I was reading the "what to do with wood chips..." posting and it
brought to mind some questions I have about composting.

The village where I live makes no arrangements for yard waste. There
is no pick-up day, no drop-off location, and the trash collectors
refuse to take it if they can see what it is (i.e., if one puts it out
in paper yard waste sacks as opposed to disguising it in black garbage
bags).

Last fall, I left most (okay--all, LOL!) of the fallen leaves on the
garden beds and raked them off in spring. I constructed a rudimentary
composter by making a 3-foot circle with some 4-foot tall field fence
out behind my garage, and these partially broken-down leaves became the
first layer. Since then, I have added grass clippings, small brush
clippings, and lots of weeds and ivy (someone before me r-e-a-l-l-y
loved ivy). I'll probably be adding lots more bushy stuff now that
I've got a new hedge trimmer.

I plan to turn the compost occasionally with a pitchfork. Other than
that, I've done nothing. Since the pile is completely open and
exposed, I don't add any foodstuffs (vegetable peels, etc.), since I'm
concerned that would draw animals and flies.

Is there more I should do to hasten the breakdown of the yard waste I
put in the pile? About how long should I expect to wait before I can
remove compost and put it on my flower beds? Other tips?

Thanks in advance!
Jo Ann

" wrote in message
ups.com...
I was reading the "what to do with wood chips..." posting and it
brought to mind some questions I have about composting.

The village where I live makes no arrangements for yard waste. There
is no pick-up day, no drop-off location, and the trash collectors
refuse to take it if they can see what it is (i.e., if one puts it out
in paper yard waste sacks as opposed to disguising it in black garbage
bags).

Last fall, I left most (okay--all, LOL!) of the fallen leaves on the
garden beds and raked them off in spring. I constructed a rudimentary
composter by making a 3-foot circle with some 4-foot tall field fence
out behind my garage, and these partially broken-down leaves became the
first layer. Since then, I have added grass clippings, small brush
clippings, and lots of weeds and ivy (someone before me r-e-a-l-l-y
loved ivy). I'll probably be adding lots more bushy stuff now that
I've got a new hedge trimmer.

I plan to turn the compost occasionally with a pitchfork. Other than
that, I've done nothing. Since the pile is completely open and
exposed, I don't add any foodstuffs (vegetable peels, etc.), since I'm
concerned that would draw animals and flies.

Is there more I should do to hasten the breakdown of the yard waste I
put in the pile? About how long should I expect to wait before I can
remove compost and put it on my flower beds? Other tips?

Thanks in advance!
Jo Ann


Go easy on the brus clippings / busl bracches, etc. You need more green
than woody brown, use lots of green bush leaves, very few stems. Brown
leaves are great. Just not much woody stuff. Takes a long time to decay.

Keep it wet / damp.

Put in couple of cups of amonium sulfate every two weeks.

Turn it.

Ideally you have two identical sized bins, andwekly turn all of one bin into
the other, so that you are constantly rotating the top layer to the bottom
over and over.

If you can get some, add some fresh cow manure to the middle of the pile as
you rotate it. Amazing stuff ( yeasts, bacteria) in a cow's gut as far as
digesting green grasses, ets., and it gets carried out through the manure.

You should have use able stuff in 6 mos, good stuff in a year.
--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.

" wrote in message ups.com...
I was reading the "what to do with wood chips..." posting and it
brought to mind some questions I have about composting.

The village where I live makes no arrangements for yard waste. There
is no pick-up day, no drop-off location, and the trash collectors
refuse to take it if they can see what it is (i.e., if one puts it out
in paper yard waste sacks as opposed to disguising it in black garbage
bags).

Last fall, I left most (okay--all, LOL!) of the fallen leaves on the
garden beds and raked them off in spring. I constructed a rudimentary
composter by making a 3-foot circle with some 4-foot tall field fence
out behind my garage, and these partially broken-down leaves became the
first layer. Since then, I have added grass clippings, small brush
clippings, and lots of weeds and ivy (someone before me r-e-a-l-l-y
loved ivy). I'll probably be adding lots more bushy stuff now that
I've got a new hedge trimmer.

I plan to turn the compost occasionally with a pitchfork. Other than
that, I've done nothing. Since the pile is completely open and
exposed, I don't add any foodstuffs (vegetable peels, etc.), since I'm
concerned that would draw animals and flies.

Is there more I should do to hasten the breakdown of the yard waste I
put in the pile? About how long should I expect to wait before I can
remove compost and put it on my flower beds? Other tips?

I sprinkle a little dirt over each few inches of grass clippings to innoculate
the pile evenly with bacteria. This helps, since I don't turn mine regularly.
Otherwise, I ended up with clumps of un-composted grass in the year or
two old compost.

Make sure you have enough "greens" to go with "browns"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...+greens+browns

Bob

buy a wood chipper, it speeds composting termendously

ONe other item -- ivy -- especially "English ivy" -- its probably a bad ide
t include ivy leaves and stems ib a conpost pile. You run a decided ris f
propagating a whole loyt of ivy, and it already sounds like you are _not_
an ivy fan.

--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.
"Jim McLaughlin" jim.mclaughlin wrote in message
. ..

" wrote in message
ups.com...
I was reading the "what to do with wood chips..." posting and it
brought to mind some questions I have about composting.

