Hey there,
I’m reworking a compost bin a friend of mine has. There’s lots of fall trimmings and such in it, but they haven’t broken down over the winter in Utah.
I pulled out much of it, though I’m unsure what should go back in and what should be bagged?
Can you please throw me a quick line of what items should be bagged for the dump?
TIA.
New member. I’m loving it the entire 8 minutes I’ve been in this group. Best of.
by MostofUS26
6 Comments
Branches like that gonna take a few years to break down. I’d remove the biggest branches add coffee grounds/ cardboard and food waste and water mix once a month continue to add your scraps. Anything you shred and make into smaller pieces will break down faster
Welcome to this group!
You kinda want to make a new lasagne of browns and greens. The pile looks kinda dry and brown. So getting some nitrogen heavy (green) material would be nice.
I would put most of the sticks at the bottom to have a draining layer and then make layers of your material and then a green layer like horse manure or grass clippings/kitchen scraps. Maybe keep a pile on the side with your old material that you can add once in a while, after you put in some greens.
Water it with some rain water to keep the pile moist, i would cover it, but keep checking the humidity level every now and then.
There are two kinds of people in this group, people who would suggest peeing (nitrogen+water) on the pile and people who dont. I dont pee on my pile.
Rent a shredder
It’s such a short summer season up here in the mountains, I think I’ll bag most of the bigger stuff and rethink what gets put in. We want compost, not a simmering moldy pile of last year’s weeds n small sticks.
https://preview.redd.it/1r1rjg2si0vg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f560dfc10fb47854dd89553c24118c14738935e6
Start peeing in it
All of it appears to be compostable. The pile likely didn’t compost due to being dry (and cold). Utah air is very dry, the land is salty, and it gets pretty cold. Also seems carbon heavy.
Other commenters are mentioning the bulkier items.
Those are actually perfect (and essential) for a big (hot) pile, as they provide aeration and structure. Use those as the base layer/outer walls of a pile, and/or stick them vertically/horizontally through the pile.
For the medium/smaller sticks, if you don’t have a shredder, crush them with anything heavy (eg jump on them with heavy boots, split them with a shovel, etc). The smaller the better. Try soaking those pieces in water for ~24 hours, then try crushing.
You’ll also probably need greens. Go to your local coffee shop and pick up coffee ground (free, just call in the morning, and don’t ask during peak hours). A pile that big could use a lot; I find each suburb local shop is good for 10-15lbs wet; you’ll probably need ~100lbs+.
Those grounds will heat rapidly though, and the heavy carbon will help maintain the heat.