tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post7289109814098974623..comments2024-03-26T00:14:00.509-07:00Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Spinning my compostUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-54053180884197130282009-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:002009-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00I just go in from mixing my pile and thought I'd t...I just go in from mixing my pile and thought I'd tell you what I do since it seems to be pretty successful. I would like to have purchased a rolling tumbler but they are expensive and the apartment management would go absolutely nuts if they knew I had a compost pile. <BR/><BR/>I have a rubber maid bin(14 gallon size I believe) that I started with equal parts dirt from my Dad's house and mudnessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542400857346376155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-7206480287006573472009-01-07T11:01:00.000-08:002009-01-07T11:01:00.000-08:00Here in LA, they have a wonderful composting class...Here in LA, they have a wonderful composting class that I attended and they were pretty negative about turners for yard compost. The teacher suggested that turners are A) expensive B) really hard to turn when full and C) fairly unnecessary if you have access to a pitchfork. <BR/>He also suggested that you'll keep unwanted visitors (foxes, bugs, etc) away from your pile by visiting and turning it psuklinkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05805808687294874819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-82014089711841948822009-01-06T18:15:00.000-08:002009-01-06T18:15:00.000-08:00It's amazing how just a few chickens solve this pr...It's amazing how just a few chickens solve this problem. They eat table scraps, weeds, grass clippings, and whatever they won't eat gets scratched in with the dirt and poop to become compost before you know it. It sounds like a worm farm would accomplish the same thing, only without the eggs.Susan Ochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13349528942254702007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-81384829556751971682009-01-06T18:06:00.000-08:002009-01-06T18:06:00.000-08:00I like my tumblers because it is easy and convenie...I like my tumblers because it is easy and convenient but they are pricey. I agree with JAM... I finally got compost after getting the 2nd tumbler. I don't turn it consistently. If it gets smelly, I throw in more brown stuff. I ended up getting a pitch fork because it can get heavy to turn when full (i ended up with tendonitis last summer). I tried the compost tea from the tank, but will never doAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-58697214772399549612009-01-06T12:04:00.000-08:002009-01-06T12:04:00.000-08:00http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/video/2008067:V...http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/video/2008067:Video:19035<BR/><BR/>Above is a link for a YouTube video on making your own compost tumbler from a plastic barrel. <BR/><BR/>You can get the barrels from any feed store; I plan to do this with barrels rescued from the local car wash as I need all the compost that's no longer 'hot' and filling my trash can compost bins. <BR/><BR/>SusanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-49596803593316374672009-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:002009-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00Well, I have the opposite problem. Since we mulch ...Well, I have the opposite problem. Since we mulch our grass, the bulk of our stuff is brown (lots of oak tree leaves in the fall). I was seriously looking at a tumbler, but I'm not going ahead for the moment. I plan on doing two things:<BR/>1) Get a bokashi composter to use indoors for my food scraps. You can even put meat and bones in there if you have some as waste.<BR/>2) I found a really neatAlison Kerrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00732023012497108509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-54865287165080256242009-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:002009-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:00I have a tumbler (not a spinner) for my kitchen wa...I have a tumbler (not a spinner) for my kitchen waste, to discourage rodent diners (chicken straw, hamster bedding and leaves go in an actual compost pile). The tumbler does seem to work, though I'm not sure it's actually "composting." Somehow a colony of redworms found its way in, so I may have more of a worm bin than an actual composter. <BR/><BR/>Still, the crumbly (somewhat wet) black stuffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-55780242307998766202009-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:002009-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:00My hot compost pile worked great after I accumulat...My hot compost pile worked great after I accumulated enough "browns" and "greens." I still need to turn it with a pitchfork every few days. Here in southern california, the weather's great for composting year round. I've gotten used to feeding it my kitchen scraps, but still go over to the neighbors for things like dry leaves. Newspaper works too, but I wouldn't recommend adding your junk mail. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-29618642965242130452009-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:002009-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:00brown is sometimes white, like the contents of you...brown is sometimes white, like the contents of your paper shredder. You can also scour the neighborhood for bags of leaves that your neighbors put out for collection. I've been known to steal bags of grass clippings for some good hot "green".Mollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-21746240575646437682009-01-05T10:29:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:29:00.000-08:00Just wanted to echo the recommendation for making ...Just wanted to echo the recommendation for making your own compost bin from a trash can. My homemade trash can composter works just as well as my expensive tumbler, holds more compost, and is easier to empty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-28770449540500498082009-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:002009-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00I do indoor composting with rubermaid and red worm...I do indoor composting with rubermaid and red worms, I just have 1 month, dont be afraid its easy!!Mariano Renteríahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08676226651021319686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-63286184014754436692009-01-05T07:17:00.000-08:002009-01-05T07:17:00.000-08:00We are in Seattle and use a worm bin. Couldn't be ...We are in Seattle and use a worm bin. Couldn't be easier we have two HUGE Rubbermaid locker tubs, drilled with holes on the bottom, and sitting on bricks to allow drainage. We have gorgeous compost within a year. EASY!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-67175009200092621872009-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:002009-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00I subscribe to the lazy gardener style, so practic...I subscribe to the lazy gardener style, so practice sheet composting. I just layer compostable materials directly onto my garden beds throughout the year (leaves in fall; grass clippings in spring/summer) and let it break down in place. Heavily mulching like this always keeps any weed seeds from sprouting (a double bonus for the lazy gardener). We had inherited a chipper/shredder from my Delorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17998695094102234995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-66759575849164107812009-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:002009-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00I agree my parents had a tumbler when I was a kid ...I agree my parents had a tumbler when I was a kid it was a pain.