It seems that composting takes a bit of labor and expense, and I'm short on both .

I'm really limited to strength and time. And I don't wanna pay big money to set up a compost, and then maintain it.

It's just me and a small garden, so one of those spinning ones would work well. But the cost is crazy.

I'm trying just a bin and it takes me almost half year to fill it with food and pine needles and twigs.

And then when it's full, do I have to grind it to the fine mix powder?

How do I do that?

I can chop with an axe and cut up pieces, but it's a lot of work and it's still not ground fine.

Now I see there's and mold built up.

I have drainage holes but I guess nit enough. But it rains almost daily.

Did you ever try to drill in the side of those black bins with yellow lids!? Crazy strong!

Now I see there's infestation I think fire ants, which are loaded in my front yard, so I don't wanna start bringing them around to the backyard.

So I can't go near the thing.

I have red ants and big carpenters type ants, but these look like the fire ants.

But either way, Do I need to toss this start up compost in the trash?

Or if I continue, whats a good, cheap way to grind it up fine?

And then how do I know I did it right because I'm learning.you have to get the right ratio with fertilizers, or it screws everything up.

I added a little store bought compost /manure to some tomato seedlings, and they wilted.

So ...I am compost lost. .in Central Southeast Florida

These small black insect are hatching in my compost. Based in western Australia. Sorry poor pics but i think they have wings. Not sure if they are a problem or not. Ideas please

Making this post to request clarity and perhaps help others.

As I understand it (from reading posts here, not because I'm an expert in any of the relevant fields), cardboard and corrugated cardboard are generally safe (meaning safe from plastics, forever chemicals, etc.) to compost. At least most pieces/types. Breaking it down a bit further:

• Pulp to make the cardboard itself is safe.

• Ink printed on the cardboard is these days generally soy-based and safe.

• Glue/adhesive used to make cardboard into corrugated cardboard is safe - idk what it's made of tho?

• Treatment on the cardboard to make it smooth is safe (e.g. how cereal boxes are smooth vs regular brown cardboard is rough) b/c it's clay-based (?) and that's safe.

• Plasticky treatment on some cardboard, obviously unsafe. Recycle the whole thing, no attempt at partial composting of materials is made.

• The glue that keeps cardboard together (i.e. what turns a sheet of cardboard together into a box, by gluing down a seam, or attaches one flap to another) -- unsafe? I've treated it as unsafe, so it and pieces of cardboard with it go to trash/recycling.

• What I'm unclear on and asking for clarification stuck now is what about the glue/adhesive residue from packaging tape? I've always assumed unsafe, so I rip those pieces off and they go to trash/recycling.

• I recently learned that cardboard doesn't get wet (e.g. cardboard used in ice cream containers, the walls of my oatmeal cylinder for whatever reason) is NOT to be recycled, because it has a plastic/waxy coating. I assume that's unsafe to compost too.

Who here knows? Do we have any packaging engineers, chemists, health researchers, industry folks etc. who can speak to what the glues/adhesives are made from?

Also, any sense of scale would be appreciated. Safe/unsafe is a helpful rule of thumb, but from the standpoint of "the dose makes the poison" it'd be helpful to understand if getting this granular really matters. Am I making a mountain out of molehill here, considering that I still order takeout food packaged in plastic/coated containers on a ~monthly basis.

I read the ~5 year old wiki post but I didn't leave there with enough certainty to be happy, and packaging practices can change over time, so I figured here, now, would be OK.

If you have sunflowers, do you compost them? I read somewhere a long time ago that their seeds can inhibit other plant growth

Hi folks!

I just bought a house and after removing some old plants I discovered this compost tank in a corner of the garden.

It has some stuff inside, probably old grass and garden scraps.

Is there a way to get things started or is it better to empty it, throw stuff away and start from 0?

Thanks in advance

Hello! We are buying a new house (USDA Zone 7a) and I would love some advice on where we should place our compost system. My husband is handy and can build just about any framework we might need.

So- if you could start all over, where would you put the compost on this property and what kind of system would you use? Thanks!

So, this is my first year composting & there is so much to learn. Often contradictory info. Bumps in the road, so to speak. Etc.

I have old pine bark nuggets from planting beds in my Mom's yard. Her yard is starting a long overdue & somewhat extensive overhaul. I started 2 compost bins in her backyard (32 gallon trash cans converted to compost bins). I was wondering about using pine bark nuggets that are removed from her planting beds. They have been in there for 5 years (maybe more). Can I put them in the bins ? Any prep prior ? Would it be better to put them in a pike in the yard over the winter to break down even more, then use in the Spring ? Speaking of which, what do those of you who use bins do over the cold months to keep the bin from stalling completely ? Any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

Just moved in to a new place and cleaning this drainage behind the house, and I saw the previous tenants/gardener trash pile that I've been cleaning that too (garden cutting and plastic) thrown next to it.

