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Old 09-04-2003, 04:09 AM
GATR
 
Posts: n/a
Default quick composting question.......


If you have a mower with a bag, cut your grass and add one or two bags of
grass clippings. The nitrogen in the grass will cause the pile to heat up. I
did this about three weeks ago, several days before a cold spell. I walked
out one morning when the temp was around 40 and stuck my rake in the pile to
turn it. The heat from the pile hit the cold air causing it to condense so
much that I thought the durn thing was on fire. I cut my grass Sunday and
did the same thing. I checked on it awhile ago and it was heating nicely. No
need for any other means of combustion.

I also read a tip in the paper some time ago that said you could add small
pieces of paper. It occurred to me that I could add the bills I shred to the
pile. I'm going to start doing that as well. (Not for combust the pile,
though.) I don't know about colored paper so I'll probably just use white
paper that doesn't have a lot of colored ink in it. My compost does not go
on vegetables so it shouldn't matter.

The earlier poster (animaux?) was right about keeping it wet. The grass has
really helped break up the cantas that I had put in there some months ago.