Problems With Composting.

[abonnen]

I have been having problems with composting, I love to be able to compost my food type waste but every time I try composting the bin become a roach motel. I am not a huge fan of this is there anything i can add to my compost that will help keep them away?

 

[remnant]

Compost requires to be wet in order to rot well. It also needs constant turning in order to provide aeration. The occurrence of roaches in your compost is symptomatic of low microbial activity. You can innoculate your compost using some rice water which has been mixed with molasses and fermented substances like milk. This should be sprinkled on the compost to start the process which is evidenced by rising temperature. This will make the roaches to flee.

 

[MaryMary]

No, no, no, I do not think I would be composting if the end result was a roach motel!!

I've never encountered this problem, but I agree with remnant. A good compost pile should be cooking at about 140-150 degrees, and you need to pour on the heat!! Cook 'em out!

Can you add grass clippings? Horse or cow manure?

If nothing else, you could put it straight in your garden. I wanted to try vermicomposting, but there's really nowhere convenient in the house to keep a worm bin. I'm afraid to try it outside; they'd cook in the summer and freeze in the winter!

Get a sturdy bucket with a lid. Drill holes in the bottom for drainage, and holes in the sides big enough to let the worms in. Dig a hole in the garden big enough to sink the bucket, and you're ready! (Google "worm tower." )

I've got one on either end on my garden. I fill one one week, and the other the next. Keeps the little buggers moving through the garden! Aerating my soil, and pooping as they go! (But they also poop where they eat, every now and then I empty the bucket, and I get nice, rich dirt from it!!)

You should be able to get the buckets free from a bakery or deli. I've gotten tons of buckets that way, I just ask when I go shopping. Keeps them from being thrown in the trash.

 

[zigs]

If you're just composting kitchen waste then it pays to layer it with crumpled cardboard, you get a better end result and a better carbon/nitrogen balance

 

[MaryMary]

If you're just composting kitchen waste then it pays to layer it with crumpled cardboard, you get a better end result and a better carbon/nitrogen balance

It's also a great way to dispose of shredded bank/credit card statements!

 

[zigs]

It's also a great way to dispose of shredded bank/credit card statements!

Last time I did that I had a call from the bank, seemed some roaches were trying to get money out of my account

The Centre for Alternative Technology did some trials a few years back with cardboard in the compost, they could find no trace of printing ink residue in the final product

 

[headfullofbees]

This will probably come as a surprise to many, but kitchen waste, taken as a whole, isn't suitable for composting.
Look at other methods, like bokashi or wormeries.
Compost only raw vegetable kitchen waste.

 

[zigs]

This will probably come as a surprise to many, but kitchen waste, taken as a whole, isn't suitable for composting.
Look at other methods, like bokashi or wormeries.
Compost only raw vegetable kitchen waste.

Sis uses an open based "darlek" type compost bin for her kitchen waste, it ends up being full of brandling worms. Never put any in there, they just find it.

 

[MaryMary]

Thank you, @zigs! I learned something already today, and it's only 8:00 am! Brandling worms are what we call red wigglers. Said to be the best compost worms you can get.

Your sis is very lucky! They sell those for about $20 a pound here.

 

[zigs]

Blimey, it's 1 o'clock here

Cor, i'd better start rounding them up then. When she empties the bin you find them sulking under bits of carpet and things

 

[abonnen]

Thanks for the replies! I am thinking of going to just worms instead of continuing to compost, I use to raise worms so I know a bit about them and am wanting to get a few rabbits anyways. Which when I use to raise worms we would put the worm "farm" under our rabbit hutches.

 

[rz3300]

Well just reading through a little bit of the responses, It sounds like worms are the way to go, but I am confused why they are separate because when we had our compost pile we were always told to have worms in there at all times. I am not sure, maybe we were doing it wrong, but it made sense at the time.

 

[MaryMary]

@rz3300, the difference is mainly whether you have a compost pile, or are using a composting bin.

In a pile, the worms can escape the parts of the pile that get too hot.

If you are using a bin, like this one,

then the chances are highly likely it will get too hot for the worms. Most of the more common worms used for compost begin to die off at about 90 degrees F.

I also compost my yard waste and newspapers, so in addition to my worm towers, I have a DIY composting bin like this one.

We drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, and the worms just moved in of their own accord!! I assume they migrate south when the temperature is not to their liking.

 

[The Urban Farmer]

composting will attract critters as you are throwing away scraps of organic left overs. My compost bin has all kinds of critters, more than I care to know about. But that's the beauty of composting! You're creating an environment for life (bacteria) to thrive! I would be alarmed if there weren't any critters.