Posted on 06/19/2012 6:49:08 AM PDT by orsonwb
Composting. Learn the basics, benefits, components, no-no's, and six ways to get started...
(Excerpt) Read more at howdogardener.com ...
Do pine needles make good compost? We have a gazillion white pine trees in our yard and my husband always rakes up the dropped needles and burns them in the fall.
I have had Cantelope and Tomatoes come up from compost... I call them free range plants... The Cantelope were the best I have ever tended.
The large bed on the right side has three kinds of potatoes. Yellow onions and green onions on the left of that. Then there are green peppers crook neck squash, of course there are three kinds of tomatoes and two rows of sweet corn along with broccoli, tomatoes and even dill weed. Can't leave out three kinds of basil. Then we have cucumbers and pumpkins.
Whew, there must be more.
I put coffee and tea grounds, bags filters and all, in mine............
Thanks for the Ping Red. We are about to sit down for lunch with our grandson but “I’ll be back”...
I don’t like Pine needles in my compost pile because they break down relatively slowly. The reason for the slow decay is that the needles are covered with a waxy layer that resists bacteria and fungi, and, like other fallen leaves, they have an excess of carbon relative to nitrogen. The process could be speeded up by shredding the needles, thereby offering bacteria and fungi greater surface area at which to “chew” away.
Interesting! I use cardboard as a mulch for my tomatoes because I have a problem with fungus on the plants. Would it be a good mulch for tomatoes? The cardboard is so ugly.
The fungus on your plants is not the same animal as those in your compost.
What do the coffee and tea things do to the pH?
Do you shred the cardboard? (Please excuse dumb question—I don’t have a good theoretical base.)
I dunno, but the earthworms are always jittery when I dig them up...........
If I leave the grass clippings in the sun to totally dry until yellow before adding to the pile, do you think they count as a brown? I have tons of clippings and not many sources for leaves, etc.
Yes it is. Even in the gardening pots I have, composting happens. I just take the materials to compost, put them in a pot, add a smidgen of organic fertilizer, water well for a few weeks, Viola, compost! No fuss, no mess, no smell. And I have enough organic fertilizer for my garden pots.
I dunno, but the earthworms are always jittery when I dig them up...........
Yep! The same with grass clippings. After cutting let them brown up and you got browns.
Let me see if I understand this. You put your kitchen scraps, etc, in pots, then plant in those pots after the scraps turn into compost? I’m not able to compost any longer because it was attracting bears, dogs, coyotes, mice and who knows what else? I can’t compost inside the fence because my dogs would eat everything. I have to throw all of my kitchen scraps into the trash, which really bothers me. Those composting bins are so expensive.
Some people trench-compost: Dig a trench, dump in the kitchen scraps, cover with dirt, plant there in the spring.
Some critters might have a good enough nose to smell out and dig up your underground compost, I suppose. But it might be worth a try.
I have been adding my dryer lint ever since I read about doing such in a magazine about 2 years ago.
Unless I just scanned the list too quickly, I think they missed out on mentioning egg shells, the only animal product that is a good compost ingredient.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.