GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

24-11-2003, 08:10 PM

(Joseph O'Brien) wrote in message . com...
I've been itching to start a garden for a few months now. I tried to
curb my appetite by reading books and websites, but I just couldn't
stand it any longer! So, today, I built a compost pile out of wooden
pallets and spent a beautiful fall day raking leaves. Funny to think
that my first step towards growing food is to hasten the decay of it.

Unfortunately, it's not a very proper compost pile. I've read about
putting down layers of green and brown, mixing in compost starters,
cutting it all up into little bits, but I just don't have the time or
resources to do that. So, I just dumped everything in, mixed it up,
and will hope for the best.

What should I expect from this kind of setup in the spring? I plan on
emtpying table scraps throughout the winter and giving it a good stir
every week. Would you have any other recommendations?

that will work. In the spring the compost will be partly finished.
Place it in your garden and plant through it. If you got anywhere
close to 10% kitchen scraps, it will finish composting in place no
later than June (in Michigan).
If you put nothing but leaves, they will act as mulch but they will
still be finished composting by september.

I usually try to keep some of the leaves separated from the rest, so I
can use them as mulch. Because they take the whole growing season to
compost, you have one weed free year where mulched. I use the rest, as
you do, to make sure that all the nutrients in kitchen scraps or
manure get absorbed during composting.

I can't wait for spring!

thanks,
joseph

Ha. Yesterday I picked two large collard heads and several radicchio
heads. I have greens in the garden (under tunnels) which will be
picked into january.