Hey all, for my next summer grow I'm considering using compost that I've been building up in a bin outside my house for about two years.It looks great, smells awful, and is refilled almost daily.I probably have as much as 30 gallons.What would you suggest as the method outdoors...?I was thinking of digging a hole in the ground, refilling 50/50 with the original soil and the compost.Any ideas?
Domestic Compost?
- Thread starter RSTFRi
- Start date
Hash Lover
Well-Known Member
I never did compost but I did add stuff to the soil. What do you have for soil to start with?
Well I haven't decided yet, I might go with the original soil of wherever I'm growing, if I'm not growing in a container.One thing I was considering was sprouting it in a peat pot, and having it in a pit of the compost, so that when the roots break through the pot the growth will really kick off.I turned the compost yesterday afternoon, there were about 15 worms in every square foot, which was definitely exciting.
Ohsogreen
Well-Known Member
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RSTFRi...... The presence of allot of worms means your compost is alive with micro-life. It should not stink though. It should smell earthy and almost sweet. If it smells foul, is heavy and not light in texture, try adding some oak leaves, grass clippings or straw to it.
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If you decide to grow in the ground next year, digging out holes from 3 to 5 gallons in size, then backfilling your holes with a few extras makes your grow much more productive.
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Wheter you use containers or plant directly into the ground, using this simple receipe will help: 50 percent well aged compost, 30 percent (peat moss or well rinsed coco fiber), 10 percent Perlite and 10 percent Worm Castings.
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Now, before someone says " Hey aren't there worm casting in that soil already because of all the worms he saw ". The answer is Yes, but generally about only 1 percent in healthy, well drained soil.
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Adding the 10 percent by volume of Worm Castings to your holes or containers, really ups the trace minerals available to Mary, plus provides extra micro-life, and a very mild form of Nitrogen.
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Hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic......
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Here's a link to a good compost making site : http://www.journeytoforever.org/compost_make.html
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Wow.Thanks a lot, that's really helpful. My compost is constantly being added to - I was out of town for the whole summer (with no one adding to the compost), and when I came back it did smell earthy. It just stinks because of all the fresh organics I'm putting in - come about february I'll start a different compost so that everything can decompose properly in the one I'll be using. I happen to have a lot of peat moss and perlite, so that's just dandy. I also have a bag of worm castings, so I'll just throw that into the mix too.Thanks Ohsogreen!
Buster Gonad
Member
I've just started a kitchen compost bin. Just using a galv steel dustbin with lid, and putting in vegetable kitchen scraps together with torn up paper and recycled garden-centre compost from growing tomatoes outside this summer. Hoping to become self-sufficient for compost, and just buy the bare minimum paid-for organic nutes on top, ie Molasses if I can ever find a place that sells them here.
georgi345
Active Member
you can also inoculate the pile with lacto bacilli...
see here for easy diy instructions on cultivating your own ==> http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=96325
["One of the major workhorse beneficial indigenous microorganism used in natural farming is lacto bacilli. This particular beneficial microorganism is popularly used in composting that specifically arrest foul odors associated with anaerobic decomposition."]
cheers
-g
