Composting ratios

[NVRider46]

[QUOTE="Chuck, post: 42291, member: 944"]I try to do a 70/30 brown to green. In my experience to much green leads to an odoriferous pile[/QUOTE]

My question first. By however you determine the ratio, I have too much green and not enough brown. I could probably get more leaves by phoning friends and asking people at work, but is that worth doing at this late date given my incoming "greens" will stop in a week and my pile of what originated as green is black and more composted that not? Might I end up with part compost and part leaf mold by adding leaves now? Below is just background.

II've composted for years using a barrel and whatever material I have. Mostly garden or kitchen waste and leaves. In August of this year I developed a source for lots of very clean grass clippings and leaves. I've composted grass clippings (only) for two months. Turning the pile weekly, wetting minimally, and they're breaking down fine. No bad odor. Started getting lots of leaves in the last two weeks and am shredding them and turning them into the pile. Pile continues to be hot, holding my hand in the middle is doable but uncomfortable..

I found the ideal carbon/nitrogen ratios and the ranges of most materials several places My carbcalculated ideal mix of leaves/grass would be about 65/35. Close enough to 70/30. But the retios beg the question, Ratio by what? Volume? Weight? My guess is that the answer would be "by weight given equal moisture content" because that's the only thing that could possiblye be consistent.

 

[Chuck]

[QUOTE="Chuck, post: 42291, member: 944"]I try to do a 70/30 brown to green. In my experience to much green leads to an odoriferous pile

My question first. By however you determine the ratio, I have too much green and not enough brown. I could probably get more leaves by phoning friends and asking people at work, but is that worth doing at this late date given my incoming "greens" will stop in a week and my pile of what originated as green is black and more composted that not? Might I end up with part compost and part leaf mold by adding leaves now? Below is just background.

II've composted for years using a barrel and whatever material I have. Mostly garden or kitchen waste and leaves. In August of this year I developed a source for lots of very clean grass clippings and leaves. I've composted grass clippings (only) for two months. Turning the pile weekly, wetting minimally, and they're breaking down fine. No bad odor. Started getting lots of leaves in the last two weeks and am shredding them and turning them into the pile. Pile continues to be hot, holding my hand in the middle is doable but uncomfortable..

I found the ideal carbon/nitrogen ratios and the ranges of most materials several places My carbcalculated ideal mix of leaves/grass would be about 65/35. Close enough to 70/30. But the retios beg the question, Ratio by what? Volume? Weight? My guess is that the answer would be "by weight given equal moisture content" because that's the only thing that could possiblye be consistent.[/QUOTE]
I do it by volume. This is not an exact science. My compost pile is 4' x 10" x 4' and my measuring tool is a snow shovel. Some types of leaves decompose slower than others. Same thing for grass and even hedge clippings. Kitchen waste is fast. It will all decompose over time and the ratio is a guideline as to help in avoiding it to go anaerobic. The object is to avoid a slimey stinky mess and whatever percentage of brown to green it happens to be in order to do this is perfect just as long as enough heat is manufactured to kill pathogens and eggs. I use the same compost pile thermometer as you do. I don't think it is ever too late to add anything to your pile and leafmold is great stuff. I like to go out in the woods on my place and shovel it up in the spring and use it as mulch.

 

[DeborahJane]

I have out ash into my compost, not a lot. Is that a NO NO?

 

[Chuck]

I have out ash into my compost, not a lot. Is that a NO NO?

No, adding wood ash is great in limited quantities.

 

[Owdboggy]

Who has time to work these things out? I don't. I just chuck everything on the (open) heap and leave it to get on with it. Only thing we don't add is cooked food as that attracts rats. The heap gets turned twice as we have a three heap system, (In, Pending and Out) The Out heap gets covered with PVC sheeting, but that is only to keep it dry enough to be easy to move on to the garden. Works fine, just turned over 4 tons of the stuff and put about that amount on the Veg garden.

 

[Chuck]

Who has time to work these things out? I don't. I just chuck everything on the (open) heap and leave it to get on with it. Only thing we don't add is cooked food as that attracts rats. The heap gets turned twice as we have a three heap system, (In, Pending and Out) The Out heap gets covered with PVC sheeting, but that is only to keep it dry enough to be easy to move on to the garden. Works fine, just turned over 4 tons of the stuff and put about that amount on the Veg garden.

