It's the Same Old Song...COMPOST

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It’s the same old song… compost…compost…compost. This month I have an excellent source of nutrients to add to the compost…Rabbit droppings! I’ve saved the contents of Clover’s hutch everyday when I clean it…and it is cooking nicely… can’t wait to see the results…. The bedding is the carboniferous part…the droppings the organics…the urea soaked littlebox contents are mineral rich (lots of Calcium) and I’ve tossed in some kitchen scraps for good measure.. it’s just that turning it is a bit of a nightmare… sniff …sniff.
Well I can smell it so I guess the anaerobes are getting the upperhand… time to add some grit and a clod or two of dried pulverized limey clay. The bedding is aspen shreds and they don’t appear to break down without a fight… time to get out the black plastic bags…lol. Going to try a trick I heard of: put compost in a black plastic bag and put it in the sun… turn it regularly and inside of two weeks should have the real stuff!! At the rate Clover manufactures the raw materials …I could have all the compost I need by November!!!

17 Jul, 2008
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Comments

Spritzhenry

Well, don't keep the bags too near the house, Lori - put them as far away as possible in case the nasty niff drives you away! Or else you could do what people did here in the Middle Ages - carry a 'nosegay' of fragrant flowers around with you! LOL.

17 Jul, 2008

Lori

LOL!! Hopefully I can get the tuning right and the smell will become the lovely loamy smell of well rotted compost...hahaha. I wasn't kidding about the black plastic bags...Having a senior moment at present and can't recall the exact source of the little gem...but read of a lady who was not able to turn the compost for health reasons and decided to make her compost the quick way anaerobically... (sp?) in the sun with the help of black plastic and was successfully producing kitchen scrap compost that way... I also use a variation on the nosegay theme...lol... when I'm trying to work and the mosquitoes are antagonizing, I pull a sprig of spearmint and rub it on my skin where they are bothering me... It works to discourage their attacks but only for a little while... and I smell minty when I come in from gardening.

17 Jul, 2008

1198

Love the mint idea! Have never made my own compost.

17 Jul, 2008

Wohlibuli

Great blog Lori. I don't really need huge amounts of compost so I use worms. Vermiculture works fine for me.

17 Jul, 2008

David

The "plastic bag in the sun" idea sounds like a good tip, Lori, although obtaining the sun seems to be a major problem for many, from what I read. I'd like to try this out. Many thanx!

17 Jul, 2008

Lori

From what I remember, David, it's just like using a composter...stuff goes in in layers... carboniferous, succulent, mineral...layer upon layer...then seal and set the bag in the sun..to cook...flip it over a few times...or just use this method to get it started and finish it off in the composter...As to the sun...I've been hearing so many folk saying that they can't get out into their garden for all the moisture coming down!...We've had a pretty good summer so far...no drought and everything is growing really well... keep fingers crossed..."the sun'll come out, tomorrow!"

18 Jul, 2008

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