The village where I live makes no arrangements for yard waste. There
is no pick-up day, no drop-off location, and the trash collectors
refuse to take it if they can see what it is (i.e., if one puts it out
in paper yard waste sacks as opposed to disguising it in black garbage
bags).

Last fall, I left most (okay--all, LOL!) of the fallen leaves on the
garden beds and raked them off in spring. I constructed a rudimentary
composter by making a 3-foot circle with some 4-foot tall field fence
out behind my garage, and these partially broken-down leaves became the
first layer. Since then, I have added grass clippings, small brush
clippings, and lots of weeds and ivy (someone before me r-e-a-l-l-y
loved ivy). I'll probably be adding lots more bushy stuff now that
I've got a new hedge trimmer.

I plan to turn the compost occasionally with a pitchfork. Other than
that, I've done nothing. Since the pile is completely open and
exposed, I don't add any foodstuffs (vegetable peels, etc.), since I'm
concerned that would draw animals and flies.

Is there more I should do to hasten the breakdown of the yard waste I
put in the pile? About how long should I expect to wait before I can
remove compost and put it on my flower beds? Other tips?

Thanks in advance!
Jo Ann


Go easy on the brus clippings / busl bracches, etc. You need more green
than woody brown, use lots of green bush leaves, very few stems. Brown
leaves are great. Just not much woody stuff. Takes a long time to
decay.

Keep it wet / damp.

Put in couple of cups of amonium sulfate every two weeks.

Turn it.

Ideally you have two identical sized bins, andwekly turn all of one bin
into
the other, so that you are constantly rotating the top layer to the bottom
over and over.

If you can get some, add some fresh cow manure to the middle of the pile
as
you rotate it. Amazing stuff ( yeasts, bacteria) in a cow's gut as far
as
digesting green grasses, ets., and it gets carried out through the manure.

You should have use able stuff in 6 mos, good stuff in a year.
--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.

wrote in message ups.com...
buy a wood chipper, it speeds composting termendously


My compost is 95% lawn clippings - already ground up.

Bob

Regarding the ivy, until I bought this house, I thought I was an ivy
fan (or at least, I didn't know any differently). A previous owner
apparently got tired of working with a large flower bed next to the
house and over-planted the whole thing with ivy. Now it completely
covers the flower bed and the brick edging, makes every effort to cover
the adjacent sidewalk and the entire side of the house, trails up the
side steps, comes up through the porch floor, wraps around the porch
rails...it's everywhere. I don't know if it's English ivy or what, but
I do know there's entirely too much of it around my house. So, if I
shouldn't throw what I cut back on the compost pile, what does it take?
Dissect and bury? Flame thrower? Stake through the heart?

Jo Ann

Bob wrote:
wrote in message ups.com...
buy a wood chipper, it speeds composting termendously


My compost is 95% lawn clippings - already ground up.

Bob

" wrote in message
oups.com...
Regarding the ivy, until I bought this house, I thought I was an ivy
fan (or at least, I didn't know any differently). A previous owner
apparently got tired of working with a large flower bed next to the
house and over-planted the whole thing with ivy. Now it completely
covers the flower bed and the brick edging, makes every effort to cover
the adjacent sidewalk and the entire side of the house, trails up the
side steps, comes up through the porch floor, wraps around the porch
rails...it's everywhere. I don't know if it's English ivy or what, but
I do know there's entirely too much of it around my house. So, if I
shouldn't throw what I cut back on the compost pile, what does it take?
Dissect and bury? Flame thrower? Stake through the heart?

Jo Ann


Ivy. The folks I bought this house from liked ivy.

I don't.

Flame thrower is good. Use weekly.

Failing that, a total vegetation killer (Ortho, others) applied weekly for
a month, followed by digging out the roots.

The leaves will die, and dry. The stems will die and dry. Bonfire
material.

If you don't want the flower / veggie garden, go to a good nursery and look
for a reasonable ground cover (vinca ?) or maybe thyme or some of the mosses
or other covers sold under the "Stepables" (sp?) brand.


Its really important that you cut down the stuff growing up the house walls.
Ivy destroys walls. Its especally bad on brick, despite the pictures you
see o old east coast collge buildings.
--
Jim McLaughlin

Reply address is deliberately munged.
If you really need to reply directly, try:
jimdotmclaughlinatcomcastdotcom

And you know it is a dotnet not a dotcom
address.
Bob wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
buy a wood chipper, it speeds composting termendously


My compost is 95% lawn clippings - already ground up.

Bob

" wrote in message oups.com...
Regarding the ivy, until I bought this house, I thought I was an ivy
fan (or at least, I didn't know any differently). A previous owner
apparently got tired of working with a large flower bed next to the
house and over-planted the whole thing with ivy. Now it completely
covers the flower bed and the brick edging, makes every effort to cover
the adjacent sidewalk and the entire side of the house, trails up the
side steps, comes up through the porch floor, wraps around the porch
rails...it's everywhere. I don't know if it's English ivy or what, but
I do know there's entirely too much of it around my house. So, if I
shouldn't throw what I cut back on the compost pile, what does it take?
Dissect and bury? Flame thrower? Stake through the heart?


I compost ivy. I try to arrange it so that none is near the sides of my bin, so
it will all get buried by lawn clippings and will be properly composted.
Any at the edges will likely continue to grow.

Bob