I would like to start compost pile and I have no idea how anyone have any advice?

Answer 1

There are some great websites. But whatever you do, do not put anything with any animal fat in it on the pile. That will ruin it. No meat either. Mostly what you should put on it should be peelings and peels and shavings from fruits and veggies that you have prepared for cooking.

Answer 2

It's so easy, but I'd recommend some kind of enclosure for your pile so it's easier to manage. The ideal dimensions are 1 meter (or yard) on all sides.

I built my bin out of some small planks of wood from the garden that I sawed to the right length and stacked them into a cube. Put your bin in an area of your yard that is out of the way and relatively shady. Access to a water hose is also good.

As far as what you throw into the bin, start with plenty of fall leave and grass clippings. You can throw weeds in as well. Your pile will perform the best when you have about a 50/50 mix.

Kitchen scraps from vegetables, rotten fruit, coffee grounds and tea bags all make good additions. You can use just about anything so long as it's not greasy or made from dead animals. These items will attract pests and smell bad.

When the stacked material in your bin starts to get shorter, you'll know things are decomposing nicely. Maintain your pile by keeping a good mixture, watering the bin every few weeks when it's not raining and mixing it with a shovel or yard fork.

You'll recognize the results when they arrive in the form of rich, spongy, black hummus -- the end result of organic decomposition. Mix the stuff in with the soil in your flower bed at a rate of about 1 pound per square foot and you'll have better yields of anything you grow.

I was a beginner when I started my pile about a year ago, but I'm already seeing results. The best advice I got from a friend was this: "Given enough time, everything rots."

Good luck!

Answer 3

In the city where I live, we are not allowed to compost on the ground so I have 2 bins that spin on frames.

We put our compostibles in a brown paper bag and throw it in bag and all. the compostibles are:

veggie and fruit scraps
eggshells
dryer lint
cat hair and hair from when I barber my son
small pieces of cooked fish, no more than an ounce a week

I spin it every 3 days when the weather is warmer than 40 degrees. I never add water, in fact I sometimes tip it so water can run out! If it smells bad I add chopped leaves or shredded paper.

I have one being filled and one just being spinned, all the time. The one that's just being spinned will be dumped out in May or November, whichever is soonest. I dump it on a tarp and then drag it to a spot in the yard where it can be covered for 6 months. I let the earthworms crawl up through it but keep the top covered so rain won't leach away the nutrients. I leave a pint or so of compost in the bin to start the next batch.

I have enough compost for all my flowerbeds on 1/4 acre.

Answer 4

I got a compost and a how to book from my city when I began mine years ago. You can even just take some chicken fencing and make a circle where you want to pile (not too close to living quarters (ants, bugs, etc.). You want to put a good amount of leaves, grass clippings, etc. Put in some organic things that will decompose well like coffee grounds, egg shells, nut shells, etc. Mix it every few weeks and add some water every so often if it doesn't rain.

Answer 5

Frankly, don't. You are making work for yourself. Such a "pile" requires monitoring for organic breakdown, heat, moisture, and constant turning. It also requires the addition of decomposing agents. The exsistence of such a pile/collection is also an invitation to pest and insects.
Contact your county authorities. Most counties perform composting as part of the recycling effort. You can retrieve free composted material from them. Hope it helps.

Answer 6

Use kitchen scraps; e.g.; all vegetable peelings, coffee grounds but no meat products, leaves etc. from your yard, etc. Turn the pile over periodically. Add dirt and lime, keep moist. Till the pile if you have a tiller. It takes about 6 mos. for everythng to break down.

Answer 7

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