"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message
...
I took on an allotment plot earlier this year, and quickly cleared half
of it to grow at least some crops this season whilst I intensively
double-dig and clear the other half. All of that is going well.

So, now I want to make a compost bin. Eventually I plan to have 3.

I have scavenged 4 pallets each of which is 3ft x 4ft which I intend to
use to build a box that is 3ft square and 4 ft high. One of the sides
will be loosely (but securely) tied in so that it is removable for access.

But what to do next? I have read so much here and on google that I am
utterly confused.

Firstly, should I line the box with something like lino or old carpet in
order to keep the heat in or leave it as it is to allow for aeration?

Secondly, do I have to stick to a strict regime as to how I build up the
layers? I was just thinking of simply piling in layers of stuff as and
when I harvested crops throughout the season , maybe throw in some grass
cuttings from home, maybe throw in paper from the shredding machine,
maybe throw in some straw if it available.

Do I have to add accelerators? Do I have to add lime? Do I have to turn
it? Do I add worms? Do I have to pee on it LOL!!

Making compost seems to have become such a scientific skill that I am
now quite wary of even starting to do so, lest I end up with some smelly
sickly sludge that it no good for anything.

Ed

Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Chas

On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:49:43 GMT, "debnchas"
wrote:


Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Good stuff.

I just scored a copy of the original "Let it rot" in a homesteading
lot I bought last week but haven't had a chance to thumb thru it yet.

I need some help with a fairly large vermicomposting bin design to
process rabbitry waste, preserve the "liquid gold", and not kill my
back.

Anyone have any ideas?

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:49:43 GMT, "debnchas"
wrote:


Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Good stuff.

I just scored a copy of the original "Let it rot" in a homesteading
lot I bought last week but haven't had a chance to thumb thru it yet.

I need some help with a fairly large vermicomposting bin design to
process rabbitry waste, preserve the "liquid gold", and not kill my
back.

Anyone have any ideas?

I was at a rabbit farm once that built the composting "bins" out of wood
right under the rabbit cages, and stocked them with worms. The worms did
not look that healthy tho', kinda pale and slender.

That might work if it was managed properly to keep it from becoming too
acidic.
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:32:42 -0500, Omelet
wrote:

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:49:43 GMT, "debnchas"
wrote:


Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Good stuff.

I just scored a copy of the original "Let it rot" in a homesteading
lot I bought last week but haven't had a chance to thumb thru it yet.

I need some help with a fairly large vermicomposting bin design to
process rabbitry waste, preserve the "liquid gold", and not kill my
back.

Anyone have any ideas?

I was at a rabbit farm once that built the composting "bins" out of wood
right under the rabbit cages, and stocked them with worms. The worms did
not look that healthy tho', kinda pale and slender.

That might work if it was managed properly to keep it from becoming too
acidic.

I;ve seen those, but I'm redesigning my barn to have the rabbits on
the second floor and sliding the waste out of a drain to the bins
outside. Most of the acidic urine will be washed out before making
it to the bins, and they tend to stay away from the "hot corner"
anyway.

I'm kind of thinking of something modular like the "can o worms"
thing, only on a much larger scale.

I'd like it to be modular in design so that I could capture all of
that lovely "liquid gold" the worm also produce. A little bit of
that on the plants and they become very very happy.

I'd also like to easily remove a section of compost without killing my
back, and allow stacking new modules as needed, just like the can o
worms thing.

I currently basically just use the manure straight or diluted as
manure tea, but I'd like the worms to refine it further for me.

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:32:42 -0500, Omelet
wrote:

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:49:43 GMT, "debnchas"
wrote:


Composting obviously doesn't have to complex or difficult. That being
said,
there is an excellent work on composting available on the web at:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0.../03010200.html

Good stuff.

I just scored a copy of the original "Let it rot" in a homesteading
lot I bought last week but haven't had a chance to thumb thru it yet.

I need some help with a fairly large vermicomposting bin design to
process rabbitry waste, preserve the "liquid gold", and not kill my
back.

Anyone have any ideas?

I was at a rabbit farm once that built the composting "bins" out of wood
right under the rabbit cages, and stocked them with worms. The worms did
not look that healthy tho', kinda pale and slender.

That might work if it was managed properly to keep it from becoming too
acidic.

I;ve seen those, but I'm redesigning my barn to have the rabbits on
the second floor and sliding the waste out of a drain to the bins
outside. Most of the acidic urine will be washed out before making
it to the bins, and they tend to stay away from the "hot corner"
anyway.

I'm kind of thinking of something modular like the "can o worms"
thing, only on a much larger scale.

I'd like it to be modular in design so that I could capture all of
that lovely "liquid gold" the worm also produce. A little bit of
that on the plants and they become very very happy.

The worm castings are she on top of the soil (I gather them in my yard
during the rainy season) in little piles. You can scoop them by hand.
:-)

I'd also like to easily remove a section of compost without killing my
back, and allow stacking new modules as needed, just like the can o
worms thing.

