Ed ex@directory wrote in
:
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
You don't have to do bugger-all to make it work. All that scientific
stuff will get you efficiency improvements. Depending on a lot of
things those improvements may be small or large. Start simple and
figure out what could be better based on experience.
I just use wire mesh "bins" which I turn no more often than monthly. In
my cool dry climate it takes a season to produce good compost. I've got
the time and the space, so...
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A L B E R T A Alfred Falk
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