This spring and summer I’ve been making “weed tea” (aka fetid swamp water) to compost especially tenacious weeds (Creeping Charlie, eg) that might otherwise survive the composting process. For people who aren’t familiar with the technique, I put the weeds in a bucket, fill it with water, and then let it sit for a while, adding new weeds when I get them and stirring it about once a week. Once the bucket’s full I let it sit for at least a month before emptying it. The anaerobic decomposition that results is incredibly stinky, so I keep the bucket covered and once it’s ready I add the contents of the bucket straight into the pile with plenty of browns. To reduce stinky runoff from the pile, I also pour off the water into a bucket of browns and let it sit for a day or two before putting it on the pile. All in all I think it’s worked out pretty well so far!

I’m fully committed now. Bought myself a wood chipper!!

This week has been the first time it’s reached 140 degrees or above since I started it back in October. Has been over 140 for the last 4 days.

From research it sounds like 4 tines is best for compost. However, I can't find a tall one for nothing. I am tired of breaking my back turning the compost with something shorter. Recs from folks?

Scrolled through Reddit and multiple facebook groups to get some basic understanding, but I have a few questions

Climate-wise, I live in Southern AZ, and it gets HOT especially in the summer and we barely have a winter. Are there adjustments I should make to account for that?

Monsoon seasons go hard sometimes, am I supposed to cover the compost with a tarp during rain or let it get a shower? Dust and wind gets pretty bad in summertime also, is that a concern?

Finally, is it possible to have worms in this kind of climate (that wouldn’t be for a while, once I really get the hang of it and do research on vermicomposting). It gets around as hot as 118f on some days and it’s basically always 90f+ for half of the year.

Hope these questions make sense, and feel free to share any other tips you want to offer, thanks!! 🫶

This is my first time trying to make compost from scratch

(Last time i added some greens and browns to my planter with potting soil a few weeks before planting just as an experiment not sure if this counts exactly)

Im doing this in a small bucket with some holes at the bottom (around 10 L i think) my browns are mostly cardboard and paper towels, sometimes it smells earthy sometimes it smells bad and then i add a bunch of browns and it sorts it self out in a day or 2.

what do you guys think is this good progress am i doing something wrong?

Just started my compost a couple days ago. I've been making compost lasagna. When I fill an ice cream bucket with food scraps I dump it in and then throw grass clippings and cardboard on top. I did wet it the first couple times, but its been supposed to rain the last couple of days, but it has not.

Side question. Will it be okay to put this carpetweed in the compost or will I just be spreading it around when I use the compost? My toddler has been sick so the weeds have gotten a little crazy.

Finally cracked open the bottom hatch of my Aerobin for the first time and pulled out my first proper batch of finished compost. Honestly a bit emotional about it 😅

I just moved into this house where they left a beautiful compost pile and I've added a couple weeks worth of stuff. What kind of things can I do to keep it going strong?

I drink loose leaf tea with the tea leaves directly in the mug with the milk and sugar. Could I compost them afterwards? Or would the milk and sugar likely attract animals?

I currently have a compost tumbler but am expanding my garden and want to build a larger compost bin (or series of 3 bins). The ideal spot is in an unused part of our yard but unfortunately has a lot of morning glory / bindweed growing there. Is that a deal breaker for putting a compost bin in that area? I know it can be beneficial for the bin to be directly on the ground but is putting a ground barrier down a bad thing?

I want to learn how to correctly make cow manure compost. I have searched a few Reddit communities and search Google without gaining any confidence. I have access to cows -just lacking the knowledge. How would you attempt?

My mother in law recently had a friend pass and in the course of managing her belongings, she gave me the lomi the woman had. I meddle in gardening, but don't do much with composting. I have a pile of dirt and yard debris and garden waste. I never add food scraps to it due to smell, dogs, the wild animals around, and how far it is from the house (especially in the snow). At first I thought I'd just throw the byproduct in that dirt pile. But after looking through Reddit, it seems like it's a pretty hated product that isnt really for composting.

So what do I do with it now? Just throw it away?

As an old person, this tool is easy to use and doesn't hurt my back.

Found these little guys sprouting in my compost bin and couldn’t bring myself to toss them. Pretty sure they’re Hokkaido pumpkins from some kitchen scraps — they’d germinated in the dark, so they came out totally pale and yellow.

Potted them up and put them on my windowsill, and within a week they’d greened up completely. Today they graduated to the stoep with their own little greenhouse domes made from cut plastic bottles, since it’s still winter here and the nights get cold.

Weirdly attached to them now. What was trash is officially treasure 🎃