I currently basically just use the manure straight or diluted as
manure tea, but I'd like the worms to refine it further for me.

Coffee grounds make worms happy too, as does vegetable compost. :-)

Are there any vermiculture lists? I've not looked. My back yard is
full of red worms so I've never had to box or buy them.
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
Ed ex@directory wrote:



A simple alternative is to dig a small trench. Put your kitchen
scrapes into it, and then cover it back over.

Don't do that if you have black bears in the area. They'll find it and
dig it up. My MIL could never figure out why she always had a bear in
her yard...

I run my kitchen scraps through my hens, then use the end product in the
garden.

Jan

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:56:49 -0500, Omelet
wrote:

Are there any vermiculture lists? I've not looked. My back yard is
full of red worms so I've never had to box or buy them.

Not that I could find on usenet, but found a few on yahoo groups.

In article ,
Jan Flora wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
Ed ex@directory wrote:



A simple alternative is to dig a small trench. Put your kitchen
scrapes into it, and then cover it back over.

Don't do that if you have black bears in the area. They'll find it and
dig it up. My MIL could never figure out why she always had a bear in
her yard...

I run my kitchen scraps through my hens, then use the end product in the
garden.

Jan

Note to self: check for black bears ;O)
--

Billy
Bush and Pelosi Behind Bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo...eature=related

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

Coffee grounds make worms happy

but apparently not zucchini. I can only presume that the pH of the
coffee grounds was to low. The zucks wilted in the late morning
light.They are recovering now but aren't happy campers. I put the
grounds right where the stem comes out of the ground. I've put
coffee grounds in the lettuce patch in the past, with no reaction.
--

Billy
Bush and Pelosi Behind Bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo...eature=related

In article ,
se (JustTom) wrote:

On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:56:49 -0500, Omelet
wrote:

Are there any vermiculture lists? I've not looked. My back yard is
full of red worms so I've never had to box or buy them.

Not that I could find on usenet, but found a few on yahoo groups.

Wow. I checked Giganews listings, and there is nothing specific for that.

I like Yahoo groups. I'm subbed to a few lists there.
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

Coffee grounds make worms happy

but apparently not zucchini. I can only presume that the pH of the
coffee grounds was to low. The zucks wilted in the late morning
light.They are recovering now but aren't happy campers. I put the
grounds right where the stem comes out of the ground. I've put
coffee grounds in the lettuce patch in the past, with no reaction.

You are supposed to compost the coffee grounds first, preferably thru
earthworms. g
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

On Aug 8, 12:38�pm, Omelet wrote:
In article
,

�Billy wrote:
In article ,
�Omelet wrote:

Coffee grounds make worms happy

but apparently not zucchini. I can only presume that the pH of the
coffee grounds was to low. The zucks wilted in the late morning
light.They are recovering now but aren't happy campers. I put the
grounds right where the stem comes out of the ground. I've put
coffee grounds in the lettuce patch in the past, with no reaction.

You are supposed to compost the coffee grounds first, preferably thru
earthworms. g

But those zukes will give a good buzz, even without D cells. g

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message
...
Making compost seems to have become such a scientific skill that I am
now quite wary of even starting to do so, lest I end up with some smelly
sickly sludge that it no good for anything.

Ed


Just to see, I put some garbage with a little water into a plastic pail with
lid and left it out in the sun. What I wound up with was a pail of rotting
garbage that eventually started breeding crop destroying worms!

I finally doused the whole mess with Malathion and dumped it a dumpster.

In article
,
Sheldon wrote:

On Aug 8, 12:38?pm, Omelet wrote:
In article
,

?Billy wildbilly@get the.net wrote:
In article ,
?Omelet wrote:

Coffee grounds make worms happy

but apparently not zucchini. I can only presume that the pH of the
coffee grounds was to low. The zucks wilted in the late morning
light.They are recovering now but aren't happy campers. I put the
grounds right where the stem comes out of the ground. I've put
coffee grounds in the lettuce patch in the past, with no reaction.

You are supposed to compost the coffee grounds first, preferably thru
earthworms. g

But those zukes will give a good buzz, even without D cells. g

Only if cross-bred with San Pedro. ;-)
--
Peace! Om

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

"Mike" wrote in message news:Pc0nk.409$EL2.204@trnddc01...

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message
...
Making compost seems to have become such a scientific skill that I am
now quite wary of even starting to do so, lest I end up with some smelly
sickly sludge that it no good for anything.

Ed

Scientific!!!
Nah, I just pile everything in to a wire mesh frame until its over full,
leave it until it drops to about half full, spread it on the garden. Works
for me see;
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...e.10280?sort=5
This one is about 8 ft square and has now been filled way over the top of
the frame, and is now well on its way back down again all by itself. The
other one is about quarter full, should take another 18 months to completely
fill it. the only other thing I do is cover the full one with and old bit
of carpet. I lifted a corner last weekend and there were loads of little red
worms working away under it.

Yea I know, I even take pictures of the compost heap, if you rummage around
you will even find the second one half empty.

Mike