Happy Easter everyone. im looking into starting a compost pile. I have an area I made thats 5×10 that im looking to begin a pile. here's what I have readily available on my property.
grass cuttings
Timothy hay with chicken / goat waste
duck poop pond water
pine needles
pine wood shavings (quail area)
coffee grounds
twigs / logs
chicken, quail and duck egg shells
still trying to understand what's green/brown ratio. are the items I listed to rich to have all in 1 pile or would you leave out certain things or add more of others. let me know your thoughts thank you.
by TopExperience3424
6 Comments
I would get rid of the barrier, that will give you more issues in the end.
Like the previous comment…..having that plastic on the ground is NOT something I would do. Not sure it it’s right or not, but in my mind, I want the microbes and worms from the earth to creep up into the compost, not be separated from it.
But maybe that is the question you should be asking!
Anyway…on my pile, I just throw it all together without thinking about ratios and it does fine. Keep it wet from time to time, stir it every once in a while (not too much). I try not to stress over it too much. Looks like you will do fine.
Oh…and don’t forget to throw in the table scraps…we throw about an ice cream pail full a day on ours. I don’t like throwing bread on because bread gets moldy fast.
Your fence is a little high (which is ok) but it might be a little difficult to mix every couple of weeks. I use chicken wire around mine, which is like a foot and a half high. That alone is semi difficult to mix. Mine is a 6 foot by 6 foot round pile. I’m thinking about starting a 2nd.
1 part greens to 2-3 parts browns to start is solid. 50/50 is fine too. It’s not a huge issue, just get volume and add greens if it’s not hot, addd browns if it’s sludgey and stinky.
I’d remove the tarp. It’s just going to get nasty and gross. Add nasty plastic leeching to your pile. It will also stop worms and bacteria from coming from the earth and into the pile, which you want. The grass underneath is absolutely gone regardless, due to warmth from the pile, so no need to put a tarp down. It’s just waste.
Get rid of the plastic on the bottom. It will hold water at the bottom causing issues. I did it 1 time and it got really disgusting.
Get rid of that plastic
Remove the plastic like everyone said but otherwise that will be great, you have a nice big setup. Add dead leaves too when they fall this fall