When should I dump my compost?

[Chunky Stool]

(*insert joke here*)
I've got a fancy compost barrel that I spin every once in a while to aerate. We generate a fair amount of kitchen scraps every week, now that my wife has switched to a vegetarian diet.
When do you think I should dump the barrel contents on my garden? There's always a layer of semi-fresh stuff in there, and now that it's cold, that stuff is not breaking down very fast. I was thinking that dumping it Jan 1 would let the older stuff have a chance to decompose before I start planting.
What do you think?

 

[Eagle-ize]

Just an idea if you are looking to speed up decomposition... If it is available to you, toss in a good amount of alfalfa meal with used coffee grounds. This will heat up your pile and get things going just a bit quicker. Some biochar and micronized rock dust wouldn't hurt either.

Cheers!

 

[calliandra]

(*insert joke here*)
I've got a fancy compost barrel that I spin every once in a while to aerate. We generate a fair amount of kitchen scraps every week, now that my wife has switched to a vegetarian diet.
When do you think I should dump the barrel contents on my garden? There's always a layer of semi-fresh stuff in there, and now that it's cold, that stuff is not breaking down very fast. I was thinking that dumping it Jan 1 would let the older stuff have a chance to decompose before I start planting.
What do you think?

I'd say it depends on the size of the chunks of fresh stuff that's not breaking down. If they're fairly small, no problem, just spread it onto your garden beds and cover with a nice layer of mulch - as long as the ground isn't frozen.

I've been doing this all autumn with kitchen scraps directly, the first additions have long melted into the soil. Just making sure especially high nitrogen stuff doesn't go in in too large of sizes, as those can then create anaerobic pockets in the soil due to the quick heatup.
hth!

 

[vostok]

is everyone else going veggie?

if not then its a waist of time

see ur family as the composters,

as the bugs in compost are just temp guests ..lol

trash ur gear now to a garden hole

take the temps first, compost and garden soil temp

will offer valuable info later

good luck

 

[hillbill]

I use two barrels and as it cools, I take the top layers and move to 2nd barrel and upside down in the process. Speeds things up and I start filling the now empty one again. Stuff that is mostly done is moved to pile or spread on raise beds.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

(*insert joke here*)
I've got a fancy compost barrel that I spin every once in a while to aerate. We generate a fair amount of kitchen scraps every week, now that my wife has switched to a vegetarian diet.
When do you think I should dump the barrel contents on my garden? There's always a layer of semi-fresh stuff in there, and now that it's cold, that stuff is not breaking down very fast. I was thinking that dumping it Jan 1 would let the older stuff have a chance to decompose before I start planting.
What do you think?

a rule of thumb is as soon as you cannot visibly identify any of the original inputs
it'll look like tiny, tiny black flecks, that's humus
if it looks anything like what you originally made the pile with, then it's not done.
but you need to have two, one that is composting, and one that is finished

 

[hillbill]

I use barrels the way you use piles. I live on rock and all my outdoor plants are raised bed or big pots with my compost mixed with used mix. It amazes me how much compost is eaten up by microbes and eventually plants. I top dress a couple times just adding more compost.
There are a couple commercial composts that are just wonderful. Back to Nature Cotton Burr Compost (only brand to buy) and Black Kow composted manure.

 

[iHearAll]

3+ weeks from fresh material being added if you are using bokashi or something similar to increase the decomposition. temps is going to be a big deal though. id recommend stringing non-led type christmas lights around the tumbler

 

[GoRealUhGro]

a rule of thumb is as soon as you cannot visibly identify any of the original inputs
it'll look like tiny, tiny black flecks, that's humus
if it looks anything like what you originally made the pile with, then it's not done.
but you need to have two, one that is composting, and one that is finished

IV been tossing shit into my finished pile....could that hurt it...im not gonna use it till mid sprimg

 

[greasemonkeymann]

IV been tossing shit into my finished pile....could that hurt it...im not gonna use it till mid sprimg

depends on the definition of "shit"
biggest concern would be large in composted carbon inputs that would sequester nitrogen
you can topdress unfinished compost, works closer to a mulch that way though
edit---
man i'm a dumbshit today...
sorta checked out waiting for sushi and beer..
so yea, you said it'll chill till spring?
it should be fine, if you have doubts you can always add alfalfa meal, or grass clippings, or even steer manure and that'll kick up the speeds a lil by getting the temps and thermophilic bacteria going

 

[GoRealUhGro]

It is full of cow shit...all kinda shit....i sent u a pm and I had added some of that last year...ppl are telling me its good to use...juat as long as the NaCl doesn't reach 7/8 %range
..3.5 still seems like a lot to me but I know for a fact ...unless I get this job...i just ordered what I can for the time being.....ill be growing some alfalfa meal where the deer and rabbits can't fuck it....then make the best meal on this site

 

[GoRealUhGro]

I have countless .

