How do I begin a compost pile?

Question

I would like to know not only how to build it, but what to put in it to begin. I think that you need to "layer" the first stuff you put in, but I have no idea! Please people who have done this give me some tips & websites to check out.

Answer 1

make a shallow hole about 2 meters square ,and less than half a meter deep.
put it under a tree or put a little roof over it
so that it is in the shade
anything organic ,such as kitchen waste ,dirty toilet paper ,bones, leaves ,cuttings from plants,can go into it.

you can, every now again turn it over to devellop more earthworms ,with a garden fork ,but personally i never bother

if your kitchen waste smells a bit cover it with sand or leaves .,
if you got some hardy stuff like bones or branches,you can add a little lime to assist the composting process.
the decomposition will kill all bad bugs that are in it .
if you got a chicken this will be their favorite place,to look for bugs to eat

organic material is responsible for 70% of contamination
if everybody did this it would stop a lot of contamination and in a few months you got some good soil to use for your plants,
every now again spray some water on it ,,should be kept moist to work better.

here is some more direction for sustainable gardening for your interest
the Permaculture designers manual by Bil Mollison cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])

Permaculture means permanent agriculture
a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s
which is a complete hand book for environmental design.
for those who seek an ambiotic relationship with our planet
With practical solutions for energy systems ,infratructure ,housing,
animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.
With the world and it`s history as it`s source
From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.
From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.
Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.
with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,
Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilising energy flows,
Strategy for an alternative nation

this book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology but rather by design.

always aiming at autosuficiency and sustainability .
this can all be found in the designers manual by Bill Mollisson,
[e-mail]

Collectively portraying an ancient and natural philosiphy
With the Laws of Nature as its base
coupled to the present day level of scientific knowledge.

Permaculture is well known and you can find many references on the web.
there is a University of Permaculture in Australia

and poverty is not the target but quality of life is
and since permaculture is extremly compact form of growing things.utilising all space and utilising all resource ,it is productive and economic.

some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...

Simon Henderson
and Bill Molisson.

a representitive of the concept in USA is
Dan Hemenway at [e-mail]
[e-mail]
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames.htm
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalog.htm

Answer 2

You begin with a small pile, and you add to this pile...leaves, mud and vegetables. This pile will become succesful in a matter of weeks, maybe months.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Start with a homeless man and then throw some crack hookers on top for a nice medley of decay.

Answer 4

mmm u get bricks and u make a square thing and u leave one side open and u put grass cuttings a lil water then leaves and then u let it bake for awhile

Answer 5

This question was asked not that long ago, and is a featured question, so read those answers

Answer 6

http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/compost/compost.html

Answer 7

I have too much info to give you, so check this out:
http://www.envocare.co.uk/composting.htm

Answer 8

throw your trash in your neighbor's yard. cover with leaves. water it daily. when it starts to reek, tell your neighbor you don't know anything about it.

that's what my dad did.

Answer 9

http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/compost/compost.html

http://clevessf.dev.advance.net/gardencenter/column/may99/how.html