On Aug 1, 1:40�pm, AZ Nomad wrote:
On Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:44:51 -0500, Omelet wrote:
In article ,
Ed ex@directory wrote:
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
Just dump it in a pile and keep it damp. Does not matter whether you
layer it or otherwise.
It's really not rocket science. g
I personally use construction grade giant trash bags. Fill them and
leave them open at the top. �I let them sit for a year or so.
Makes great compost.

I use leaves and leave it in the rain gutters for a couple of years.
:-) �Also makes great compost.

Composting is a verb... you compost to make humus.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humus

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