That's what I mostly do too as I am a procrastinator by birth. I only wish I had 4 tons of the stuff to procrastinate about. I think these ratios are great for smallish volumes and those rotating barrels but large amounts would be impossible without heavy equipment such as a front end loader or even in my case a garden tractor

 

[NVRider46]

Thanks Chuck and Owdboggy - between your two responses I have my approach. I'll continue to do what I've been doing, is exactly what Owdboggy does. And I'll assume that as long as I'm avoiding the slimy stiky mess I'm fine and nature will take it's course..

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck and Owdboggy - between your two responses I have my approach. I'll continue to do what I've been doing, is exactly what Owdboggy does. And I'll assume that as long as I'm avoiding the slimy stiky mess I'm fine and nature will take it's course..

Exactly right. There is no perfect recipe or ratio. It is what works for you. Lets take kitchen scraps for instance. I have one of those stainless steel garbage cans with a plastic insert. It opens by stepping on a lever at the bottom and it will hold about 10 gallons of stuff. By the time it is full a lot of moisture has already accumulated in the bottom. I keep this thing outside BTW. Anyway when it is full of egg shells, lettuce, corn cobs,tea bags, coffee grounds and who knows what else I take it out to the compost pile and dump it at the front of it and then rake down 3 or 4 inches of compost on top to hide the odor. I let it sit for a day or two and then turn it over. It still stinks but I cover it up again with more compost so there is no odor. Two or three days later or when I'm in the mood I will add about 2 or 3 times the volume of the garbage can, brown stuff such as old leaves to the pile of the new stuff and mix it up with a shovel and forget about it. Once in awhile if everything is dry I will add a little carbohydrates, either stale beer or most likely molasses diluted in water. Then when the garbage can is full again I just do it all over again and the previous garbage can full is already composted and you add it to the top of the pile

 

[Owdboggy]

And you can always do what we used to do in a small garden where there was no room even for a bin. I dug a trench across the Veg patch, filled it with the stuff to be composted and when it was full, dug another trench along side and covered the first lot over with that soil. Eventually the whole Veg patch was composted and it all rotted way in the soil nicely.
By the way if you do have a slimy mess, the answer is to get a large pole or wrecking bar and put it into the pile and wiggle it around to make a hole. This allows air to get into the material.
Or, again you can just bury it in the soil, it will rot down in there.

 

[DeborahJane]

Thanks Chuck. I have only added a layer a couple of times over the 3 years I've had the compost bin happening. I bought one of the ones that you can tumble but I found it too heavy for me to 'tumble'. One year I put leaf mulch in but at the moment I'm just looking at it.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck. I have only added a layer a couple of times over the 3 years I've had the compost bin happening. I bought one of the ones that you can tumble but I found it too heavy for me to 'tumble'. One year I put leaf mulch in but at the moment I'm just looking at it.

That's what I usually do with my compost pile too. Look at it. But now a lot of leaves are dropping and I am trying to get them all in one area in a huge pile so I can start the process again. I wish I had more green stuff to add to the brown but I don't so I am forced to use carbohydrates to speed up the decomposition of all those dead brown leaves. It should be finished by the time I can plant in the spring..........I hope

 

[headfullofbees]

Some of the things that count as greens:
Animal & poultry manure.
Weeds that haven't flowered.
Coffee grounds and tea leaves.
Urine
Seaweed.
Some leaves can go directly onto your veg patch. Worms will be so grateful, they'll reward you with some of their magic.

It's practically impossible to have too many leaves.

 

[Fernsdaddy]

I don't really follow any rules about composting I just toss what ever I have, if I;m pulling weed or cutting back I put it in the compost pile or bins. I don't add grass cutting until the fall when I start to clean up the leaves then they going to the compost.

 

[Owdboggy]

Our system

In

Pending

Out.
There is about 4 cubic metres in there at present. It will reduce a bit before I use it, but the stuff from Pending will go on top eventually.

 

[Corzhens]

Our compost bin has been there since we moved here in 2001. We use the soil there when we would pot a plant or make a bed for seedlings. Our usual fuel for the bin are leftover from the vegetables and fruits. Other than that, we sometimes toss leftover dishes especially soup dishes. And for the cover of the bin, we top it with grass, fresh or dried will do. The cover is to protect the fuel from being eaten by other animals.