Actually insane numbers of coffee grounds for onw family...plus I was having other ppl save them.....the local Chinese restaurant told me they would save me crab shells ..muscle shells...oyster shells...but how do I grind those hard fucks into powder.....I told them any kinda scraps they have ill take...i just have to fo get them every other day...I'd like to take a 55 gal drum and let them fill it up.....but ideas please on how to powder the oyster shells and muscle shells down...i told them ill even take the old oysters and old food

 

[GoRealUhGro]

A zillion banana pleas ...tater sprouts popping up all over my pile...i usually just take them to the garden if out that time.....fish...need more of that
..seaweed meal....every veggie you can think of...pig pen dirt...i fucked up and was adding citrus pleas ....quit that...i make teas for them...add sea bird guano...put HF fruit and flower and HF jump start which has good shit in it...make microbial teas for my pile....i add ewc ....catch night crawlers and put em in it....pumpkins....leaves...old sirt from under rotting stumps..black ass dirt...top soil from the woods....grass clippings..some hay....rabbit poop ifni didn't mention that...a lot of it...and piss...I always piss on it....i mixed to 18gal totes of my moonshine mix to it...what then hell....ima experiment w it and peat this year....should see good results...my original plan was ro mix my moonshine mix w the compost and have a fuck ton of soil...if i knew more about it that's what would be happening

 

[hillbill]

I use most of my compost outdoors but composting highly varied items is wonderful. Coffee grounds are great with good gentile N. My local lake is 10 feet low and coin size mussel shells are everywhere. Reading this made me think of those and That will be something to do today! These will also go in my canna soil mix. I can fill a couple buckets in no time.

Wrap shells in blanket, put on the sidewalk and begin to beat them to pieces with your iron frying pan. Willie Nelson Treatment.

 

[GoRealUhGro]

Yeah
..but wouldn't they need to be powder to be eaten within the next 50/100 Years by the microbes or broken down...and yo bro..go get any slime or....(slime for the pile) weeds growing in the lake...especially underwater....wash...dry....make a meal or add to compost.....

 

[GoRealUhGro]

And use the muscles themselves too your pile...fuck what ppl tell u on here about it not being right....i bet $ they will have some kinda good properties to them....i guess unless u are selling medicine.
...and still if its fresh why the hell not

 

[GoRealUhGro]

And I start in but I'm strictly outdoor atm.....give me 6 months to a year

 

[prostheticninja]

I have countless .

Actually insane numbers of coffee grounds for onw family...plus I was having other ppl save them.....the local Chinese restaurant told me they would save me crab shells ..muscle shells...oyster shells...but how do I grind those hard fucks into powder.....I told them any kinda scraps they have ill take...i just have to fo get them every other day...I'd like to take a 55 gal drum and let them fill it up.....but ideas please on how to powder the oyster shells and muscle shells down...i told them ill even take the old oysters and old food

I bought a 50 bag of pelletized oyster shell at the farm store, and it's a bitch to break up. This is the best method I have found so far:

Get a pipe nipple or a length of piping, then get a rod that fits inside of the length of pipe snugly, but can still move up and down like a piston. After that, all you do is load your pipe with oyster shell like its some type of a maritime IED, put that rod inside of the pipe, and slam it down with a hammer a couple times. You might need to stir it around a bit (do not lift up the pipe, stick a straw down there or something to stir it up. It is impossible to get all the chunks back into the pipe if you lift it off.) to make sure you crush everything to a uniform powder, but it works! I just do this on a thin sheet of steel that I have, then collect the powder after a few slams.

If you can find a flat end cap, or can machine the rod to fit into the concave space on an endcap, that would make the process much easier.

 

[GoRealUhGro]

I was looking up like "SUPER BLENDERS" lol well I guess they aren't actually blenders...but they are high...if you could purchase one.....amd get the oyster shells for free...muscles shells for free...fuxk everything ima bout to mention for free... Crab.... Seaweed.... Fuck might as well blend out all ... Bound to break down faster... Fish...wtfe.....if you could buy one and use it .....as much as we are talking about using shit... Wouldn't it be worth it on the end ... Think of what you could turn into powder that would be cheaper and easier to break down

 

[GoRealUhGro]

I just like the idea of powders