- Thread starter
- #91
Alasgun
Deeply Rooted
I read about that pile, sounds like a whopper! Starting with so many “brown inputs” will be challenging but doable. Keeping this as brief as possible, here’s how id tackle it.
How old are you, can you turn the entire pile yourself? If not get some help or break it into two piles and do one at a time. A 5 tine fork is all my 70 yr old self can handle these days, 4 tine’s have too much space and a lot of effort is wasted, manure forks are simply too heavy. Long handles are easier than short.
make two batches of the LBS. a couple weeks apart.
when you make it use twice as much rice to get a stronger wash solution, this pays off in shortening the time some. I started a batch a couple days ago for my compost too. when making it to use as a foliar spray you need to sift out the thick stuff so it will go thru the sprayer, when making it for compost it doesn’t matter, use the entire batch, cheese and all. Once your sure it’s done, dump the contents into a 5 gallon bucket, fill the remainder with water, grab your fork and get ready to get tired!
keeping the pile as compact as possible (taller is better than wider) start by forking a base roughly 4x4ft and a ft thick. Ladle lacto onto this base. Think lasagna, now add another layer and lacto. Make the lacto last thru the whole pile. After every 2-3 layers give it a good wetting with a garden hose, not to where it’s running all over the ground but pretty wet.
Come back in a week or 2 and repeat however, now’s the time to add some green inputs. For me this is bagged grass clippings. They are the only thing most people have enough of to make some heat in that pile, heat is your friend (to a point). I use a thermometer and only turn the pile when it cools to the inactive range. If it’s in the active range, i leave it alone.
turning doe’s a couple things by adding O-2 and keeping the mix active.
@AMKuska is using a drum composter, i believe; and i can see where a whole batch of lacto in one drum would work wonders, your dealing with a pickup bed full so be realistic. It will take just a bit to enliven this pile but it will work if you put a little effort into it.
Here in Alaska i can almost complete a batch in the same year, this year im hoping rabbit manure will push me into that range. Currently i use the technique described above thru out the year, and thru the fall continue adding all kitchen waste till spring then i have greens again.
this batch im making will be applied when the.pile is turned for it’s last time then left to set till fall. It will be done and go to the garden at that time. In the mean time pile # 2 is being generated thruout the year and go on the following year, yes it’s a lot of work but i value the compost and am willing to keep it going.
here’s a picture of my two compost bins, a fall picture with one full and one empty bin. Keep it perpetual and add lacto anytime you like, for me a big batch in the spring simply helps kick things off by adding a strong dose of microbes.
p.s, in the fall when i fork it into the cart headed to the garden it will be loaded with earth worms each year and i clean the bin right down to the ground when i empty them.
the poly drum is where i breakdown salmon carcasses (with lacto).
i hope this all works for you, it wasn’t covered in great detail here but im sure you get the idea.
How old are you, can you turn the entire pile yourself? If not get some help or break it into two piles and do one at a time. A 5 tine fork is all my 70 yr old self can handle these days, 4 tine’s have too much space and a lot of effort is wasted, manure forks are simply too heavy. Long handles are easier than short.
make two batches of the LBS. a couple weeks apart.
when you make it use twice as much rice to get a stronger wash solution, this pays off in shortening the time some. I started a batch a couple days ago for my compost too. when making it to use as a foliar spray you need to sift out the thick stuff so it will go thru the sprayer, when making it for compost it doesn’t matter, use the entire batch, cheese and all. Once your sure it’s done, dump the contents into a 5 gallon bucket, fill the remainder with water, grab your fork and get ready to get tired!
keeping the pile as compact as possible (taller is better than wider) start by forking a base roughly 4x4ft and a ft thick. Ladle lacto onto this base. Think lasagna, now add another layer and lacto. Make the lacto last thru the whole pile. After every 2-3 layers give it a good wetting with a garden hose, not to where it’s running all over the ground but pretty wet.
Come back in a week or 2 and repeat however, now’s the time to add some green inputs. For me this is bagged grass clippings. They are the only thing most people have enough of to make some heat in that pile, heat is your friend (to a point). I use a thermometer and only turn the pile when it cools to the inactive range. If it’s in the active range, i leave it alone.
turning doe’s a couple things by adding O-2 and keeping the mix active.
@AMKuska is using a drum composter, i believe; and i can see where a whole batch of lacto in one drum would work wonders, your dealing with a pickup bed full so be realistic. It will take just a bit to enliven this pile but it will work if you put a little effort into it.
Here in Alaska i can almost complete a batch in the same year, this year im hoping rabbit manure will push me into that range. Currently i use the technique described above thru out the year, and thru the fall continue adding all kitchen waste till spring then i have greens again.
this batch im making will be applied when the.pile is turned for it’s last time then left to set till fall. It will be done and go to the garden at that time. In the mean time pile # 2 is being generated thruout the year and go on the following year, yes it’s a lot of work but i value the compost and am willing to keep it going.
here’s a picture of my two compost bins, a fall picture with one full and one empty bin. Keep it perpetual and add lacto anytime you like, for me a big batch in the spring simply helps kick things off by adding a strong dose of microbes.
p.s, in the fall when i fork it into the cart headed to the garden it will be loaded with earth worms each year and i clean the bin right down to the ground when i empty them.
the poly drum is where i breakdown salmon carcasses (with lacto).
i hope this all works for you, it wasn’t covered in great detail here but im sure you get the idea.
