i doubt it, it is anerobic and a compost heap is aerobic. septics are almsot oxygen free, while you want more air in tehcompost to encourage decomp. frequent turning and proper mix balances speed up a heap more than anyting else. i have made a 55 gallon drum worth in as little as 2 weeks before. then again i have had piles that literally took months to get the same amount due to not turning them like i should.

 

Thanks for prompt reply,
I guess I won't try that.
Thanks again,

 

:swow: Whewwww......for a minute there...I thought someone was going to torch their compost heap!

 

When I initially started mine, I mixed in a bag of composted steer manure.
I really don't know if it helped, but the pile seemed to start "composting" faster than I expected. OTOH, I'm really not sure what I expected

 

Well, Bill,
The big question, will cow manure work the same? Or faster? Steer manure being neutral, would probably be slower, No? Maybe B. S. would be best! :sidelaugh

:duh: :bellyemot

 

I think the manure being high in nitrogen gave it a kick start.

 

I would agree, I've had dozens of compost piles, I'm just tinkerin' with accelerants, am going to try Jerry Baker gardener potion of 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup beer in 2 gals of water.
Thanks for all your suggestions,

 

I just scatter a shovel of soil through it. It gives it the bacteria.

 

If you don't mind some chemical fertilizer, sprinkle on a little high nitrogen fert. (12-12-12, etc.). I used to use ammonium nitrate (try to buy that anymore). isgus: Then a thin layer of garden dirt on top. ~~ grnspot110

 

I think things are getting just a bit too complicated for a simple compost pile... All a compost pile needs is approx. 50% "green" and 50% "brown" and if that isn't possible just make sure the pile is getting plenty of air or "A-I-R" (Atmospheric Interpolating Rotation) no matter what the mix. AIR it once a week.

In plain terms, forget fancy and just keep turning the pile. Everything you need to start a compost pile is in the material you are composting to begin with. Septic starters are mostly bogus even for the septic tank because the first time you "make muffies" and flush you got all the "starter" you need.

The microbugs that make compost work need to breathe oxygen and a drink of simple water, but not to the point of "soupy" saturation. If it's going to be rainy for a week, cover the pile after the first day's rain. If it hasn't rained in a week, give it a couple minutes of hose spray after you turn it.

And when the pile is finishing, cover it completely to keep the rain from leaching out all that good "brown gold" nutrient. Compost that has been exposed to too much rain can appear very nice and lush but be just ineffective dead matter totally useless for plants. It "ain't rocket science", it's just plain compost science.

 

All a compost pile needs is approx. 50% "green" and 50% "brown"

My problem has been; all summer when mowing, pulling weeds, it's 100% green. In the fall when raking leaves, it's 100% brown.

 

Wow, excellent write-up Hydroharold.

My 5 year old daughter is bugging to make a compost pit this year (have no clue where she got the idea, but I love it), and I'm going to print this out for when the time comes... so Dad actually sounds like he knows something!:thThumbsU

 

Hydro, you're correct in your description of the contents and management of a compost pile.
I've always used green grass clippings to help heat the pile, but being February here, none available.
With plenty of bulk material from a horse barn next door and time on my hands til garden planting next month, I'm just trying different things to see if some might work.
Will have 5 or 6 piles held by 4' X 3' wire mesh cages, would have more but don't want to spend all my time in turning.
Heretofore, I've just tilled in loads of horse manure in the fall.

Really appreciate all youse guys input.
Thanks,

"muffies" ???? :biglaugh:

 

That's really "rotten" information Harold!

 

"That's really "rotten" information Harold!"

:ROF It is, isn't it, Argee!

In the thread there was mention of not being able to compost "just grass clippings alone". I took this photo (Left) late Summer as I began to use that impossible to compost stuff on some of my flowers. All I did was to keep the pile fluffed up every 2-3 weeks or so if not with the tractor then with a manure fork.

Second photo is turning some of the combined ground leaves/clipping pile this Fall. The flash didn't pick it up but there was significant steam coming out of the center of the pile when I first opened it up. The light area is the "mold" (microbial action) going on in the center generating the heat. This pile is now finished and ready to use come Spring. I'll cover it this week to keep out the rain until I use it for my container canna garden.

For the record, there's a line between loose and packed compost where the rapid composting action happens. You see pictures of guys putting clippings, leaves, sticks, etc. on to a loose heap. This will take a long time to break down, but it will eventually. But, if you take time to grind the woody and larger ingredients down to 1-3 inches and grind up your leaves before adding them in, composting goes way faster. Any stick-like stuff as forsythia or other woody tree trimmings I put on a pile and run over with the Gator blades before bagging and adding to the pile. With all the ingredients around the same size there's just the right amount of compaction for the breakdown to begin quickly.

 

Some time back on the show "Dirtiest Jobs", they were on Mackinac Island. They covered scooping the road apples from the streets, hauling out the garbage from the Grand Hotel as well as most of the other establishments.

None of the organics were taken off of the island or dumped into the lake. They showed carting it off to a huge composting area where they turned it with payloaders. All of the compost is then used for the flower beds, shrubs, and gardens on the island, and if any of you have been there you can attest to what wonderful plants they grow on the island.