan on asking my neighbors on the one side if they would object to us having chickens before we get them. We do plan on only having hens, so we wouldn't have the crowing. Of course, I don't think that they would mind too much if we shared some of the eggs and produce.

We've thrown some dirt in with the mix as well to try and help things a bit. I think one of the reasons that it wasn't doing well is because 1) hubs had it inside (with AC... LOL) 2) it was in a green tub when it was outside. Now it's in a big BLACK recycled plastic commercial compost bin. I plan on trying to get it turned at least once a week.

 

[boggybranch]

Was there ANY meat in your kitchen waste? Never had maggots in my compost. Fireants?....Now, that's a different story.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Nope! No meat. But please keep in mind that this WAS kept in our kitchen for a few weeks before it was moved outside. I'm now battling about 289573984520934 files and about double that amount of fruit flies!!

That's another thing I'm worried about! How do I keep the ANTS out of it?! LOL

So far, with it being outside since Friday, I've turned it twice. I'm hoping that it being outside in a black container with some air holes, with some more "browns" that I won't have any problems with maggots ever again!

 

[boggybranch]

Keep the pile turned and "wet" (but not too wet) and the ants will move out. They HATE having their beds disturbed, regularly, and dampened at the same time. (Must make their tiny toes wrinkle up too bad)

 

[boggybranch]

Once the pile gets big enough to heat up......don't turn it until it starts cooling down (let it "cook").