compost not working

[ninnymary]

This is my first try at composting and I have some quetions since I think I am doing something wrong.

I got one of those stacking bins from my county office that included a great video and pamphlet on how to compost. I thought I understood how to do it. I don't think it is getting hot enough and that is my problem.

I started my composting around October. The bin is in the shade because that's the only space that I have. Is this o.k.? or does it have to be in the sun?

During the winter months I did not have many grass clippings since we hardly cut our grass. Also, the only grass I have is in the front yard and the area is not very big. Therefore, when I cut the grass I don't have tons of it. I could ask my neighbor for some of his.
Our winter months are mild. Does this affect how hot the pile gets?

I don't have hardly any browns right now. During the fall, I did have leaves that I put in there.

I thought I was having too much poop from 5 chickens for the amount of compost stuff, so now I alternately add the poop with the shavings every other week.

I add veggie scraps such as banana peels, apple cores, citrus peels, pear core. This seems to make up most of my scraps since this is what we eat most often.

I admit, the large clippings from my yard (which are not that many) I add to the recyling "green" compost bin that the city picks up. I am to lazy to chop it up into 6" pieces.

I do turn it about 4 times a week hoping this would compost faster. It doesn't smell bad but all I see seems to be the wood shavings from the coop. I know that these break down slowly.

I almost feel that I should have 2 bins. One to fill up and then let it sit while I turn it. Another bin to add new stuff to.

I was hoping that in 6 months I would have compost made but this is not happening.

Any tips/advise? Especially from you boggybranch who seems to love composting as much as gardening!

Mary

 

[patandchickens]

Small piles/composters don't necessarily heat up well (certainly not unless they start out completely full), and depending on where you live Winter may be a major factor too.

Chances are that you also have too much shavings for the amount of poo and other high-nitrogen materials in there. Coop cleanings do not generally compost very well, the way *most* backyard chickenkeepers clean their coops, because you end up with way too much shavings in relation to the amount of poo. So if you want speedy hot composting, you would need to either greatly increase the amount of N going into the pile, or cut way back on the amount of shavings.

Although other factors may be involved, I would betcha anything that the three things listed above (size, season and C:N ratio) are the main ones here.

Also, IMO waaaay too many advocates of composting encourage people to expect rapid production of something like you'd buy in a bag, which is just not the way it works unless you get really technical and manipulative about exactly what you're doing.

You can still use half-finished compost int he garden, of course

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll mention it needs to be damp too. Not soaking, soppy wet but damp. My set up is totally different from yours but, although I cover mine with plastic to try to keep the wind from drying it out, I have to add a lot of water to get it to work. With yours it should not dry out too badly.

Throwing a little topsoil in to introduce the right microbes can possibly help. When I start a new pile, I mix in a little old compost to introduce these microbes.

 

[ninnymary]

Pat, I am putting about 1 1/2" of shavings in the coop. Is this too much for 5 hens and the coop is small? If I put less shavings, I am afraid my coop will start smelling. I do use DE in it and clean it out once a week.

Mary

 

[patandchickens]

There;s two totally separate issues here.

One is what amount of bedding (and what schedule/style of changing it) is best for your chickens. I would say that your amount of bedding is certainly not excessive for the chickens, and personally I use more. (Although I have things set up so I don't change it hardly ever. But, everyone's situation is different, and ya gotta do what ya gotta do.)

The other thing is how much shavings can your compost pile 'absorb' and maintain a reasonably workable C:N ratio. It still sounds to me like you likely have a lot more shavings in there than is compatible with efficient composting. There are two classes of solution to that problem. Either put fewer shavings in the compost -- putting the others elsewhere to compost sllloowwwly on their own, or using them as mulch, or using them as soil amendment for a fallow bed, or giving them away -- or put much more high-nitrogen material in the compost.

Does that sorta make sense?

Pat

 

[boggybranch]

Mary,

Maybe this link will help....

http://www.composting101.com/

Just remember...it's as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. Hope this link helps.

 

[boggybranch]

I did read an interesting thing on composting this morning. It said that the green material gathered in the early spring, when weeds and green growth is just beginning to really grow, will cause a compost pile to heat up much quicker and finish cooking in less time than green material gathered in the heat of summer and fall.
I had made that observation in my composting, before, but hadn't really given it much thought. Just thought I had made the proportions in the pile, better.

 

[journey11]

Hi Mary,

The bin is in the shade because that's the only space that I have. Is this o.k.? or does it have to be in the sun?
That won't matter too much, the pile will generate it's own heat if the mix is right.

Our winter months are mild. Does this affect how hot the pile gets?
I've noticed with my tumbler that things slow down in the winter since the cooler temps take away so much of the heat, but they do break down some. Not like in the summer though, when I can kick out a batch about once a month...

I don't have hardly any browns right now.
I'm not sure what's available in your area, but you can always scrounge plant materials off of your friends and neighbors. Sometimes you can even get restaurants to save coffee grounds and such for you. If you know anyone who has animals and feeds hay, spent hay is one of the best browns you can get your hands on.

I thought I was having too much poop from 5 chickens for the amount of compost stuff, so now I alternately add the poop with the shavings every other week.
Oh, you can never have too much poop, IMO!

I admit, the large clippings from my yard (which are not that many) I add to the recyling "green" compost bin that the city picks up. I am to lazy to chop it up into 6" pieces.
There's really no big deal to chopping it up so small, if you just want to go ahead and throw it in... Smaller pieces break down faster and more uniformly, but you can always do what I do, which is rake out the bigger bits and put them back in your composter to continue in the next batch.

I do turn it about 4 times a week hoping this would compost faster. It doesn't smell bad but all I see seems to be the wood shavings from the coop. I know that these break down slowly.
Yeah, they do take *forever* and I would say this may be most of your problem. They will eventually break down and very nicely too...bark breaks down better than wood...

I almost feel that I should have 2 bins. One to fill up and then let it sit while I turn it. Another bin to add new stuff to.
That is a good idea. I like having something to collect the incoming scraps while the current batch is cooking.

As was mentioned, moisture content is very important. If it looks dry, mist it with the water hose every now and then, but not sopping wet. I too have found that a shovel-full of garden dirt helps. It adds natural soil bacteria to the mix, whose job it is to break down organics.

The hottest pile of compost I ever did see was a combination of spent hay and horse manure that had just been rained on. It was literally steaming like a volcano. It shrunk down to half its original size in less than a week! Good stuff!

 

[ninnymary]

Boggybranch... I read the link. I don't think my ratio of carbon to nitrogen is right.

I'll try to get some more plant material to add to it. Maybe I'll even put a tree stump next to the bin to have a place to chop some garden waste.

I forgot to mention that I do keep it moist, like a damp sponge.

I'm also going to try to pick out most of the chicken poop every week and not add to many shavings.

Whenever my compost gets done and after I use it, I will try to move the bin to a sunny area by the front side of my house. I think the sun beating against the black bin will help to raise the temperature? Moving the bin is going to be a hard sell to hubby. I can already hear it. I don't think he will like it there!:/

Mary

 

[boggybranch]

Yea, Mary.....You GOTTA have enough "greens" as that is the heat "generator".