compost
 

i have a juicer that i use quite regularly, and this leads me to have a lot
of organic vegtable/fruit waste leftovers. I was wondering how I could go
about turning this into a compost or mulch as I live in the north and
temperatures are starting to dip and will be at the frost point soon, so if
i leave it outside to decompose it will probably freeze before it gets a
chance (especially as I add to it). I dont want to keep it inside as I live
in an apartment and dont think rotting vegtables would go over too well ;)
Does anyone have any ideas on how i should go about this? (I have a
backyard and a limited amount of space I could dedicate to it if needed)
Thanks.

"santos" wrote in message
...
i have a juicer that i use quite regularly, and this leads me to have a
lot
of organic vegtable/fruit waste leftovers. I was wondering how I could go
about turning this into a compost or mulch as I live in the north and
temperatures are starting to dip and will be at the frost point soon, so
if
i leave it outside to decompose it will probably freeze before it gets a
chance (especially as I add to it). I dont want to keep it inside as I
live
in an apartment and dont think rotting vegtables would go over too well ;)
Does anyone have any ideas on how i should go about this? (I have a
backyard and a limited amount of space I could dedicate to it if needed)
Thanks.



If you have an existing compost pile, just let it sit there under the snow.
A lot of people have reported that their compost piles will emit steam on
calm winter days. If you don't have one, I suppose you could just dump your
left overs in the same spot all winter long, and let the stuff thaw in the
spring, and start composting then.

Snooze

Snooze wrote:

If you have an existing compost pile, just let it sit there under the
snow.
A lot of people have reported that their compost piles will emit steam
on
calm winter days. If you don't have one, I suppose you could just dump
your
left overs in the same spot all winter long, and let the stuff thaw in
the
spring, and start composting then.


Freezing will usually only happen when the pile is too wet. Keep some
dry materials next to the pile to add to it, and turn the pile
frequently.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Fahrenheit 9/11 ships 10/5. Order your copy now:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/911.html

thanks for the replies.. .since we are on the subject, i have a couple more
related questions - are grape leftovers a good addition to a compost? i
assume they would be but maybe the acidic nature of them when they ferment
would have a negative effect (as would any other fermenting fruit?) also,
where would i be able to find some plans on building a small compost bin
that would survive not only the winter but also rodents and insects once
spring comes? Thanks again and sorry for being a nuisance :p

"Warren" wrote in message
news:LI59d.82281$He1.50769@attbi_s01...
Snooze wrote:

If you have an existing compost pile, just let it sit there under the
snow.
A lot of people have reported that their compost piles will emit steam
on
calm winter days. If you don't have one, I suppose you could just dump
your
left overs in the same spot all winter long, and let the stuff thaw in
the
spring, and start composting then.


Freezing will usually only happen when the pile is too wet. Keep some
dry materials next to the pile to add to it, and turn the pile
frequently.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Fahrenheit 9/11 ships 10/5. Order your copy now:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/911.html

From: "santos"


also,
where would i be able to find some plans on building a small compost bin
that would survive not only the winter but also rodents and insects once
spring comes? T

http://www.diydata.com/projects/plans/garden_plans.htm
Scroll around, there are 4/5 plans to choose from.

Aside: If you choose the pallet plan be warned that after awhile
it becomes almost impossible to turn the pike. You might want
to build two so you can toss the pike back-and-forth.
HTH

My simple suggestions a

Don't worry about what goes into the pile or when.
Do put in leaves, grass clipping and kitchen scraps (non-meat, it
attracts animals)
ALL vegie and fruit scraps are fine.
Don't worry about the timing of when you compost
If time is not an issue, don't worry about turning the pile.
No need to build compost bins or buy special equipment.

When I was just starting, I'd take a coffee can's worth out to the garden
(winter, too zone 6) and dig a small hole, put the scraps in and cover it.
In a month or two, there was no way to tell where the compost was. The
ground had high clay content, too. By digging, the spring turning got
easier every year. This year, hardly worked up a sweat with the shovel and
the garden is about 40 x 25 feet.

"santos" wrote in message
...
thanks for the replies.. .since we are on the subject, i have a couple
more
related questions - are grape leftovers a good addition to a compost? i
assume they would be but maybe the acidic nature of them when they ferment
would have a negative effect (as would any other fermenting fruit?) also,
where would i be able to find some plans on building a small compost bin
that would survive not only the winter but also rodents and insects once
spring comes? Thanks again and sorry for being a nuisance :p

"Warren" wrote in message
news:LI59d.82281$He1.50769@attbi_s01...
Snooze wrote:

If you have an existing compost pile, just let it sit there under the
snow.
A lot of people have reported that their compost piles will emit steam
on
calm winter days. If you don't have one, I suppose you could just dump
your
left overs in the same spot all winter long, and let the stuff thaw in
the
spring, and start composting then.


Freezing will usually only happen when the pile is too wet. Keep some
dry materials next to the pile to add to it, and turn the pile
frequently.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Fahrenheit 9/11 ships 10/5. Order your copy now:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/911.html

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 01:41:06 -0300, "santos"
wrote:

i have a juicer that i use quite regularly, and this leads me to have a lot
of organic vegtable/fruit waste leftovers. I was wondering how I could go
about turning this into a compost or mulch as I live in the north and
temperatures are starting to dip and will be at the frost point soon, so if
i leave it outside to decompose it will probably freeze before it gets a
chance (especially as I add to it).

Veg waste *will* decay, 'though more slowly in cold weather than warm.
Just start tossing it in one spot and let nature have its way.