BIG compost ... I mean BIG!

[Johntodd]

Hi! I've seen the need to add compost bins to fortify the soil for my huge garden. We're just not going to produce enough bokashi to sustain the garden after the new addition opens up.

So, my question is: How big of a double bin do I need to sustain a garden of about an acre to two acres? I want nice rich soil throughout.

I've got the space for big composters, just need to know how big to build them.

Thanks!
-John

 

[Chuck]

Hi! I've seen the need to add compost bins to fortify the soil for my huge garden. We're just not going to produce enough bokashi to sustain the garden after the new addition opens up.

So, my question is: How big of a double bin do I need to sustain a garden of about an acre to two acres? I want nice rich soil throughout.

I've got the space for big composters, just need to know how big to build them.

Thanks!
-John

For something that big I would recommend on the ground composting and you would need a tractor with a bucket or something to turn it over with. My garden is slightly over 1/4 acre and I have 2 compost piles each 4x4x10 and it really isn't near enough. A garden of 2 acres without mechanical help will difficult at best and will take a lot of compost. Figure on the first year 4" of compost per sq. ft. of growing area (not counting walkways) a 2 acre garden will probably end up with a growing area of around 60000 sq ft and that equals to about 20000 cu ft per year or 740 yards of compost. After the first year probably half of that will do great especially with bio-char. IMO

PS. My charcoal maker is almost finished

 

[Johntodd]

Hi Chuck!

I will be using a garden tractor and a cart. I won't be turning the piles at all, rather I'll have two piles at a year apart. IOW, When each pile is filled, it will age a year before being used, alternating, etc.

Good on you for making the retort. Remember, there's an art to running it, depending on what you put into it. After you do your first run, you'll be all like "Oh! Now I see!" and it'll all be good. Don't be afraid to quench it early if you need to. I sometimes have to re-run pieces that didn't get all the way charred.

740 yards! Wowza!
Thanks!
-Johntodd

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck!

I will be using a garden tractor and a cart. I won't be turning the piles at all, rather I'll have two piles at a year apart. IOW, When each pile is filled, it will age a year before being used, alternating, etc.

Good on you for making the retort. Remember, there's an art to running it, depending on what you put into it. After you do your first run, you'll be all like "Oh! Now I see!" and it'll all be good. Don't be afraid to quench it early if you need to. I sometimes have to re-run pieces that didn't get all the way charred.

740 yards! Wowza!
Thanks!
-Johntodd

That is what I do too, one pile a year. If you don't turn it over the outer layer composts very slowly and the center will become dry and the decomposing process slows down to almost nothing. You are talking about 2 BIG piles and even at incorporating 2" per year the piles will be huge and maintaining the correct moisture and oxygen levels without turning probably impossible. Are or you thinking of bokashi for a large portion of your pile. Putting in a LOT of fresh green material will help with the moisture retention but for a pile this big you are talking hundreds of pounds of green stuff. My compost is made up of what kitchen scraps I have, which isn't much, and the rest is dead leaves, weeds, plants from the garden and grass that I rake up when I mow. Adding molasses really speeds things up too.

The welder says he will be done next week sometime with the retort. I probably won't start using it until this winter though. I have a lot of trees that need cutting down before I can start and it is just too hot to get out there with a chainsaw and cut them into small pieces, plus I ain't the spring chicken I used to be either.

 

[Johntodd]

Chuck,
Do yourself a favor and cut the trees down now so they can start drying. You can cut them to pieces later. Just fell them for now and leave in place.

We're going to get a mulcher bag thing for the riding mower. Got about 3 acres of yard. Should provide a lot of green throughout the warm season. Also have lots of woods to clean up, and soybean fields to sweep from. Plus the non-edible parts of garden plants. And my next-farm neighbor has horses!

I'll keep the bokashi separate because of animal products/oils in that. my dry piles will be true "dry piles".

Molasses! Great idea!

 

[Chuck]

[="Johntodd, post: 33966, member: 1345"]Chuck,
Do yourself a favor and cut the trees down now so they can start drying. You can cut them to pieces later. Just fell them for now and leave in place.

We're going to get a mulcher bag thing for the riding mower. Got about 3 acres of yard. Should provide a lot of green throughout the warm season. Also have lots of woods to clean up, and soybean fields to sweep from. Plus the non-edible parts of garden plants. And my next-farm neighbor has horses!

I'll keep the bokashi separate because of animal products/oils in that. my dry piles will be true "dry piles".

Molasses! Great idea![/QUOTE]
The trees have been dead for at least 5 years and it is just too hot. 100+ every day. All that is around me is a big ranch that has a bunch of cows and I have to pick up cow chips if I get any manure at all, dried or fresh, with a wheelbarrow. With the molasses mix it with 2 oz per gallon of water and spray your pile every couple of weeks or so. It really works. I'll post pics when all set up. I went to the store the other day to buy BBQ chunk charcoal and it was $15 a bag. I'll have my retort paid for in no time. I have tons of oak and mesquite all over the place. I might bag it up and sell it in town. Got unlimited juniper

 

[Johntodd]

Excellent! You can make grilling charcoal in that thing, but remember to scrub it clean if your previous load was "nasty" wood.

I'll def do the molasses. Thanks!
-John

 

[Chuck]

Excellent! You can make grilling charcoal in that thing, but remember to scrub it clean if your previous load was "nasty" wood.

I'll def do the molasses. Thanks!
-John

This country out here is overrun with Texas cedar or juniper. From about 1880 to about 1940 there were folks here who made their living making cedar charcoal. They would haul the stuff into San Antonio where it was used cook and heat with. But you cannot BBQ with it. The smoke makes the meat taste like kerosene so I suppose you could call it nasty wood but I bet it will make great bio-char.

How do you crush or smash the big pieces in order to incorporate into the garden? Or do I have to run the wood through a chipper first?

 

[Johntodd]

I don't crush or mash. Everything I've charred so far has been done at the chainsaw level. So I'm charring logs, albeit short ones. The larger the diameter of the log, the shorter the length should be. I've successfully charred logs that were 2 feet in diameter, but sliced to 6 inches long.

However, as you saw in that video, Mr. Rogers uses chipped wood. Running your branches through a wood chipper certainly would be much easier than sawing, I would think.

What kind of wood for biochar? ANYTHING you want, except rotten wood. Rotten wood is, well, rotten, so there isn't much of value left in it. It'll fall apart and burn. But I've charred plenty of logs that were hollow. The solid parts of them charred nicely.