With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can plastic
bags be used for composting?

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 19:36:05 -0800, "Blue" wrote:

With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can plastic
bags be used for composting?


Better to pile your materials directly on the ground. A simple 3-foot
diameter ring of chicken wire should last several years. You compost
pile should be kept slightly moist.

Blue wrote:

With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can plastic
bags be used for composting?

Composting requires air for good results. Even an above-ground,
open air compost pile needs occasional stirring to bring fresh air
into the center of the pile.

A lack of air results in anaerobic fermentation. The final
product is slimy, foul smelling, and not suitable for many garden
uses.

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See http://www.mozilla.org/.

"David Ross" wrote in message
...
Blue wrote:

With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to
compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can
plastic
bags be used for composting?

Composting requires air for good results. Even an above-ground,
open air compost pile needs occasional stirring to bring fresh air
into the center of the pile.

A lack of air results in anaerobic fermentation. The final
product is slimy, foul smelling, and not suitable for many garden
uses.

Something I'm after as well is continuuing to live without trash pickup. I
find that easy except for green waste.
But I wonder about having only one pile and continuously adding to it.
Seems that it would never be "done". I would be willing to take on a small
horizontal rotator but don't know of one.

Since my yard is so small and the activity of composting so close by, what
would really get my interest is a horizontal rotator with an automatic
photovoltaic rotation and connection to my sprinkler system to keep it moist
but that would be as much of a toy as a serious tool.

"David Ross" wrote in message
...
Blue wrote:

With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to
compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can
plastic
bags be used for composting?

Composting requires air for good results. Even an above-ground,
open air compost pile needs occasional stirring to bring fresh air
into the center of the pile.

A lack of air results in anaerobic fermentation. The final
product is slimy, foul smelling, and not suitable for many garden
uses.

Something I'm after as well is continuuing to live without trash pickup. I
find that easy except for green waste.
But I wonder about having only one pile and continuously adding to it.
Seems that it would never be "done". I would be willing to take on a small
horizontal rotator but don't know of one.

Since my yard is so small and the activity of composting so close by, what
would really get my interest is a horizontal rotator with an automatic
photovoltaic rotation and connection to my sprinkler system to keep it moist
but that would be as much of a toy as a serious tool.

"David Ross" wrote in message
...
Blue wrote:

With my very small yard and garden I don't have a lot of stuff to
compost
and I don't want to dedicate much space to the task either. Can
plastic
bags be used for composting?

Composting requires air for good results. Even an above-ground,
open air compost pile needs occasional stirring to bring fresh air
into the center of the pile.

A lack of air results in anaerobic fermentation. The final
product is slimy, foul smelling, and not suitable for many garden
uses.

Something I'm after as well is continuuing to live without trash pickup. I
find that easy except for green waste.
But I wonder about having only one pile and continuously adding to it.
Seems that it would never be "done". I would be willing to take on a small
horizontal rotator but don't know of one.

Since my yard is so small and the activity of composting so close by, what
would really get my interest is a horizontal rotator with an automatic
photovoltaic rotation and connection to my sprinkler system to keep it moist
but that would be as much of a toy as a serious tool.

I've heard of this method but haven't tried it. If you don't mind a
little hole in your yard, why not dig a small pit? Fill the pit with
yard and kitchen scraps and when you get 4" from the top, cover with
soil. Bugs in the soil will take care of it. Plant an annual on top
as marker and let it be. Dig another pit somewhere else and do it all
over.

I've heard of this method but haven't tried it. If you don't mind a
little hole in your yard, why not dig a small pit? Fill the pit with
yard and kitchen scraps and when you get 4" from the top, cover with
soil. Bugs in the soil will take care of it. Plant an annual on top
as marker and let it be. Dig another pit somewhere else and do it all
over.

The more I think on this the more I think it is just what I want. Also,
since I am planning a 2 x 2 ft retaining wall planter against a slumpstone
wall, that may be just the place to gradually add the stuff. Thanks
Blue

"Pen" wrote in message
om...
I've heard of this method but haven't tried it. If you don't mind a
little hole in your yard, why not dig a small pit? Fill the pit with
yard and kitchen scraps and when you get 4" from the top, cover with
soil. Bugs in the soil will take care of it. Plant an annual on top
as marker and let it be. Dig another pit somewhere else and do it all
over.