I live in the mountains... What are my options for COMPOSTing that won't attract bears and other wildlife?

Question

We don't have a lot of land, and we want to compost, but we don't want to attract bears, raccoons, skunks, and the other scavengers that also attract mountain lions. (We have little kids!) What are our options?

Answer 1

To help keep wildlife out of your compost pile use lots of grass and leaves, vegetable scraps, and dirt. Never use meat, fish, as they don't break down as fast as the other things and lime will help keep the smell lower as well. This works well for use as we are in a rural area. Good luck :-)

Answer 2

First of all:

Bears, raccoons, and skunks do not "attract" mountain lions. Bears are too much of a fight for them, and racoons and skunks are generally unpleasant for eating. If you don't want mountain lions around, the best thing you can do is convince your neighbors not to feed the deer.

Secondly:

We had a compost pile out in the country, and while there were scavengers, it was never a problem. We located it well away from the house. We used plenty of sawdust and leaves for mulch, and I suppose animals would come and sample from it from time to time, but they never made a mess of it. However, we didn't live in bear country either.

The simplist solution is to build yourself a compost container that is scavenger resistant. I would suggest starting with a 55 gallon barrel and cutting breather holes in it. They come with lids that are pretty durable and can be secured. Then bolt on some kind of chain and anchor it to the ground. That way even if a bear tries to get into it, it'll likely to be unsucessful.

However, unless you have to go to great lengths to keep the animals out of your garbage, you probably won't have to go to great lengths to keep them out of your compost.

Answer 3

Good compost management can deter pests while accelerating the composting process. By considering what you put in your compost bin and how you manage it, you may prevent unwanted visitors. Do not add meat, chicken, fish,
oils, cheese, or leftovers containing excessive oil or seasoning. Some people find eggshells to be a particular attractant while others have had no problems with eggshells. Where a problem persists, it may be necessary to avoid food scraps altogether. You may want to consider indoor vermicomposting for food waste. (See Worm Composting Basics for more information at: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/worms/
wormhome.html). Do not add feces of carnivorous pets, including cat litter, to your compost pile. By following that
advice you will also reduce the probability of adding parasites
which can be present in the feces. Taking care to avoid exposed food scraps can also help. The Taking care to avoid exposed food scraps can also help. The
“dump and run” composter is liable to have more problems. When adding food scraps, first add yard waste to the inner wall of the bin. Then add the food scraps to the center of the pile and cover them with grass, leaves, woodchips or soil.
Turning your pile and keeping it moist will increase the temperature and speed up decomposition. It will also discourage animals that are looking for a dry, undisturbed bed. Be watchful forfood that becomes exposed when you turn the compost. Carefully observe the vents and other open areas of the bin. Good “Binkeeping” including covering all food scraps is your best defense againts all problems including attracting undesirable insects and other pests and keeping leachate under control. Securing wire mesh over vents discourages nuisance visitors.

Don't worry about the mountain lion on this account. The smaller wildlife might attract coyotes if you have them, so if you have pets under 15 pounds keep them inside at night.

Answer 4

You might look into compost tumblers. These composters are a sort of cylindrical cage. You can turn a handle to rotate them and tumble the composting matter about to aerate it. The claim is that these devices compost things much more quickly than just putting your organics into a pile. I've never tried one of these, but as I recall, the one I once saw being demonstrated at a fair booth was quite sturdy and could probably keep the animals out.

Answer 5

compost produces worms and can attract armadillos

bear dont eat rotten leaves

in the woods i would just make a shallow pit ,add kichen wastes and cover with sand now and again .
Dont you have a pig or dogs for the meat scraps
or chickens the rest goes on the compost ,wont be anything left for bears

and these animals you will have to keep in a coral or fenced in aniway for predators for them.
GENERAL
compost gets very hot there should not be any bugs ,

Organic waste is responsible for 70% of contamination in Land fills if it goes out with the trash ,so please do not do this

COMPOST
bones,treetrunks,cardboard,egg... clothes(if they are organic),poop,leaves,kitchen waste,foodscraps,newspaper,
your mother inlaw and kitty litter
and even the dead cat

All can be put on the compost heap

as long as you seal it with a covering of leaves .or put a piece of plastic on top ,
keep it moist and in the shade ,it will then get hot enough to kill all parasites

the worms will devellop,and take care of everything ,the moisture helps decomposition

the plastic keeps in the moisture and protects the worms from predators .like chickens ,birds armadillos,and even dogs .i have seen going in to eat my worm culture

you could add a bit of lime now and again
to make the process more potent

HOW

make the compost in a shallow hole ,so that it retains more humidity,
about 2 square meters is good ,and have it under a tree or put a little roof over i t,which does not have to be water proof ,so a palm thatch is enough,

and makesure the garden sprinkler gets there or spray some water on it ,at least once a week,dont have it water logged or the worms will drown or leave

you should put some bamboo or branches in it so that some air gets in ,or carefully turn it over with a garden fork now and again.

RECYCLING
Cardboard is also acceptable for recycling

so is glass if you classify it in colors,and
aluminium cans

Answer 6

You might check with the forest /park rangers as they deal with bears coming into camps of people who are told how to keep the food so that wildlife don't trail the smell.

I doubt if I would use any thing but old newspapers, grass clippings, organic peat, aged mulch and horse manure or rabbit. Coons, opossums and bears love fruit smells and are attracted to that. Meats as well, which never belong in a compost pile or garden. Look for organic gardening on the net and you will find www.gardensalive.com and www.spray-n-grow.com as sites that have organic gardening info.

Answer 7

Sorry, I don't have an answer to your question. I just wanted to say how much I envy you for being able to live in the mountains. I live in the flatlands of Indiana, where it's been 90 degrees for the last ten days. I'd give anything to be surrounded by beautiful mountains! -RKO- 06/17/07

Answer 8

Their are sweet compost tumblers that not only turn the vegitation into dirt quickier they are sealed so no smell no scavengers

Answer 9

You can probably go for a biogas plant, since this is enclosed wild animals wont be able to get into it. It will give you cooking fuel as well as fertilizer.