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So I recently bought my first composter and am quite excited about it. The one I have takes about 6 mos to completely decompost but since it's winter the timing should work out about right. Can anyone comment their thoughts having owned one? I recently bought another house and have been planting away - trees, bushes, flowers, perennials, etc. Has anyone continously used compost and noticed an increase in size and vitality of their plantings?
Last edited by citydweller; 11-03-2008 at 01:08 PM..
Reason: edit
So I recently bought my first composter and am quite excited about it. The one I have takes about 6 mos to completely decompost but since it's winter the timing should work out about right. Can anyone comment their thoughts having owned one? I recently bought another house and have been planting away - trees, bushes, flowers, perennials, etc. Has anyone continously used compost and noticed an increase in size and vitality of their plantings?
Most definitely! I've composted for many years, but my homemade composter is made of heavy duty wire, and stakes. We have many, old, huge, English Walnut trees, and don't bag one leaf! If we did, there'd be 500 bags or more! We're trying to be green as green can be, and I throw a bunch of leaves in my compost pile. (the others get mowed and spread like a thin blanket on our back yard). Also, in the compost, I put small sticks, weeds, rotten tomatoes and other veggies from the kitchen, grass, and even mushroom soil....everything but meat, as you know. I buy mushroom soil for my flowers/plants, a truck load each spring (another miracle for the gardener). The hardest part for me, is turning the compost pile, and i do that every 2-3 weeks all spring and summer. Your composter may do that for you. What's it like?
The one I bought is located here. This is my first one so not sure what to expect. I'm wondering if it may be a little difficult to mix due to it being tall and narrow. As you can see at the bottom there is a door to raise and lower in order to get out the compost. I am so looking forward to spring already.
I have three and the city gave them out free to encourage composting. I usually roatte the one I use about evry 6 months. A side note is that I threw some cantalope waste it one and the next year I had beautiful juicy cantalope growing.The vietnamese do somethoing like this abopve grond to grow their mellows.
I've had compost piles for over 25 years and love them. All yard debris except weeds and fungus covered vegetation go in, including small branches, pine cones, etc. This spring, I remade a vegetable garden after 10 years of not actively doing so. That compost was turned out and tilled in to the gardens. My soil measured a perfect 7 and I've had a fabulous growing season from the garden. I couldn't begin to say how healthy it is for your yard and the landfill thanks you too! I also toss my coffee grinds into it.
I have recently bought a leaf shredder thing from Gardner's Supply, but I've been sick with the flu and haven't opened the box to view it in person. I'm hoping it shreds the leaves and branches as small as it says it will. If it does, my composting area won't need to be as large. I use wire fencing and stakes as well and just toss periodically with a pitch fork. Every now and then if I think of it, I toss in some lime product to assist in the break down of the compost.
Have fun!!! You know you've got GREAT soil when you turn it over and it's full of earthworms. Nice work!!!!!!!!
The one I bought is located here. This is my first one so not sure what to expect. I'm wondering if it may be a little difficult to mix due to it being tall and narrow. As you can see at the bottom there is a door to raise and lower in order to get out the compost. I am so looking forward to spring already.
How long does it usually take to break down into compost for those of you who have one?
I think it takes about 6 months, but I keep adding, turning over, and shifting it, so that's a guess. I bring the mix up from the bottom, to the top because the bottom is all very rich and wormy. And, my mushroom soil really adds that extra kick!
I have done pretty much all types of composters. The one I got from the city was the worst for me. Field mice decided they liked the area around it for their new home. My two dogs decided they wanted to "play" with the mice, and proceeded to tear apart and chew up the composter.
A while later I was doing an inspection and the seller had a rotary composter that they were going to put in a garage sale. I took it home that day.
OMG! It makes compost very fast, or at least seems to. Month or so and it's done.
I also bought a chipper/mulcher and that has really helped in a lot of ways. First it makes quick work of getting rid of the cuttings when pruning or cutting back stuff. It provides huge amount of mulch, which also helps the soil.
I found that when I ran leaves through the chipper/mulcher then added them to the composter (for the BROWN stuff), it broke down faster than just regular leaves. I also used an old blender for kitchen scraps to break those down a bit before adding them to the composter. Egg shells always bothered me with the old composter for some reason.
Frequent early morning runs to Starbucks gets me a lot of coffee grounds for free. I also found that in the afternoon, if you ask, they will almost always have some ready to bag if you wait. I use the grounds in the composter, and as a side dressing for the plants.
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We're trying to be green as green can be, and I throw a bunch of leaves in my compost pile. (the others get mowed and spread like a thin blanket on our back yard). Also, in the compost, I put small sticks, weeds, rotten tomatoes and other veggies from the kitchen, grass, and even mushroom soil....everything but meat, as you know. I buy mushroom soil for my flowers/plants, a truck load each spring (another miracle for the gardener). The hardest part for me, is turning the compost pile, and i do that every 2-3 weeks all spring and summer. Your composter may do that for you. What's it like?
I also toss my coffee grinds into it. 