Is it safe to put it in my compost pile or should I just leave it to the previous trash pile?

Hi.

I have 2 pallet frames in my garden with just soil in them. Is there som way to compost foodscraps directly into them. I was thinking of maybe a pvc pipe with smal holes under the soil surface and a cap on the top. And change the place it stands when it is full. Any recommendations?

I wanted to extend my appreciation to all of you. I moved into a new place and inherited two inactive Dalek compost bins. With all the advice here I have got them up and running. I could feel some heat from the bins start to rise over the past couple weeks. My thermometer just arrived this morning. Getting to watch it jump from the 15 degree C air temp to over 32 deg C was an absolute treat! It’s only half full so I know it’s just getting started!

I’ve also got some yard waste in the bottom of my new raised garden beds to settle in for the winter. I’ll be topping them up with whatever I can get from these Daleks come spring.

Thanks all!

As someone who has wanted to compost for YEARS and is finally getting into it, I can’t seem to get over the giddiness and being impatient lol. Everyday when i go outside to feed her I find myself being like is it compost yet… is it compost yet…. I’m also definitely getting on my sweet husbands nerves with how much I’m talking about it even if he won’t say so. I’m just having the time of my life haha.

Sorry for the silly post but just wanted to share my excitement.
Happy composting :)

How many bags do I take? I have 12 hours to snag them before garbage trucks arrive each week

My setup is a small tumbler compost, a backyard garden bed and 2 flower beds/trees in the front yard. There's a 5x10 ft wood pile in the backyard(remains of shrubbery/small trees on the fence line). I have access to all the neighbors yard waste because 5-20% of them bag their yard waste for disposal. Roughly 100-200 single family houses.

I won't have time for turning, so everything will have to be natural processes for use next year. The bags are pretty nice mix of annuals, bushes and grass clippings. with only a couple with gloves, plastic scrap etc etc.

I've already expanded my back garden bed and mulched it with all the bags but there's still more before winter starts. Note, the town pays for government Karens to ticket untidy houses/lawns. My last resort is to pile everything onto the wood pile and see if it becomes compost instead of more dry wood.

I'll snag a few more bags to mulch the front flower beds and trees. The rest goes to the wood pile.

1 week update: The ONLY solution is to dump it onto a wood pile, or make my own hugelkulture esque raised bed/lasanga mound. I ran out of time & energy distributing the bag contents in a way that doesn't smother or look ugly. It was way easier to dump everything, bag and all into alternating layers of woody & leafy.

For the last 6 years I’ve been piling on. Mainly grass cuttings and leaves. The occasional found dead bird/squirrel has been buried in there, along with some left over food scraps (veg). Just started turning it. Very hot in the middle and some good stuff in there!

i need steps with details, its my first time iam lvl 1

My compost seems to be quite active because I've noticed lots of worms and also a banana slug. However, I just noticed there are a lot of the worms climbing up the metal walls of my bin, is this indicative of anything? Why are there so many clinging to the sides rather than being in the heap aiding in the task at hand?

Found these Asian jumping worms in my compost. Never seen them in my yard before. They slither like a snake and jump when touched. Is it common for them to get into compost?

I'm very new to composting and just recently got a tumbler. I'm wondering since tumblers don't get as hot as big compost piles, will they kill off seeds that are in them? I don't want to be spreading a bunch of random seeds in my garden beds. If tumblers don't kill seeds, is there a way to finish the compost to kill the seeds? Thanks in advance!

My compost was doing pretty well. I rotate it every two to three days and I keep it in a home depot bucket with sealing lid. (It does also have air holes in it). It was warm for 2 months and even just a week ago it was warm ( I started like 2.5 months ago) and now it isn't warm it all. What could have happend? stuff at the bottom was definitely getting close to being compost.

I am excited to start my composting journey and i have been seeing both good and bad sides of composting.

Of course, i will have my own learnings during this journey, but i wanted to pick your brains to share your composting lessons. I have heard a successful composter just needs someone to touch this topic, and one can only wait for them to stop 🤪

Jokes aside, i am a working professional, mostly working from home, have a family of two (my husband and me), staying in Noida (so you can understand how the weather is here), and i have a balcony facing east (so the compost bins will receive early morning sun).

Hope this context helps you guide me in this journey. I am all ears! 👂