On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:16:25 +0000, septemous
wrote:


Thank you all--

will experiment with different things -- I think the main thing is that
they are doing a wide flat pile instead of a tall enclosed one. This
leaves everything really dry and the resulting soil looks super
blanched and non-nutritious.

appreciate it all - and if we can stay and play longer I'll be asking
more questions!

with sunshine
s_


One thing I read and tried about composting--a 1 cubic yard of
material mounded works best. If the pile is spread out, it may dry
out and halt bacteria action. If you peel back the top of an active
compost pile, steam and heat will rise out of it. Guideline: No
smell means too dry; sour or rotten smell means too wet; earthy smell
is just right! I now have 3 rabbit-wire compost rings--simple, low
cost, low profile, easy to build, easy to move. My chicken-wire rings
lasted about 8 years before they finally fell apart. There are many
benefits to composting.