Hey everyone! Woundering if this compost is good to go? Or just trash, it’s from a previous renter and I dug through it, wanting to start a new one but why let this go to waste if it’s good. It’s a lot of life in it at least but had a lot of other stuff on top. Should I take this out and start a new one or is this useful?
Thanks in advance!
by TurtleDuck1999
5 Comments
Some of it looks finished and some looks like it dried out.
The stuff that you can see what the origin is, is would throw back in, and the stuff that more or less looks like soil i would use.
Go lasagna mode:
Get some greens (coffee grounds or cut grass)
Shovel it all out of there, Try to get it fluffed up some.
Base layer of ripped up cardboard, water it.
> coffee grounds – old stuff – cardboard –
> coffee grounds – old stuff – cardboard –
> coffee grounds – old stuff – cardboard –
keep a gardening can nearby and water everything that’s not moist. Yes, you can pee on it.
Turn as often as you like, depending on how fast you need finished compost.
But with some fresh greens this will be done in no time.
For a more rounded nutrient make-up add all the kitchen scrap you have for a week, egg shells banana peels – whatever you got.
Bury the new additions a bit in the pile, add moisture on the outside if it’s dry. Turn after a week or if you’re so inclined turn it every day.
You can buy some soil amendments (blood meal, kelp meal, dolomite lime, biochar, …) And add those once the pile is beginning to cool down.
Oh and add some wood ash from a firepit.
Give that another two turns and you’ll have a grade compost. Sift it to use as potting soil in pots or just use as a top dressing for garden plants / veggies.
Edit: i’d make sure to reach high temperatures atleast once to make sure to kill any seeds that might be in there. You don’t kbow what the previous owners threw in and it was a lazy compost imho.
Hot composting makes sure to get rid of any unwanted volunteers or even uncomposted dog poop or the like.
Start adding fresh materials, water it. Turn and mix.
You know what to do…
Water and turn over. Add new organics.