<BR/><BR/>I live in Seattle and have rabbits. I'm always trying to get rid of rabbit poop. Want some?Sadrakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00543524437874174529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-37964128022156304182009-01-04T14:37:00.000-08:002009-01-04T14:37:00.000-08:00I'm a renter in a small apartment so we have a bit...I'm a renter in a small apartment so we have a bit of a different situation. We've been composting all of our food waste (even when preserving food from the farmer’s market during the summer) and newspapers for almost two years with a homemade worm bin. It's very cheap to make and our worms create compost extremely quickly – so much so that we plan to continue when we move to some land! We Bettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14232789149202771120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-5296372502841335422009-01-04T09:56:00.000-08:002009-01-04T09:56:00.000-08:00I don't have much to say about tumbling compost (e...I don't have much to say about tumbling compost (except to agree with others about purchasing a big, expensive chunk of plastic), but have a couple general composting thoughts. If there's any way you can make an extra raised bed, put your composting stuff right on top of the soil, whether contained or not. When you move the compost off of it (maybe into another of your beds), that bed will be Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-64580819447116152012009-01-04T01:46:00.000-08:002009-01-04T01:46:00.000-08:00We use grass clipping ,3 bales of straw and leaves...We use grass clipping ,3 bales of straw and leaves along with household scraps. I hvae several pails to put household scraps in and when they are filled I walk half way across the property to dump it on compost pile. It bakes out there in the "field" with straw ,leaves and grss clippings and manure. We get a fairly decent pile but never in 3 weeks! I hesitate to use cardboard or newspaper Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-29362141681668624852009-01-03T22:13:00.000-08:002009-01-03T22:13:00.000-08:00I follow the Ruth Stout no-work garden system, whi...I follow the Ruth Stout no-work garden system, which involves no tilling of the soil, mounds of mulch along, with no-fuss composting. Her technique was to simply toss her compostable matter onto the mulch around her flowers and vegetables. I suppose if that doesn't please your aesthetic sensibilities, you could rake back the mulch and shove the potato peelings etc underneath.<BR/><BR/>I inheritedVillage Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10299021164466991478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-5029568185517889072009-01-03T21:11:00.000-08:002009-01-03T21:11:00.000-08:00don't have time to read everyone's comments so hop...don't have time to read everyone's comments so hope this is not a repeat . . .<BR/><BR/>for the brown portion of our compost we rake some of the grass clippings from mowing with our reel mower and we let them sit in a pile until they are - well, brown. then we add them.C and Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09016028981337744382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-87582904706133379352009-01-03T19:54:00.000-08:002009-01-03T19:54:00.000-08:00Texan Mama - No, it's me being stupid this time ar...Texan Mama - No, it's me being stupid this time around. I love your idea and I'm going to steal it. Thanks! No $200 rolling composter for me when I can construct my own... Plus, I love drilling holes in shit. I'll give you my full report.<BR/><BR/>Also, thanks to everyone else for pointing out the obvious with the newspaper and cardboard. I have no problem securing paper waste so that will work Crunchy Chickenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612320939936593420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-59950806888587411092009-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:002009-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00Hey I feel stupid telling YOU how to make a compos...Hey I feel stupid telling YOU how to make a composter, but when we lived in the country I made our very own compost tumbler, super cheap. I bought a plastic garbage can with a lid that locked (by lifting the handles). Then I drilled holes in the sides and bottom with a spade drill bit. To "tumble" it, just lock the lid on and roll it around. And, I bought a can with wheels on the bottom so I Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00039056206420438194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-3296133931284523402009-01-03T19:20:00.000-08:002009-01-03T19:20:00.000-08:00I just started composting but I have the one in th...I just started composting but I have the one in the picture you used! From what I have read so far you must keep it at about 50% brown 50% green. I try and add some cardboard, paper or dried leafs every time I add green items. <BR/><BR/>Also be careful with poop! Meat eaters are a big no no and birds are a no no. Rabbits I understand are fine.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02583524755306491510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-47549208229261934992009-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:002009-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00So many comments: I'll be concise.1. No tumblers.....So many comments: I'll be concise.<BR/><BR/>1. No tumblers...make a pile...we contain ours in three seperate piles surrounded with hardware cloth that opens.<BR/><BR/>2. Water it when it is dry and turn it frequently.<BR/><BR/>3. Run the mower over all your big stuff (maybe even those rose bushes) and it will be crunched up enough for the compost bin.<BR/><BR/>4. I agree that you should find someJen BKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07821947760051000397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-53218477166469483362009-01-03T16:34:00.000-08:002009-01-03T16:34:00.000-08:00Another negative vote for the tumbler option - I'v...Another negative vote for the tumbler option - I've been working on my tumbler compost for over a year and it's still no good. Also, those tumblers get HEAVY really fast - if you've got back problems, maybe cold composting in layers would be a better solution. I have a really hard time turning mine and it's pretty small. The only reason I would recommend a tumbler is if you're composting food Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542806651392353413.post-61148108464319849612009-01-03T14:34:00.000-08:002009-01-03T14:34:00.000-08:00blondeoverboard... So funny that you drop your chi...blondeoverboard... So funny that you drop your chickens 'overboard' and let them do the pooping and turning. :D Made me chuckle. <BR/><BR/>Oh please don't buy a plastic tumbler thingie. I mean if you really really think it will be wonderful than I guess you should but it just seems like a waste of money. <BR/>Sadly, the city yard waste bin might not be that great of a solution either. http://Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08849148217473381311noreply@blogger.com